Haven Squire’s Reviews > The Correspondent > Status Update

I am going to miss her letters with their wit and drama. It has made me realise even more the beauty of handwriting (although of course there were also emails) and that I want to try and do more of that. There is something so special about taking that much time to connect with someone and it was so so beautiful!

I always thought it was her letter to Gilbert that was left unsent because it literally couldn't be sent but it was also the one to Daan which she never sent. I am glad that Fiona was able to see that and know that she had cared and she had been trying but it was the hardest letter she ever had to write. I really could have cried at the end. It was such a wonderful book and so unique.

It was really heartbreaking when it was revealed that she had died in the end, there was no kind of lead up to it, just turned the page and her final letter had already happened. That is so real but also it was sad there was no goodbye even though there never would be. I am really pleased Theodore continued correspondence with some people even after her death that was sweet.

The whole thing with her finding her birth sister was nice and I am pleased they got to spend some time together in the end. It was really heartbreaking when there was the reveal of what had actually happened to her son Gilbert but it was kind of sweet that the only person she revealed the truth to was Theodore, that revealed the depth of her trust in him.

I wasn't sure about Theodore to begin with but am so pleased they ended up together and she didn't go off with the man from Texas who proposed. It was really lovely how they came together in the end and he would take care of her and maintain her correspondence when she could no longer see to read or write. I am also glad that she made up with Fiona after they had been estranged for a while.

Her letters to Harry and the time he spent at her house was particularly sweet, they seemed to have a really rare bond which was special as he was such a troubled child. It was nice at the end when he had a full manuscript of his book and would end his letter to her with 'I love you.' I am glad they kept in contact if not as regularly as it was sad when he said he didn't want to write anymore.

Her letters to Rosalie were some of my favourites because of the sisterly relationship they shared and how they would always end on what they were reading. She also had a sweet correspondence with her brother. It was sad when Sybil fell out with Rosalie and I was glad that she was eventually able to find it in herself to apologies. I am also glad that Felix got back with his husband after their difficulties.

I found the letters she wrote to authors very interesting and that kind of inspired me to want to write to Virginia Evans herself. It was funny how Sybil would happily update these random strangers about things happening in her life - such as her going blind, her ex husband having cancer or her daughter not speaking to her. She had a very forthright tone which I adored in her as an older woman.

I have never read a book like that before (maybe the closest is Adrian Mole's diaries). To begin with I was slightly confused about who was who but it all kind of became clear through the letters. The slow reveal was kind of nice in a way. I enjoyed getting an insight into the different correspondents she kept as there were always multiple storylines going on at once.

I adored this book so much and finished it in only a few days. The writing style and letter structure made it so easy to read and kind of addictive - I just wanted to keep reading one more letter. It is so interesting how invested I was able to become in Sybil's life without ever actually being in a scene with her or any other character.