The Correspondent

Hardback Published on: 29/04/2025
Price: £16.99
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Bookseller Reviews

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The Correspondent
A portrait of a lovable character with the ability to change and grow
From the blurb: "Every morning, Sybil Van Antwerp sits down to write letters – to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who ... READ MORE
Libby at  Waterstones Craigavon
The Correspondent
A Perfect Novel
A gorgeous epistolary novel about a woman in the winter of her life who is losing her sight. Echoes of Gilead, Small Pleasures, Small Things Like These and... READ MORE
Jo at TCR
The Correspondent
Read it and see for yourself
This was a word of mouth bestseller and many customers have recommended it to me and I am so grateful to them. I loved this book and fell for it hook, line... READ MORE
Kurde @Horsham
The Correspondent
A whole world in letters.
Sybil Van Antwerp has shrunk her world to a size she can cope with. In her retirement she enjoys her gardening, reading, and writing letters. But the world... READ MORE
Eilish from Rustington
The Correspondent
A story with emotional depth
Wow, this book makes you reflect on both the best and worst parts of life, whilst simultaneously making you grateful for them. Sybils story will teach you ... READ MORE
Naomi from Chichester
The Correspondent
Utterly delightful – the new lady of letters
A life-affirming and charming story that you’ll remember long after reading. In The Correspondent we are introduced to the formidable and intriguing reti... READ MORE
Sarah at Head Office
The Correspondent
Highly enjoyable and compulsively engaging
I had heard such amazing things about this book and I especially love an epistolary format so I knew I had to give this book a try.The book gives such a st... READ MORE
Eva
The Correspondent
Wonderful Read!
I’m so glad I finally read this after it being recommended to me by everyone in my book club!The Correspondent is a lovely little read that still provides ... READ MORE
Amoy Daley, Waterstones Leamington Spa
The Correspondent
You can't help but fall in love with Sybil...
Every now and then you see a book become a genuine word-of-mouth bestseller. Having finally read it, I understand why The Correspondent has captured hearts... READ MORE
Michelle, Chesterfield
The Correspondent
A perfect spring book
I am obsessed with this heartfelt, thoughtful, and reflective story. Telling the story through letters was so creative and deeply immersive, allowing me to... READ MORE
Louisa at Blackheath
The Correspondent
Charming
I've inadvertently decided to read the women's prize for fiction shortlist because they all sounded so good and this one did not disappoint. Written in ... READ MORE
Faria at Blackburn
The Correspondent
The book I needed right now
I only finished this book a few hours ago, but I must press it into the hands of as many people as possible, even digitally. The story of Sybil, told throu... READ MORE
Dan at Chiswick

Synopsis

Discover the bestselling novel that thousands of readers are calling their favourite book of the year.

Every morning, Sybil Van Antwerp sits down to write letters – to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to attend a class she desperately wants to take, to her favourite authors to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter.

Because at seventy-three, Sybil has used her correspondence – witty and wise – to make sense of the world. But beyond the page, she has spent the last thirty years keeping the people who love her at arms’ length... until letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life.

Now, Sybil must send the letter she has been writing for all these years - and find forgiveness within herself in order to move on.

Sybil Van Antwerp’s life of letters might be ‘a very small thing’, but she also might be one of the most memorable characters you will ever read.

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
  • ISBN: 9780241721254
  • Number of pages: 288
  • Dimensions: 224 x 144 x 28 mm
  • Weight: 394g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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The Correspondent
A Life through Words
What a clever way to tell a story. I loved how the letters brought out the detail of the characters in Sybil life and how they really felt about each othe... READ MORE
Regina Mastrogiacomo
The Correspondent
Beautifully Written and Poignant
4.25/5 stars This story is told entirely through letters, both from and to the central character Sybil Van Antwerp. I think epistolary novels, at lea... READ MORE
Robin
The Correspondent
A warm, witty celebration of later life.
I'm a sucker for something written in diary or letter form, so The Correspondent immediately appealed. The book follows the life of spiky septuagenarian Sy... READ MORE
Lyndsey Dennis
The Correspondent
Endearing
Started and finished this within hours which is a first. It was a truly beautiful read, full of humour, balanced with tragedy and inevitable aging. We begi... READ MORE
Jane Armstrong
The Correspondent
Fabulous!
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans Sybil is in her 70s and through her letters to family, friends, neighbours and even writers she admires, we learn th... READ MORE
Donna
The Correspondent
Magnificent
5 glorious stars for a true masterpiece of a book. Witty, clever and emotional, The Correspondent is a collection of letters, written between Sybil Van Ant... READ MORE
Samantha Schofield
The Correspondent
Fabulous Book!
What a truly wonderful book, the best I’ve read in a very long time. I’d give it 10 stars if I could!
Ali
The Correspondent
A life in letters
This is a really unusual format which does a great job of telling you about the protagonists life through her correspondence with a combination of mostly l... READ MORE
Sarah Goldthorpe
The Correspondent
Sublime Sybil!
I absolutely adored 'The Correspondent'. I felt I was sitting with Sybil, at her desk, while she wrote and read these letters. It is a remarkable feat to w... READ MORE
Joanna Rawlins
The Correspondent
The letters of life
What a beautiful story, told through the medium of letters and emails. Sybil made me think of my Nana and the way that her filter declined as she aged, wh... READ MORE
Candace Greatbanks
The Correspondent
An absolute delight!
What an absolute delight this book is. I love an epistolary novel, it’s a hard format to master but Virginia Evans does a brilliant job. All the characters... READ MORE
Jennifer W
The Correspondent
A curious book.
It’s a soft, quiet novel, not loud with big brash feelings but immersive and enjoyable nonetheless. Snippets of Sybil’s life through her letters make her h... READ MORE
Rose
The Correspondent
An excellent Book Club read
Sybil Van Antwerp has been/is a wife, mother, grandmother, divorcee, renowned lawyer and friend. Over the years she has written thousands of letters - to h... READ MORE
Stephanie Bull
The Correspondent
Mesmerising
5* (more if I could) The Correspondent - Virginia Evans. I’m late to the party but can understand why this topped so many reader polls as 2025’s favourite ... READ MORE
Nic Johnston
The Correspondent
This book was wonderful!
Sybil you are a legend and a character I won’t forget. I found this book to be a great reminder of how much you can convey in just letters. The characters ... READ MORE
Sophia (@soph_reading_journal)
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
The Correspondent
Fantastic Book Thoroughly enjoyed reading
This book was a fantastic read. Sybil was a very interesting character who liked to read lots of different books and she was very good at expressing hersel... READ MORE
Wesley
The Correspondent
Beautifully written
I loved this book. Through a collection of letters the author is able to explore a number of themes as we learn about the protagonist and the people around... READ MORE
Emily Evans
Verified Purchase
The Correspondent
A wonderful read
This is the best book of new fiction I have read in a long time. Was a pleasure from beginning to end. Fees a bit like Ann Tyler with a twist of Jane Austi... READ MORE
FCW
Verified Purchase
The Correspondent
Outstanding
There are not enough stars!!! I devoured this book and didn't stop crying from that last letter to Gilbert. It just floored me. Wow what a debut!!
Jayne Powney
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.Verified Purchase
The Correspondent
A charming, poignant read
An exquisite gem of a novel.
Ellen Rossiter
The Correspondent
Longlisted for the Women's Prize 2026
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans is longlisted for the Women's Prize 2026. I would be delighted if it won - so fingers crossed it is in the shortlist w... READ MORE
Fiona Sharp
The Correspondent
I am so glad I finally read the beautiful The Correspondent
I am so glad I finally read the beautiful The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. I grew to strongly like the leading character Sybil van Antwerp, a lifelong ... READ MORE
Kay Medway