A somewhat crowded but engagingly written historical drama.
Henley’s third novel depicts the trials of a young aspiring singer at the outset of World War II.
Twenty-year-old Englishwoman Kate Murphy has always dreamt of performing songs in front of an audience. The problem lies not in any lack of talent, but in her hiccupping, which began following the dissolution of her relationship with teen heartthrob Tony Trent and announces itself whenever she gets nervous. In September 1939, she decides to leave her parents’ home in Carshalton for an apartment closer to London, from which she intends to pursue her dream with the help of her Oxford University–educated best friend, Sybil Thorndyke. Kate’s announcement to her parents on the morning of September 3, however, is interrupted by Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s televised declaration of war with Germany. Everything changes as Kate’s mother, Mary Grace, descends into a seemingly interminable well of worry. Kate puts off her departure, resuming her post teaching singing at St. Bridget’s School for Girls. Her youngest brother, Ryan, is sent to the country, where he’ll hopefully be safe from the threat of bombings. Sybil leaves, too—for where, she’s unable to say. Kate also begins to see Barry, a young mechanic who’s soon drafted to fight in Belgium. One somewhat peripheral subplot involves one of Kate’s students—a Jewish German refugee named Hannah Bell, whose parents beg Kate to look after her; Kate’s potential rekindling of a past relationship and her ongoing efforts to banish her hiccups are also addressed. Taken altogether, English author Henley amasses ample and often compelling subject matter that keeps the narrative moving forward. However, readers may be divided as to whether all the narratives bear themselves out effectively. Indeed, some may feel that the resolutions of some narrative threads feel halfhearted or rushed. Still, the book’s sturdy, sustained prose, as when Kate’s family listens to a speech by the king (“She scrutinised the long faces of her family. Everyone sat transfixed, unblinking. There was no way she could leave home just now”), will briskly propel readers through this generally thoughtful wartime bildungsroman.
A somewhat crowded but engagingly written historical drama.Pub Date: April 9, 2024
ISBN: 9781647426149
Page Count: 285
Publisher: She Writes Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
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
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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