An engrossing family tale that balances poignant reflections with 19th-century action.
A historical novel focuses on an Irish immigrant family’s fragile and combustible American dream.
In Flower’s tale, Irish farmer Robert Gillian loses his two youngest children during the blight in Ireland and starts afresh in New York City. A scene depicting his family’s suffering during the Irish famine cuts to his imprisonment in a New York jailhouse in 1869. The book unravels the threads leading up to Gillian’s grim fate, showing the dangerous lengths he goes to as the protector and provider of his family. Gillian becomes a fireman for “White Flag” Engine Company Five, making friends with the recently freed African American Clancy and the Native American Katonah. Gillian’s drunk and complacent foreman, Brian Denny, appears wealthy despite the poor status of the company. Gillian is haunted by a strange figure with a terrifically scarred visage, “a man and bug at once!”—John Mahon. Through Denny and Mahon, Gillian eventually becomes a “fire marker man,” putting down plaques for the Chelsea Surety Company at its insured buildings—while also carrying out more sinister activities for the business. His wife, Aileen, and daughter, Mary, tackle the difficulties of working at an exhausting textile company, while his son, Patrick, fends off bullies and learns to become a druggist. Gillian gets wrapped up in the complexities of arson, firefighting, the Civil War, and individual quests for revenge. A powerful family narrative of tragedy and hope emerges in Flower’s novel along with the age-old American question: How can the exploited pull themselves up from their bootstraps without exploiting others? When Gillian becomes wealthy enough to buy a mirror, he is forced to look at himself and question his own authenticity and moral convictions. Despite occasional obscurities regarding 1800s fire safety systems in the United States, the novel weaves an engaging story with strong characterizations. The book’s absorbing themes—questions of justice and morality in building wealth—are pressingly relevant today.
An engrossing family tale that balances poignant reflections with 19th-century action.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 979-8-9867705-0-5
Page Count: 332
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
PERSPECTIVES
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
A warm and winning "When Harry Met Sally…" update that hits all the perfect notes.
A travel writer has one last shot at reconnecting with the best friend she just might be in love with.
Poppy and Alex couldn't be more different. She loves wearing bright colors while he prefers khakis and a T-shirt. She likes just about everything while he’s a bit more discerning. And yet, their opposites-attract friendship works because they love each other…in a totally platonic way. Probably. Even though they have their own separate lives (Poppy lives in New York City and is a travel writer with a popular Instagram account; Alex is a high school teacher in their tiny Ohio hometown), they still manage to get together each summer for one fabulous vacation. They grow closer every year, but Poppy doesn’t let herself linger on her feelings for Alex—she doesn’t want to ruin their friendship or the way she can be fully herself with him. They continue to date other people, even bringing their serious partners on their summer vacations…but then, after a falling-out, they stop speaking. When Poppy finds herself facing a serious bout of ennui, unhappy with her glamorous job and the life she’s been dreaming of forever, she thinks back to the last time she was truly happy: her last vacation with Alex. And so, though they haven’t spoken in two years, she asks him to take another vacation with her. She’s determined to bridge the gap that’s formed between them and become best friends again, but to do that, she’ll have to be honest with Alex—and herself—about her true feelings. In chapters that jump around in time, Henry shows readers the progression (and dissolution) of Poppy and Alex’s friendship. Their slow-burn love story hits on beloved romance tropes (such as there unexpectedly being only one bed on the reconciliation trip Poppy plans) while still feeling entirely fresh. Henry’s biggest strength is in the sparkling, often laugh-out-loud-funny dialogue, particularly the banter-filled conversations between Poppy and Alex. But there’s depth to the story, too—Poppy’s feeling of dissatisfaction with a life that should be making her happy as well as her unresolved feelings toward the difficult parts of her childhood make her a sympathetic and relatable character. The end result is a story that pays homage to classic romantic comedies while having a point of view all its own.
A warm and winning "When Harry Met Sally…" update that hits all the perfect notes.Pub Date: May 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-9848-0675-8
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
PERSPECTIVES
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