A romance barbed with wit and humor.
An American becomes entranced by a Romanian figure skater in this novel of intersecting lives and Cold War hostilities.
As soon as he finishes his military service, Miles Nelson decides to enjoy the scenery: “After my Army hitch, I became European tumbleweed.” In Prague, he meets Matt, another expat and an adventurous hippie, and the two of them enjoy sampling Czech beer together. When Matt convinces Miles they should crash the Olympics in nearby Innsbruck, Austria, Miles has his first encounter with Simone Albescu, a Romanian figure skater who captures his attention. Simone is good but clearly not the best. As Miles puts it, “Her leaps were low-altitude demonstrations of power, but her moves were exceedingly graceful and polished.” He goes on: “To say that I found her attractive would be a lie, but there was a quality of intelligence and determination that earned my instant admiration.” Improbably, she later introduces herself to him and vigorously shakes his hand. Only later does Miles realize Simone is staging a small rebellion against her authoritarian overlords, who wish to control her every move. Miles and Simone next meet in Chicago, where Miles, working for a posh hotel, is able to assist her when her coach defects to the U.S, escaping their assigned Romanian security handlers. Their lives go on: Miles ends up in Cedar Falls, Iowa, where he falls for a woman named Ellen Good but can’t figure out why he holds back from her. Of course, it’s because of the figure skater, who reenters his life after her own defection. As Simone struggles to find a life beyond skating, and away from her Romanian family and home, Miles finds yet another opportunity to help her—and to make a bid for her affections.
The writing is engaging, guided by Miles’ intelligent and sharp-edged humor. His eloquent voice gives the novel plenty of sentence-level pleasures. Williams has an impressive eye for descriptions and analogies, which stud the narrative like well-cut gems. His powers grant Miles a voice adept at describing people and places. Of Ohio, Miles notes: “Ohio is, alas, Ohio. It is an unsatisfactory mix between corporate and agricultural America.” Of his military career, Miles states: “I shot up the ranks like a Fourth-of-July rocket” and then “slammed into the apathy wall.” He describes a shocked character whose “eyes changed color,” and he notes how Ellen “injected little jests into the conversation.” Ellen is a puzzling piece in the book, a charming presence Miles loves and takes for granted. “I fell in love with her instantly,” he confesses, but he does all he can to ensure they drift apart. When he finally admits to himself that he’s loved Simone for years, his hesitance makes more sense. Occasionally, Williams strains too hard for an erudite tone, giving the prose a grating and inhuman stiffness: “I was never morose, but felicity never found me there” is how Miles explains his unease with Chicago. Similarly, Miles’ wiseacre routine and penchant for drollery grow a little tiresome; fortunately, Williams gives him redeeming moments of sincerity. “It’s you I want,” he says to Simone. “I’ve loved you for years.”
A romance barbed with wit and humor.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-951886-60-8
Page Count: 276
Publisher: Book Vine Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021
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
A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.
A struggling writer finds an unexpected muse when a mysterious man shows up at her cabin.
Petra Rose used to pump out a bestselling book every six months, but then the adaptation happened—that is, the disastrous film adaptation of her most famous book. The movie changed the book’s storyline so egregiously that fans couldn’t forgive her, and the ensuing harassment sent Petra into hiding and gave her a serious case of writer’s block. Petra’s one hope is her solo writing retreat at a remote cabin, where she can escape the distractions of real life and focus on her next book, a story about a woman having an affair with a cop. When officer Nathaniel Saint shows up at her cabin door, inspiration comes flooding back. Much like the character from Petra’s book, Saint is married, and he’s willing to be Petra’s muse, helping her get into her characters’ heads. Petra’s book is practically writing itself, but is the game she’s playing a little too dangerous? Does she know when to stop—and, more importantly, is Saint willing to stop? Hoover is no stranger to controversial movie adaptations and internet backlash, but she clarifies in a note to readers that she’s “just a writer writing about a writer” and that no further connections to her own life are contained in these pages—which is a good thing, because the book takes some horrifying twists and turns. Petra finds herself inexplicably attracted to Saint, even as she describes him as “such an asshole,” and her feelings for him veer between love and hate. The novel serves as a meta commentary on the dark romance genre—as Petra puts it, “Even though, as readers, we wouldn’t want to live out some of the fantasies we read about, it doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy reading those things.”
A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9781662539374
Page Count: -
Publisher: Montlake
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
