A fun and frothy beach read, full of suspense and self-discovery.
A middle-aged Canadian woman finds adventure and love in Cuba in Dusel’s novel of spies, sundresses, and second chances.
Recently divorced 50-something Jane Brown is having an existential crisis. She worries that she’s too boring and timid, and that life is passing her by. Jane’s travel agent friend tries to lift her spirits by sending her on a trip to Cuba. At first, the trip does the trick, and Jane enjoys swimming and reading at her resort. She soon catches the attention of two men: Wilkes, a dapper Southern gentleman, and Dan, a young widower with three children. Her trip gets a little too exciting, however, after someone breaks into her room and ransacks her belongings. Jane soon realizes that she’s being followed and notices clues that indicate that she may be involved in some sort of intrigue. Using her quick wit and a giant leather tote full of useful supplies, Jane starts to unravel the mystery of who’s pursuing her and what they really want. Along the way, she discovers untapped reserves of perception, quick-wittedness, and bravery. Whether she’s speeding through muddy streets in a scooter or running from shady men through the streets of Havana, she finds that she’s braver and more spontaneous than she thought, and she begins to rethink what her future could look like. Overall, Jane is a protagonist who’s easy to root for, but who never comes across as cloyingly sweet; she also looks back on her past with introspection but little self-pity. Dusel’s mystery plot is pleasingly suspenseful—not too simple, but not too convoluted or violent. Jane’s character development is believable and satisfying as her instincts sharpen in believable ways, and it’s easy to see how she builds up her confidence to handle even the most dangerous situations. Her overfull purse is a nice detail; she cleverly uses it to get herself out of sticky situations. Elements of Cuban culture, and a side plot involving Jane and Dan’s children, provide welcome, if slight, additions to the narrative.
A fun and frothy beach read, full of suspense and self-discovery.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: June 10, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
SEEN & HEARD
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.
A French art historian’s English-language fiction debut combines the story of a loving relationship between a grandfather and granddaughter with an enlightening discussion of art.
One day, when 10-year-old Mona removes the necklace given to her by her now-dead grandmother, she experiences a frightening, hour-long bout of blindness. Her parents take her to the doctor, who gives her a variety of tests and also advises that she see a psychiatrist. Her grandfather Henry tells her parents that he will take care of that assignment, but instead, he takes Mona on weekly visits to either the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, or the Centre Pompidou, where each week they study a single work of art, gazing at it deeply and then discussing its impact and history and the biography of its maker. For the reader’s benefit, Schlesser also describes each of the works in scrupulous detail. As the year goes on, Mona faces the usual challenges of elementary school life and the experiences of being an only child, and slowly begins to understand the causes of her temporary blindness. Primarily an amble through a few dozen of Schlesser’s favorite works of art—some well known and others less so, from Botticelli and da Vinci through Basquiat and Bourgeois—the novel would probably benefit from being read at a leisurely pace. While the dialogue between Henry and the preternaturally patient and precocious Mona sometimes strains credulity, readers who don’t have easy access to the museums of Paris may enjoy this vicarious trip in the company of a guide who focuses equally on that which can be seen and the context that can’t be. Come for the novel, stay for the introductory art history course.
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9798889661115
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Europa Editions
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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