A meandering tale of desire and human folly.
Avery traces the history of a possibly cursed opal ring in her latest historical novel.
Objects carry their histories with them. When James Newcomb Sr., a maker of optical lenses, buys a silver box of jewelry from a group of peddlers in the English countryside, he has no idea what’s in store for the finest piece in the lot: a magnificent opal set in a gold filigree ring. After his death, James’ daughter, Electra, allows the ring to be stolen by a conniving portrait painter—and his other daughter, Tally, murders the man in order to steal it back! The resulting scandal loses their brother, James Jr., his spot on Capt. Cook’s voyage to observe the Transit of Venus, forcing him (with the ring in tow) to sign aboard a doomed arctic mission that claims the lives of all aboard. When the frozen ship is discovered decades later, someone steals the ring from the dead sailor’s effects. From there, the ring finds its way to several more owners, from the Queen of Spain to a pair of marooned master thieves to a marine biologist and beyond, winding its way through several centuries of human obsession and leaving a trail of tragedy in its wake. An auctioneer briefly in possession of the ring dismisses the “folklore surrounding the belief the opal was cursed,” but some folklore should not be trifled with. Avery adeptly leaps from owner to owner, crossing oceans and eras. Much of the fun comes from seeing the ring’s value change given the situation. (“I certainly hope someone wants it,” complains one unimpressed character, who receives the ring as a donation to fund ambulances for the Great War. “But I suppose there’s no accounting for taste.”) The novel doesn’t stick with any single person long enough for the reader to form a strong attachment, and the various episodes read more like vignettes than self-contained narratives. There is much here to enjoy, but those looking for a cohesive story may be disappointed.
A meandering tale of desire and human folly.Pub Date: Dec. 4, 2024
ISBN: 9798350969948
Page Count: 184
Publisher: BookBaby
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 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
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
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