The Correspondent by Virginia EvansGratitude
Thank you to the Montgomery County Public Libraries for making The Correspondent by Virginia Evans available as a lucky day book.
Description
Sybil Van Antwerp comes from another time, when there were few female judges, and to find a way to influence the court system, she spent her career clerking for a well-known judge. Sybil’s relationship with him was a working one only, but they were the closest of collaborators. She did not just advise him, they made decisions together, and to hear it told, on equal footing. Around the time the judge dies, Sybil also begins to experience deteriorating eye sight, and her already limited amount of travel shrinks even further.
Sybil communicates with the world largely through letters. She corresponds with her family and friends as well as some well-known authors, such as Joan Didion. Like Didion, she lost a child, though Sybil’s Gilbert died when he was only eight. Sybil still feels the loss with a terrible intensity that continues to impact her life in many ways. The letters include a lot of her backstory, and in an interesting way that does not slog down the plot.
Sybil communicates with the world largely through letters. She corresponds with her family and friends as well as some well-known authors, such as Joan Didion. Like Didion, she lost a child, though Sybil’s Gilbert died when he was only eight. Sybil still feels the loss with a terrible intensity that continues to impact her life in many ways. The letters include a lot of her backstory, and in an interesting way that does not slog down the plot.
The Sybil we meet brokers no fools, as the saying goes, nor does she make departures from her quiet life, at least not easily. She can be hard and difficult, but she can also be thoughtful, caring, and willing to put up a good fight for anyone for whom she cares.
Would I teach this book?
Would I teach The Correspondent? In a time when letters are way out of fashion, Virginia Evan’s The Correspondent may be one of the last modern-day epistolic books that is not fully emails. In fact, the author has Sybil defend her letter writing to other characters.
The book is not terribly long, which is helpful for teaching–the longer a book, the more difficult to include on the syllabus. It has a good story and great character development. It might not be as amazing as some might be claiming, but it is an enjoyable read. It is a possibility to be included in a creative writing or literature course, but it would not be in my top ten or even top twenty picks.
View all my reviews
The book is not terribly long, which is helpful for teaching–the longer a book, the more difficult to include on the syllabus. It has a good story and great character development. It might not be as amazing as some might be claiming, but it is an enjoyable read. It is a possibility to be included in a creative writing or literature course, but it would not be in my top ten or even top twenty picks.
View all my reviews
