The author’s deep knowledge of all things royal adds realism and texture to this entertaining debut.
A British princess who’s stepped away from her royal role finds herself suddenly next in line for the throne.
As Armitage’s debut opens, Lexi Villiers is a medical resident in Australia, estranged from her family since she slipped away several years earlier to pursue a career. She’s been living on the grounds of a beautiful Tasmanian vineyard owned by the family of a man she is about to become more than best friends with—when a helicopter touches down to tell her that her father, the heir to the throne, along with her twin brother and his best friend have been killed by an avalanche while skiing. She’s whisked back to Britain at the behest of her grandmother the queen, landing instantly in the hornet’s nest of tabloid coverage, family secrets and resentments, and implacable protocol that is royal life. Will she accept her role as the heir apparent or let the crown pass to her scheming, power-hungry uncle? The queen gives her a year to decide. While her decampment to Australia left her with a very low approval rating from the British public, her reinvolvement in public life wins favor, engineered with the help of a savvy assistant. Though she feels the call of duty, it’s lonely at the top—her bereaved sister-in-law, once a close friend, is angry about her defection; a handsome aristocrat who might make a suitable mate doesn’t hold a candle to the man she left behind. Fortunately, she has a very nice dog. To the author’s credit, the suspense of the decision lasts right up until the final pages, though one of the main issues creating all the drama—the circumstances of her mother’s drowning when Lexi and her brother were not yet 18 and on vacation with her in Italy, slowly revealed in sections set in the past—never quite makes sense.
The author’s deep knowledge of all things royal adds realism and texture to this entertaining debut.Pub Date: Dec. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9781538776308
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Cardinal
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 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
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
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
