An emotionally intense tale enlivened by unique literary history.
Veprinski’s historical novel explores passionate love and angst within New York’s early-20th-century Yiddish literary community.
Miriam and David Eidelberg’s marriage is already languishing when Miriam, who is in her mid-20s and the mother of a 7-year-old daughter, is first introduced to Nyezhiner, the mononymic celebrity poet of the Yiddish literary circle known as “Di Yunge” (the Youth). She has read all of his poetry—and has even memorized some of it—and she is entranced by the handsome, enigmatic luminary. He is 33, married, and the father of five children, all of whom he left (but still supports) for the love of another woman…whom he has also left. Miriam and Nyezhiner meet at a gathering where a collection of poets, essayists, and novelists are exchanging ideas. Later, the two take a walk across the Williamsburg Bridge in a gentle interlude that signals the beginning of what will become a 30-year love affair. Although drawn to the moody poet, Miriam is cautious. Still a teenager when she married and had her daughter Dinaleh, she now needs to find her own path. Nyezhimer, on the other hand, quickly becomes obsessed with her. After a painful confrontation with her husband David (“he came closer, very close, then raised his hand and gave her face a hard slap”), Miriam moves in with her brother, sister-in-law, and mother. A distraught Nyezhimer searches for her, occasionally waiting through the night in the street outside her brother’s house. Veprinski’s dramatic autobiographical novel traces the first tumultuous year of the relationship between the author (Miriam in the novel) and the lyric poet Mani Leyb (Nyezhiner). Ellen Cassedy and Anita Norich have translated the melancholy narrative, first published in Yiddish in 1971; they have beautifully captured the rhythms, humor, and intimacy of the original text. The story is a detailed portrait of a time, place, and culture. Populated by a large cast of Yiddish writers of the day (all of the names have been changed), the novel engages readers with an intriguing variety of artistic personalities and temperaments.
An emotionally intense tale enlivened by unique literary history.Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9798990998094
Page Count: 195
Publisher: White Goat Press
Review Posted Online: April 3, 2025
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
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.
After being released from prison, a young woman tries to reconnect with her 5-year-old daughter despite having killed the girl’s father.
Kenna didn’t even know she was pregnant until after she was sent to prison for murdering her boyfriend, Scotty. When her baby girl, Diem, was born, she was forced to give custody to Scotty’s parents. Now that she’s been released, Kenna is intent on getting to know her daughter, but Scotty’s parents won’t give her a chance to tell them what really happened the night their son died. Instead, they file a restraining order preventing Kenna from so much as introducing herself to Diem. Handsome, self-assured Ledger, who was Scotty’s best friend, is another key adult in Diem’s life. He’s helping her grandparents raise her, and he too blames Kenna for Scotty’s death. Even so, there’s something about her that haunts him. Kenna feels the pull, too, and seems to be seeking Ledger out despite his judgmental behavior. As Ledger gets to know Kenna and acknowledges his attraction to her, he begins to wonder if maybe he and Scotty’s parents have judged her unfairly. Even so, Ledger is afraid that if he surrenders to his feelings, Scotty’s parents will kick him out of Diem’s life. As Kenna and Ledger continue to mourn for Scotty, they also grieve the future they cannot have with each other. Told alternatively from Kenna’s and Ledger’s perspectives, the story explores the myriad ways in which snap judgments based on partial information can derail people’s lives. Built on a foundation of death and grief, this story has an undercurrent of sadness. As usual, however, the author has created compelling characters who are magnetic and sympathetic enough to pull readers in. In addition to grief, the novel also deftly explores complex issues such as guilt, self-doubt, redemption, and forgiveness.
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2560-7
Page Count: 335
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
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