This intriguing novel suggests that it’s impossible to go wrong when Mark Twain is entertaining an audience.
A legendary author weaves an improbable tale of revenge in Laurence’s debut historical novel.
That author is Mark Twain, who, in this narrative, regales his fellow passengers aboard the Mississippi steamer Gold Dustwith the tragedy of Karl Ritter, whose wife, Sarah, and daughter, Emily, are killed by a trio of burglars in their Arkansas home during the Civil War. Karl and his brother-in-law, Josef, develop an outrageous plan to exact revenge upon the three men after determining they’re likely hiding among the Confederate soldiers bivouacking in the nearby town of Napoleon. The only clues they have are a bloody fingerprint on a receipt and the knowledge that one of the intruders is missing a thumb. Karl takes on the persona of “Sigmund the Seer,” a fake fortune teller who uses tarot cards and fingerprinting as investigative tools. Josef transforms into Texas horse trader “Joe,” who drinks with soldiers to gain intel for Sigmund. They infiltrate Napoleon and, aided by Wilma, a young sex worker with a heart of gold, they eventually identify the killers. Their mission of vengeance doesn’t go exactly as planned; how truly wrong it goes doesn’t become clear until the twist ending. The author deserves much credit for spinning a riveting yarn that has the feel of a lost work by Samuel Clemens. He brings to life such diverse elements as the Confederacy in wartime and a bizarre German funeral ritual, which somehow seem to fit together. Laurence effectively spreads the narrative over several time periods, ranging from Twain’s steamer ride in the 1880s back to the Civil War as Twain relays Karl’s tale of woe through the years. Karl and Josef are a sturdy, engaging foundation upon which to build (“ ‘I thought all Germans are strong swimmers!’ Karl exclaims. ‘Not in Lower Saxony!’ Josef offers, as an explanation”), as these two good men are conflicted throughout their crusade to execute Sarah and Emily’s murderers, and the surprising conclusion of their tale leaves a lasting impression.
This intriguing novel suggests that it’s impossible to go wrong when Mark Twain is entertaining an audience.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 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
SEEN & HEARD
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.
A French art historian’s English-language fiction debut combines the story of a loving relationship between a grandfather and granddaughter with an enlightening discussion of art.
One day, when 10-year-old Mona removes the necklace given to her by her now-dead grandmother, she experiences a frightening, hour-long bout of blindness. Her parents take her to the doctor, who gives her a variety of tests and also advises that she see a psychiatrist. Her grandfather Henry tells her parents that he will take care of that assignment, but instead, he takes Mona on weekly visits to either the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, or the Centre Pompidou, where each week they study a single work of art, gazing at it deeply and then discussing its impact and history and the biography of its maker. For the reader’s benefit, Schlesser also describes each of the works in scrupulous detail. As the year goes on, Mona faces the usual challenges of elementary school life and the experiences of being an only child, and slowly begins to understand the causes of her temporary blindness. Primarily an amble through a few dozen of Schlesser’s favorite works of art—some well known and others less so, from Botticelli and da Vinci through Basquiat and Bourgeois—the novel would probably benefit from being read at a leisurely pace. While the dialogue between Henry and the preternaturally patient and precocious Mona sometimes strains credulity, readers who don’t have easy access to the museums of Paris may enjoy this vicarious trip in the company of a guide who focuses equally on that which can be seen and the context that can’t be. Come for the novel, stay for the introductory art history course.
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9798889661115
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Europa Editions
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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