The Correspondent

A Novel

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-Moyer, Peter Ganim, Jade Wheeler, Various

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Discover the word-of-mouth hit hailed by Ann Patchett as “A cause for celebration”—an intimate novel about the transformative power of the written word and the beauty of slowing down to reconnect with the people we love.

“The Correspondent is this year’s breakout novel no one saw coming.”—The Wall Street Journal

“I cried more than once as I witnessed this brilliant woman come to understand herself more deeply.”—Florence Knapp, author of The Names

LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE AND THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL • A PBS TOP SUMMER BOOK • LIBRARYREADS PICK OF THE MONTH • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: NPR, The Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, She Reads

“Imagine, the letters one has sent out into the world, the letters received back in turn, are like the pieces of a magnificent puzzle. . . . Isn’t there something wonderful in that, to think that a story of one’s life is preserved in some way, that this very letter may one day mean something, even if it is a very small thing, to someone?”

Filled with knowledge that only comes from a life fully lived, The Correspondent is a gem of a novel about the power of finding solace in literature and connection with people we might never meet in person. It is about the hubris of youth and the wisdom of old age, and the mistakes and acts of kindness that occur during a lifetime.

Sybil Van Antwerp has throughout her life used letters to make sense of the world and her place in it. Most mornings, around half past ten, Sybil sits down to write letters—to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to audit a class she desperately wants to take, to Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter.

Sybil expects her world to go on as it always has—a mother, grandmother, wife, divorcee, distinguished lawyer, she has lived a very full life. But when letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life, she realizes that the letter she has been writing over the years needs to be read and that she cannot move forward until she finds it in her heart to offer forgiveness.

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.

Brilliant, with stellar narration! 📝📚📝📚📝📚📝📚

Recommended by Ann Patchett both on PBS Newshour and on the Laydown Diaries. This book is brilliantly good.

Ann said most epistolary novels don't work. But that this one does. Personally I've only read one epistolary novel prior to this....Kate & Frida, also recommended by Parnassus staff, and I thought it was fabulous. I've also read one non fiction epistolary book...84 Charing Cross Road, which is honestly the gold standard.

Anywho. The Correspondent, its many many narrators, its various redemptive arcs, and its characters....really really well done. I didn't want it to end.

Loved this so very much

5 star listen - wonderful story and full cast. You won’t be able to stop listening and the story will stay with you. It just might change how you see your life.

Outstanding

The best audible that I have listened to. Excellent narration of a special novel. Quite touching.

So beautiful and heartbreaking and heartwarming.

This book, told in letters to and from Sybil is such a beautiful story. Even though the letters only span a few years of her life, the full picture unfolds to us through the correspondence. I laughed, and I cried several times throughout my listening. The performance of each of the narrators was very good.

Humanity, forgiveness and redemption

A well told story from the lens of correspondences is not an easy angle, but this author has succeeded magnificently. The characters come to life in bits and snippets. The narration is very good all the way around.