An engrossing and measured novel of wartime.
A bloody American Civil War battle drives a handful of characters into unexpected situations in Gram’s historical novel.
It’s December 1862, and Rev. Nathaniel of Fredericksburg, Virginia, predicts that the Apocalypse will occur after a battle that’s about to commence. The ensuing clash, which will henceforth be known as the Battle of Fredericksburg, leaves many dead, and people in the city find different purposes elsewhere in the days and months that follow. Enslaved John, for example, heads north to freedom while lamenting the fact that he’s never known his sister, Tillie, who remains enslaved; the siblings were separated long ago. After Nathaniel’s apparently incorrect prediction, the reverend tracks down a young woman at a brothel with the apparent intent of removing her from there; he’s guided by a mysterious, blond-haired young girl who shows him visions. The cast of characters also includes a talisman-carrying religious zealot who believes that Armageddon is at hand, and someone who’s out for lethal revenge. Fate ultimately brings together these storylines, which travel through such places as Richmond and New York City before a series of not-necessarily-happy reunions. Gram enriches the tale with real-life historical figures and details. High-ranking Civil War soldiers, for starters, play significant roles (one person is convinced that Confederate officer Stonewall Jackson “will be revealed as Christ come again”), and famed steamboat Mary Powell makes a notable appearance. A largely unhurried pace makes it easy to follow the nonlinear narrative, which bounces around December 1862 and subsequent months in 1863. There’s likewise a giant leap backward to the second century near the city of Pepouza in Asia Minor, where 14-year-old Montanus learns that some have foreseen the Messiah returning one day. Throughout, Gram delivers several affecting scenes that confront the horrific treatment of enslaved people, and the ferocious Battle of Fredericksburg and its terrible deaths. The novel boasts a gratifying resolution, although a second volume is planned.
An engrossing and measured novel of wartime.Pub Date: Feb. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9781960090355
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Epigraph Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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.
