August 31, 2026 | in

The Correspondent

By Virginia Evans

84 Charing Cross Road meets A Man Called Ove in this Radio 2 Book Club pick: a heartwarming, witty story about the life of an extraordinary woman, told through her letters.

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.

About the author:

Virginia Evans is from the East Coast of the United States. She attended James Madison University for her bachelor’s in English literature. After starting a family, she went back to school for her master’s of philosophy in creative writing at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, where she studied under tutors including Claire Keegan and Kevin Power. She now lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with her husband, Mark, two children, Jack and Mae, and her Red Labrador, Brigid.

ISBN: 9781405971553

Publisher: Penguin

Credit: https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-correspondent-9780241721261

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