Humor

The Correspondent

4.5(128)
Hardcover€27.00Paperback€13.50
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About the book

WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2026
#1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
OVER TWO MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE
A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025
AN IRISH TIMES BESTSELLER
A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK

'A warm, funny gem of a novel'
LAURA HACKETT, THE TIMES

'Masterful . . . I was delighted and moved'
NEW YORK TIMES

'Immensely enjoyable'
GUARDIAN

'I can't praise it enough. It's an absolute triumph'
CLARE CHAMBERS

'What a novel! Tender, dry, sharp...devastating, but still feel good.'
PANDORA SYKES

'Tremendous'
FREDRIK BACKMAN

'Shows us what a glorious thing growing older can be'
FLORENCE KNAPP

'The year's breakout novel no one saw coming'
WALL STREET JOURNAL

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Sybil Van Antwerp is seventy-three, slowly losing her sight and always writing letters . . .

To her children. Her favourite authors. Her ex-sister-in-law. The journalist poking into her past.
Her doctor. Suitors. Kindly neighbours. The infuriating gardening club.

All receive Sybil's witty, wise correspondence, rich with everyday concerns.

But there is one letter that she has never sent. It concerns the darkest period of her life. To post it, Sybil must find forgiveness within herself.

The hardest letter to write is the one you'd never dare to send.

Editions (6)

ISBN9781405971553
PublisherPenguin Books Ltd (UK)
Publication Date06/11/26
Pages320

Reviews & Ratings

128 ratings

16 reviews

4.5

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  • marobi
    marobi

    49 Followers

    5.0

    Neues Lieblingsbuch ❤️

    Das Buch hat mich so berührt. Ich habe es gerade fertig gelesenen, sitze hier und heule. Aber es ist keines Wegs nur traurig und berührend sondern auch witzig, klug und stimmt einen nachdenklich. Ich habe unsere Protagonistin Sybil geliebt. Sie war echt ein Unikat und ich habe wirklich das Gefühl, sie kennen gelernt zu haben. Als wäre sie eine echte Person. Absolute Lesempfehlung für jeden 🐦

    Jul 3, 2026

  • charis
    charis

    189 Followers

    5.0

    Wunderschöner Briefroman über Vergebung und Familienbeziehungen

    Ein wunderbarer Briefroman, ineinander verwobene Briefe und Mails, die uns Sybil Van Antwerp, eine ältere Dame und ihre Gedanken und Beziehungen, nahebringen. Sybils Leben, ihre Ehe, der bevorstehende Verlust ihres Augenlichts werden aus verschiedenen Perspektiven beleuchtet. Es ergibt sich ein berührendes Porträt einer Frau, die trotz der Tragik in ihrem Leben nie den Mut verloren hat.

    Oct 19, 2025

  • lealifee
    lealifee

    24 Followers

    5.0

    No words could ever do this magnificent piece of literature justice. The writing was remarkable- I have barely ever read a book where the characters felt so believable, real and round. Speaking of characters, they have my heart! The way the relationships between them were described through only letters is something I’ve never read before. Writing a book in which all - really all - of the situations and dialogues are only described through letters and emails is quite frankly a brilliant idea and it was so brilliantly executed. I also really respect the gentle, but realistic way in which the book dealt which heavy topics such as grief, death and loss. This book gave me an incredible feeling of warmth and calmness. I am obsessed and can’t wait for other books by Virginia Evans!!

    4 days ago

3 of 16 reviews

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teo_readsFeb 15, 2026

Ich finde Sybil schon jetzt sehr interessant. Mal schauen, was da noch kommt!

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