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The Correspondent

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The Correspondent

By: Virginia Evans
Narrated by: Maggi-Meg Reed, Jane Oppenheimer, Carly Robins, Jeff Ebner, David Pittu, Chris Andrew Ciulla, Mark Bramhall, Petrea Burchard, Robert Petkoff, Kimberly Farr, Cerris Morgan-Meyer, Peter Ganim, Jade Wheeler, Various
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

*LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2026*

In her letters to family and friends we come to know the life of Sybil Van Antwerp: stubborn, cantankerous, opinionated, always steadfast in her belief in the power of the written word.

But as the clock begins to tick for Sybil, the need for a few post-scripts to the life she’s led becomes apparent. Fixing her difficult relationship with her children. Taking a final chance at romance. Atoning for an old legal case which has come back to haunt her. And finally, reckoning with a devastating loss that she has spent the last thirty years holding close to her chest.

'Subtly told and finely made, The Correspondent is a portrait of a small life expanding' ANN PATCHETT

'The superbly talented Virginia Evans has written a novel of connection and daring' - ADRIANA TRIGANI, bestselling author of The Good Left Undone

'I was wowed by this deliciously brilliant book! Thank you, Virginia Evans, for a life beautifully told in letters, for creating a character whose mind struggles with her heart in a most intriguing, sympathetic, witty, and binge-worthy way' - Elinor Lipman, author of MS DEMEANOR

© Virginia Evans 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

 Best of 2025 Family Life Friendship Genre Fiction Literature & Fiction Women's Fiction Heartfelt Inspiring Thought-Provoking Tear-jerking Witty

Critic reviews

I was delighted and moved . . . Evans does an expert job at making you root for [Sybil] even as you want to give her a timeout . . . Masterful
This is the novel I'm giving to everyone for Christmas... The Correspondent is a delight: melancholy without being sentimental, warm without being cosy, witty without being silly... The comparisons to Strout are accurate but this novel also reminded me of Anne Tyler's ability to make the domestic dramatic... An ode to a dying art form, and proof that your life is never too decided to make a change. (Laura Hackett)
A warm, funny gem of a novel . . . It’s a clever conceit, which Virginia Evans uses to great effect in a novel that is melancholic without being sentimental. One for fans of Elizabeth Strout.
Subtly told and finely made, The Correspondent is a portrait of a small life expanding. Virginia Evans shows how one woman changes at a point when change had seemed impossible. That change, like this novel, turns out to be a cause for celebration (Ann Patchett, bestselling author of TOM LAKE)
‘A masterclass in how to put words on human frailty. This debut does not put a foot wrong. Smart and clever . . . Evans is a confident, competent author in whom we can trust’
I can't praise it enough. Sybil is such a wonderful character, and the supporting cast so vivid and real. For a book about grief and regret it is also properly funny. It's an absolute triumph (Clare Chambers, bestselling author of SMALL PLEASURES)
Open-hearted with some, a hedgehog curled tight in a ball with others, I cried more than once as I witnessed this brilliant woman come to understand herself more deeply and risk lowering her defences. Both serious and uplifting, in The Correspondent, Virginia Evans shows us what a glorious thing growing older can be (Florence Knapp, author of THE NAMES)
This novel is a complete and utter joy. (Ann Napolitano, bestselling author of HELLO BEAUTIFUL)
I'm kind of speechless at how good this was. How unexpectedly perfect and profoundly moving. It is so rare that a novel surprises you, but this one certainly did. I loved it. Felt cradled by it. Moved, and hurt, and healed. It’s a masterclass in the passage of time, in showing, not telling. In humility and redemption and how to love. I couldn’t look away. It is genius. It is tender. It has left me bruised, and grateful, and in tears. One of my best reads of the year. (Claire Daverley, author of TALKING AT NIGHT)
Beautiful. A quietly brilliant debut that I didn’t want to put down. Sybil is one of the most rounded, real, fascinating characters I've read in a long time. (BETH O'LEARY)
All stars
Most relevant
beautiful reading and a clear picture of Sybil. poignant moments of bravery, if grief, of friendship and love. I read it too fast in my eagerness to keep up with

A wonderful book.

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4.5⭐️

I have been seeing so many rave reviews for this on social media that FOMO took hold of me!

The narrator for Sybil is a great fit for a well educated more mature lady. I applaud the narrators it’s excellently performed.

This looks at Sybil’s life through the letters she writes letters. Sybil is an older lady who needs to come to terms with the impending loss of her vision. I hasten to add this wouldn’t be my usual choice of presentation style for a book, but surely so many rave reviews can’t be wrong. So I pulled on my big girl pants and dived in.
It’s very character driven. You can’t help liking Sybil with her forthright manner which had me chuckling at some of the things she said, she’s very relatable, she feels so real. It’s genuinely feels like a memoir.

It took me awhile to get into it with the slow pace, the prose and way the story is presented, but once I did I really enjoyed how things unfolded in the letters between Sybil and various people, some friends and family others total strangers, authors and politicians, including one who is unnamed but easy to guess. It’s poignant, it’s very reflective, Sybil is far from perfect, the guilt she carries is a heavy burden. She forms some great friendships two of the most memorable are with Theo and surprisingly Harry a troubled teenage son of a friend. There’s a good balance between sad events and those that made her happy. So it’s not all doom and gloom.

It’s well worth the listen. The rave reviews aren’t wrong, and I’m no longer missing out!

Great listen

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I never wanted this book to end. It was beautifully written, original and the narration by Maggi-Meg Reed was absolutely perfect. So much so, I have searched for her as a narrator and hoped it would lead to other books I might listen to. I am very much looking forward to the next book from Virginia Evans, though difficult to imagine how she can top this one! Brilliant.

Truly wonderful book

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So moving and touching. A perfect book from start to finish, wonderfully written and beautifully read. I didn’t want it to end. It will stay with me for a very long time.

Wonderful, moving,

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Loved the way the story grew and wound its way through the correspondence that was written - so clever! The narrators were excellent too, really bringing the characters alive.

So cleverly done

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