Taufiq’s review of The Correspondent > Likes and Comments

This sounded like a nice concept, but the execution sounds disappointing—sorry this wasn’t a good read. Fantastic review, Taufiq!

Yours is the second 2 star review I read of this one today. I may have to reconsider having this on my TBR. Great review, Taufiq. I love how you explained your reasoning. 🤗💕

I agree. I’m halfway through the audiobook and I thought ‘I just don’t like you Sybil’. I think it was the condescending and racist way she spoke to an online help person.

Thank you Taufiq. I enjoy reading books in epistolary format and I had been looking forward to this one. However I am not sure i want to read about a profoundly selfish main character right now.

Oh my, Taufiq. I appreciate your perspective of Sybil and cannot disagree with your take on her character. Her moral absence and indifference is quite appalling. Now I wonder why I rated it so highly.

Very detailed review. I would not be able to enjoy this based on your review, so definitely will be skipping this one!

I can’t deal with characters who lack redeemable qualities for a good part of the book

Had to reconsider my TBR bcs of this review. If I did go through it, i’d think her indifference etc would affect my experience reading it a lot. Thank you so much Taufiq!

Oh, I thought I was an outlier in my opinion but you've gone even further to the dark end. :D I completely agree with your opinion on Sybil. I don't understand how so many readers found her relatable. I simply couldn't stand her behaviour. The neat ending made it even worse. Now I think I've been too generous, haha. Excellent review, Taufiq. Thanks for the company in being disappointed by this widely praised book.

Great review Taufiq. There are so many positive reviews for this book, you got me thinking I almost want to read it to see if I agree.

I appreciate your thoughts here Taufiq. I saw something in Sybil that you did not. I saw her trying and just not able to get past her disfunction. That gave me some empathy for her. And I did see a more gradual change. As for the ending, I think I needed a little more light in my life when I read it, so I was satisfied to see things turn out well for a woman who embraced finding her early former self and returning to some of those good qualities with the wisdom of her life experiences.

I have this on my tbr so didn’t completely read your review coz of spoilers. Sorry this didn’t work for you and well, I’m not so sure whether I want to go ahead and read it now 🤔🤷🏻‍♀️

I'm so sorry you didn't have the same feelings about this book that I did, Taufiq. I still appreciate your thoughtful review. Thank you. ☺️

The character sounds incredibly distant and sort of self obsessed. I understand why it was hard connecting with her.

Sorry this didn’t work for you! Hope your next is more to your liking..

Yes, hope you like your next read more!

Nat ཐི༏ཋྀ wrote: "This sounded like a nice concept, but the execution sounds disappointing—sorry this wasn’t a good read. Fantastic review, Taufiq!"

Thanks, Nat - the idea was intriguing, but the reading experience just didn’t live up to it.

Shelley's Book Nook wrote: "Yours is the second 2 star review I read of this one today. I may have to reconsider having this on my TBR. Great review, Taufiq. I love how you explained your reasoning. 🤗💕"

Thanks, Shelley - I wanted to lay out the reasoning clearly since the book’s flaws really stood out.

Belinda wrote: "I agree. I’m halfway through the audiobook and I thought ‘I just don’t like you Sybil’. I think it was the condescending and racist way she spoke to an online help person."

I felt the same, Belinda the way she spoke to the help person exposed a deeper cruelty.

boxer_dogs_dance wrote: "Thank you Taufiq. I enjoy reading books in epistolary format and I had been looking forward to this one. However I am not sure i want to read about a profoundly selfish main character right now."

Appreciate your not, boxer - the format is appealing, yet the character’s coldness can be draining.

Laysee wrote: "Oh my, Taufiq. I appreciate your perspective of Sybil and cannot disagree with your take on her character. Her moral absence and indifference is quite appalling. Now I wonder why I rated it so highly."

Thanks for sharing that, Laysee - Sybil’s indifference really does stand out once you sit with it.

Casey Reads 🌸 wrote: "Very detailed review. I would not be able to enjoy this based on your review, so definitely will be skipping this one!"

Thanks, Casey - I just wanted to be thorough since the flaws really outweighed the promise.

th. wrote: "Had to reconsider my TBR bcs of this review. If I did go through it, i’d think her indifference etc would affect my experience reading it a lot. Thank you so much Taufiq!"

Thanks, th - Sybil’s indifference really does weigh heavily on the reading experience.

Rosh ~catching up slowly~ wrote: "Oh, I thought I was an outlier in my opinion but you've gone even further to the dark end. :D I completely agree with your opinion on Sybil. I don't understand how so many readers found her relatab..."

Glad we’re in the same camp, Rosh - Sybil’s behavior and that neat ending really made it hard to stomach.

Chris wrote: "Great review Taufiq. There are so many positive reviews for this book, you got me thinking I almost want to read it to see if I agree."

Appreciate your note, Chris - the positive buzz is strong, but Sybil’s character really tested my patience.

Lisa wrote: "I appreciate your thoughts here Taufiq. I saw something in Sybil that you did not. I saw her trying and just not able to get past her disfunction. That gave me some empathy for her. And I did see a..."

Thanks for sharing your perspective, Lisa - I can see how her struggle might read differently depending on what we bring to it.

Zaynab wrote: "I have this on my tbr so didn’t completely read your review coz of spoilers. Sorry this didn’t work for you and well, I’m not so sure whether I want to go ahead and read it now 🤔🤷🏻‍♀️"

Thanks, Zaynab.

Karen wrote: "I'm so sorry you didn't have the same feelings about this book that I did, Taufiq. I still appreciate your thoughtful review. Thank you. ☺️"

Thanks, Karen.

Kealyn wrote: "The character sounds incredibly distant and sort of self obsessed. I understand why it was hard connecting with her."

Thanks, Kealyn.

DeAnn wrote: "Yes, hope you like your next read more!"

Thanks, DeAnn.

Thank you, Taufiq. I appreciate your honest review. And your impressions are exactly why I did not read this book knowing that I would be an outlier, too.

Ouch! This is the lowest rating I have seen yet. You make a strong case!

I truly appreciate your honest thoughts about this popular novel, Taufiq, It's odd for me because I loved this one while I was reading it, despite a few qualms I had, but after reading one of my trusted GR friend's criticisms of it in her review I found myself agreeing with her and now I feel the same way about your criticisms. A thoughtful review, Taufiq, and one that made me reflect on my own reading experience.

You know I started this one on audio but just did not feel engaged so I gave up on it. Thanks for your honesty.

Oh no! Sorry it was a miss for you. I’m reading it now!

Redemption is a good theme and I truly believe most people can find it if they try. You do such excellent psychological breakdowns on characters in the books you read. Well done.

Hope your next read is better!!!🖤💗

A nicely balanced and well questioning critical review Taufiq, thank you :)

Oh dear! Onwards and upwards Taufiq.

This one is on my bookclub list for next year! I’m curious to see how it reads. Appreciate your honest thoughts here.

Great review, Taufiq 💙 It's a shame the character and content lets this one down! The clever form sounds interesting though!

Super review. I appreciate your insight into what's actually taking place here, rather than what the author wants the reader to understand. Thankfully there are readers who still value moral clarity.

I plan to read this, so I’ll have to circle back to your full review when I’m done. Since I’ve mostly read glowing reviews, I’m really looking forward to your thoughts on it. I always appreciate a different view. Sorry this one didn’t work for you, Taufiq.

Fair review! 💞

Although I enjoyed this one more, I appreciate your thoughts, Taufiq! Sybil is definitely an acquired taste!!

I’ve seen mostly lower ratings on this one. Good to know, appreciate the review. I will pass!

Lorna wrote: "Thank you, Taufiq. I appreciate your honest review. And your impressions are exactly why I did not read this book knowing that I would be an outlier, too."

I hear you, Lorna - not every book is meant for every reader and that’s perfectly fine.

Darla wrote: "Ouch! This is the lowest rating I have seen yet. You make a strong case!"

Not every read works out and that’s part of the journey, Darla.

K wrote: "I truly appreciate your honest thoughts about this popular novel, Taufiq, It's odd for me because I loved this one while I was reading it, despite a few qualms I had, but after reading one of my tr..."

That means a lot, K - reflection often reveals layers we didn’t notice while caught up in the moment.

Tina wrote: "You know I started this one on audio but just did not feel engaged so I gave up on it. Thanks for your honesty."

Thanks, Tina.