Privilege has its own problems, and this engaging novel brings them to life.
If Succession and Downton Abbey had a baby, it might look something like this novel about a wealthy family facing an uncertain future.
The Brooke family has lived for generations in Albion, a stately 20-bedroom sandstone manse modeled on a Greek temple and surrounded by a 1,000-acre estate in the Sussex countryside. The death of its most recent patriarch, the charismatic and reckless Philip, brings his not-so-nearest and dearest to Albion to bury him—and shred one another. Eldest daughter Frannie lives at the estate with her young daughter, Rowan. Frannie and Philip overcame an estrangement and have spent the last decade “rewilding” the estate (there’s some lovely description of nature) and making it more resilient to climate change. Philip was so pleased that he’s left everything to Frannie—including, she’s just discovered, a thorny financial picture. Philip’s widow, Grace, is moving into her daughter’s former cottage and happy about it; her marriage was miserable, and she’s come to hate the big house. Her only solace has been her friendship with Philip’s old pal Ned, who long ago helped create an event that Albion is still famous for, a Woodstock-style festival called the Teddy Bears’ Picnic. Sweet-natured, resourceful Ned still lives on the grounds, growing pot in his old school bus. The other man who keeps the place running, Jack, inherited the job of gamekeeper from his father—but he’s ready to make a change. Returning to Albion for Philip’s funeral are his other two children. Milo is a blithely entitled finance bro who’s found his cause: psilocybin therapy. He’s trying to sell Frannie on the hallucinogen’s spiritual and financial potential because he wants her permission to build an elite retreat on the estate: “We can birth a new ruling class right here.” Youngest sister Isa doesn’t like the idea, but then she doesn’t like much of anything—even in this prickly, resentful family, she stands out as a ball of rage. The plot slows down in spots—so many characters, so many backstories—and dialogue sometimes sounds more like editorials than conversation, but when the Brookes gather (along with a few surprise guests), sparks fly, and shocking secrets are dug up as Philip, in his handwoven willow casket, is put in the ground.
Privilege has its own problems, and this engaging novel brings them to life.Pub Date: June 3, 2025
ISBN: 9780063427150
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2025
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
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.
After being released from prison, a young woman tries to reconnect with her 5-year-old daughter despite having killed the girl’s father.
Kenna didn’t even know she was pregnant until after she was sent to prison for murdering her boyfriend, Scotty. When her baby girl, Diem, was born, she was forced to give custody to Scotty’s parents. Now that she’s been released, Kenna is intent on getting to know her daughter, but Scotty’s parents won’t give her a chance to tell them what really happened the night their son died. Instead, they file a restraining order preventing Kenna from so much as introducing herself to Diem. Handsome, self-assured Ledger, who was Scotty’s best friend, is another key adult in Diem’s life. He’s helping her grandparents raise her, and he too blames Kenna for Scotty’s death. Even so, there’s something about her that haunts him. Kenna feels the pull, too, and seems to be seeking Ledger out despite his judgmental behavior. As Ledger gets to know Kenna and acknowledges his attraction to her, he begins to wonder if maybe he and Scotty’s parents have judged her unfairly. Even so, Ledger is afraid that if he surrenders to his feelings, Scotty’s parents will kick him out of Diem’s life. As Kenna and Ledger continue to mourn for Scotty, they also grieve the future they cannot have with each other. Told alternatively from Kenna’s and Ledger’s perspectives, the story explores the myriad ways in which snap judgments based on partial information can derail people’s lives. Built on a foundation of death and grief, this story has an undercurrent of sadness. As usual, however, the author has created compelling characters who are magnetic and sympathetic enough to pull readers in. In addition to grief, the novel also deftly explores complex issues such as guilt, self-doubt, redemption, and forgiveness.
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2560-7
Page Count: 335
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
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