An elegantly crafted, unhurried examination of the enthralling and elusive nature of love.
A young woman in a rural French village acts as a matchmaker, but she worries she will never find love of her own.
Marie-Jeanne has possessed a special gift since her earliest days: She is able to detect a certain light that shines from people who have been touched by love. As a child, Marie-Jeanne was surprised to discover that others were unable to see that same light. When her foster father, Francis, hatches the idea of starting a mobile book library, Marie-Jeanne is thrilled by the idea of encountering more people and increasing her understanding of the mysterious glow. Francis takes the necessary steps to launch his mobile lending library and begins bringing new reading material to different villagers throughout Nyons, France. The “bookabus,” as the traveling library becomes known, grows quickly in popularity, and Marie-Jeanne travels along, delivering books as Francis’ assistant. As she sees that unusual glow coming from so many of the people she meets, she realizes the light shines more brightly when a person’s true love is near. Using a combination of her gift and lessons from books featured throughout the story, she is able to unite one pair of lovers after another. Unfortunately, her own light fails to shine, and she becomes increasingly concerned that she will never find her own match. Told from the perspective of Love itself—similar to the way The Book Thief is narrated by Death—the novel is brimming with magic. Love is wise and enigmatic, frustrating Marie-Jeanne by refusing to reveal certain information. Also making cameos are other metaphysical elements such as Logic and Fate. A loquacious olive tree serves as a mentor to Marie-Jeanne, doling out advice about the nature of love and meaning of life. Full of allegory and mysticism, the book often feels more like a poem than a novel. Though she mentions a few dates, author George limits the inclusion of modern inventions, creating a sense that the story takes place outside time. The plot moves slowly, with significantly more focus on concepts and emotions than action. What the story lacks in plot, however, it makes up in nuanced and enchanting introspection about love and books.
An elegantly crafted, unhurried examination of the enthralling and elusive nature of love.Pub Date: July 25, 2023
ISBN: 9780593157886
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The series’ snarky noir vibe might be dwindling, but there’s something of substance in its place.
This is wizard Harry Dresden’s yearlong mourning period for Karrin Murphy, the woman he loved.
If you keep upping your protagonist’s powers throughout a series, then you must balance the scales by increasing the number and strength of their enemies—as well as seriously messing with their personal life. Over the course of the Dresden Files, Harry Dresden, Chicago PI and now one of the most powerful wizards in the world, thought his first love was dead (she wasn’t), sacrificed his half-vampire girlfriend on an altar to save their child, lost another girlfriend when they learned she’d been mind-controlled into their relationship, bound himself into servitude as the Fae Queen Mab’s Winter Knight, and, for the length of an entire book, thought he himself was dead (he wasn’t). But nothing has hit quite as hard as the death of Karrin Murphy, the former police lieutenant who was his quasi-partner, friend, and, after a slow burn across many books, lover. Chicago is in a terrible state following a battle with Ethniu the Titan and her Fomor army, and Harry is doing his best to confront the monsters, dark magic, and anti-supernatural prejudice running wild amid the slowly rebuilding city. He’s also trying to save his half brother Thomas from two different death sentences, train a new apprentice, and juggle a relationship with Thomas’ half sister Lara, the dangerously seductive vampire Queen Mab is forcing him to marry. But he’s doing all this while nearly crushed by grief that threatens his judgment and disturbs his control over his magical powers. Butcher really makes you feel the dark, depressive state Harry exists in as well as the effect it’s having on his friends. Despite all that happens in it, this book is a pause as well as a setup for the series’ planned conclusion, an epic conflict with the eldritch creatures known as “the Outsiders.” It’s a tough, redemptive pause that could be a real drag, but thankfully, it’s not, because Butcher shows balance, too: Even as the crises pile up, so do the help and goodwill from unexpected sources.
The series’ snarky noir vibe might be dwindling, but there’s something of substance in its place.Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
ISBN: 9780593199336
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Ace/Berkley
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026
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
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