A fun, if minimally dramatic, tale of human and animal bonding.
A man, a dog, and a kitten come together in Bellringer’s playful novella.
Luke Garrick is a builder by trade who likes to take his rescue dog Buddy to the local beach; Buddy gets his kicks chasing after seagulls. One day, there is a surprise: Buddy comes across a kitten among the dunes. The kitten, whose name is Freddie and looks as “if he’d been out for a night or two on his own,” comes with a phone number. He belongs to the Jones family, and though it seems like it would great fun to keep him, he must be returned. The Jones household is, however, not the ideal place for a cat—the family consists of two unruly young children and their indifferent-seeming mother. The place is messy when Luke arrives, and the children do not even properly thank Luke for bringing back their pet. To make matters worse, when Freddie is handed over, he shivers. Luke starts to wonder if Freddie might be happier elsewhere…perhaps with him and Buddy. It’s certainly an idea that Buddy seems to approve of. The text is brief at fewer than 60 pages, and the story moves quickly. The focus is on the bond these three creatures share; it feels authentic, evidenced by the way Luke enjoys watching Buddy run on the beach and how Buddy is immediately protective of his new friend, Freddie. The narrative is light on conflict—at one point it seems as though Luke might be in trouble for bringing Buddy to work, but it turns out the boss loves dogs (he may just be “Buddy’s biggest fan”). The Jones family does sound an odd note, but readers never learn all that much about them. The ending proves pleasant for man, dog, and kitten alike.
A fun, if minimally dramatic, tale of human and animal bonding.Pub Date: Nov. 30, 2022
ISBN: 9781035803569
Page Count: 54
Publisher: Austin Macauley
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with...
Talk-show queen takes tumble as millions jeer.
Nora Bridges is a wildly popular radio spokesperson for family-first virtues, but her loyal listeners don't know that she walked out on her husband and teenaged daughters years ago and didn't look back. Now that a former lover has sold racy pix of naked Nora and horny himself to a national tabloid, her estranged daughter Ruby, an unsuccessful stand-up comic in Los Angeles, has been approached to pen a tell-all. Greedy for the fat fee she's been promised, Ruby agrees and heads for the San Juan Islands, eager to get reacquainted with the mom she plans to betray. Once in the family homestead, nasty Ruby alternately sulks and glares at her mother, who is temporarily wheelchair-bound as a result of a post-scandal car crash. Uncaring, Ruby begins writing her side of the story when she's not strolling on the beach with former sweetheart Dean Sloan, the son of wealthy socialites who basically ignored him and his gay brother Eric. Eric, now dying of cancer and also in a wheelchair, has returned to the island. This dismal threesome catch up on old times, recalling their childhood idylls on the island. After Ruby's perfect big sister Caroline shows up, there's another round of heartfelt talk. Nora gradually reveals the truth about her unloving husband and her late father's alcoholism, which led her to seek the approval of others at the cost of her own peace of mind. And so on. Ruby is aghast to discover that she doesn't know everything after all, but Dean offers her subdued comfort. Happy endings await almost everyone—except for readers of this nobly preachy snifflefest.
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with syrupy platitudes about life and love.Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-609-60737-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
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