A well-researched, engrossing tale with a strong French hero for fans of historical fiction.
A young woman enters the household of one of French history’s most famous mistresses, Madame du Barry, in this novel.
In 1788, Véronique Clair has left behind her home in Burgundy and a marriage proposal to apprentice in the household of Madame du Barry at the Château de Louveciennes in a small suburb of Paris. On the way, she meets fellow apprentices Chloe and Pauline, and all three grapple with the feelings of being far from home as well as examining the realities of working as servants in a noble household. The household manager, Gaspard, takes an instant dislike to Véronique, a Black woman. He demands to see the papers that prove she was born free merely to cause her discomfort. Flinn’s sequel explores the options for women in the lower classes of French society, particularly Black women, as Véronique struggles to find her place among her white counterparts at Louveciennes. Not only does Madame du Barry make the occasional appearance in the story, but the author also delivers a reimagining of the real-life Louis-Benoit Zamor. Zamor, a Black page and du Barry’s confidant, is an intriguing inclusion. At one point, Véronique muses: “I’d noticed, at dinners, the guests always seemed to be more interested in the page than in Madame. They were always asking her about Zamor, as if he were a child or a prop that didn’t speak. Many times, he would stare straight ahead, his expression flat, as if bored of it all.” He becomes intertwined with Véronique as the story progresses, with Flinn expertly blurring the lines between fact and fiction. Also included in the tale is a glimpse of citizens’ rising dissatisfaction with the lavish lifestyles of the French nobility as Véronique and her fellow apprentices stay at a rural inn, emphasizing that the story’s time period is practically on the eve of the French Revolution. Though perhaps a bit brief (only 127 pages), the novel is a satisfying, soul-searching, and exciting continuation of the hero’s saga, ultimately leaving readers hoping for another installment.
A well-researched, engrossing tale with a strong French hero for fans of historical fiction.Pub Date: July 6, 2023
ISBN: 979-8986060033
Page Count: 132
Publisher: Gilded Orange Books
Review Posted Online: July 31, 2023
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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