An immersive depiction of an unusual historical milieu.
In Taylor’s historical novel, the study of theology leads to a life of unforeseen tumult and adventure for one young Cornishman.
In 14th-century Oxford, Piran Chegwin is training for the priesthood. His nemesis is Martin de Villiers, a racist villain who hates people from Cornwall and is determined to ruin Piran. His scheming knows no limits—Martin begins with a plan to discredit Piran’s scholarly work before progressing to attempted murder. But Piran’s intellect and good character win him a powerful mentor and protector in Archdeacon (later Bishop) de Grandison, a close friend of Pope John XXII. De Grandison shields Piran by procuring him a coveted post at the papal court…until de Villiers strikes again with a slander campaign. Piran is then sent to Tintagel, a remote outpost in his native Cornwall, where he says a daily mass for the king’s son while living in near isolation. Here, he waits out the Black Death as it decimates England’s population. It is a safe but lonely life, until he starts receiving visions from the time of King Arthur and befriends an old mystic (“’Twas all about Ygraine, you see. Everything that happened”). Taylor has extensively studied the historical material, including doing primary research in Oxford and Exeter. The novel’s atmosphere is rich and convincing, and the action feels rooted in a real time and place without relying on sprinkled-in facile period details. The author effectively captures the monotony of 14th-century life, when a letter might take many months to arrive and sheltering in isolation from the plague might take years. The narrative encompasses papal court intrigue, royal politics, and personal vendettas while always remaining focused on the routines and revelations of daily life. Perhaps too much tension is provided by de Villiers, whose hatred is so powerful that his grudge persists for decades and ruins his own career. Piran is a charming protagonist, but he does not develop or change much along his long journey; he begins as a good person with a calling for the priesthood and ends the same way.
An immersive depiction of an unusual historical milieu.Pub Date: Dec. 11, 2025
ISBN: 9781685136833
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2026
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
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with...
Talk-show queen takes tumble as millions jeer.
Nora Bridges is a wildly popular radio spokesperson for family-first virtues, but her loyal listeners don't know that she walked out on her husband and teenaged daughters years ago and didn't look back. Now that a former lover has sold racy pix of naked Nora and horny himself to a national tabloid, her estranged daughter Ruby, an unsuccessful stand-up comic in Los Angeles, has been approached to pen a tell-all. Greedy for the fat fee she's been promised, Ruby agrees and heads for the San Juan Islands, eager to get reacquainted with the mom she plans to betray. Once in the family homestead, nasty Ruby alternately sulks and glares at her mother, who is temporarily wheelchair-bound as a result of a post-scandal car crash. Uncaring, Ruby begins writing her side of the story when she's not strolling on the beach with former sweetheart Dean Sloan, the son of wealthy socialites who basically ignored him and his gay brother Eric. Eric, now dying of cancer and also in a wheelchair, has returned to the island. This dismal threesome catch up on old times, recalling their childhood idylls on the island. After Ruby's perfect big sister Caroline shows up, there's another round of heartfelt talk. Nora gradually reveals the truth about her unloving husband and her late father's alcoholism, which led her to seek the approval of others at the cost of her own peace of mind. And so on. Ruby is aghast to discover that she doesn't know everything after all, but Dean offers her subdued comfort. Happy endings await almost everyone—except for readers of this nobly preachy snifflefest.
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with syrupy platitudes about life and love.Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-609-60737-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
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