An uneven but intriguing melodrama with a surprising villain.
This first installment of debut author Vonn’s historical Kill Devill series offers a tale of political and financial scheming, violence, murder, romance, and a bit of mysticism.
It’s 1667, and there are evil forces at work on the island of Barbados. The sailing ship Angeline has entered the harbor in Carlisle Bay, Bridgetown. Onboard are brothers Thomas and Richard Dewe, who’ve crossed the Atlantic to help their older sibling, John, run the Tallywhoa Plantation, home of the family’s sugarcane enterprise. Because their ship is two days early, the brothers check in with garrison commander Col. Duncan McKenzie to send word to John that they’ve arrived and need transport. McKenzie sends his most trusted officer, Giles Freeman, to ride out to Tallywhoa. While introducing readers to Giles, a pivotal character in the ensemble cast, Vonn reveals the first of the isle’s many secrets: “On the island only the Colonel’s wife, Elizabeth, knew he was the Colonel’s son.” On his way to the plantation, Giles discovers an enormous wild hog feasting on human remains. The body is that of Esmerelda Conn, the beautiful, pregnant daughter of the owners of another sugar plantation. So begins a twisty murder mystery with danger at every turn. Readers will need to pay close attention to keep track of all the players and their hidden backstories. The society they inhabit is a simmering caldron of European gentry, African slaves, and indentured servants, and it features strong female characters. The narrative does contain graphic, brutal rape scenes, however, which are especially difficult to read, and the descriptions of the island’s reprehensible slavery practices are also deeply disturbing. The prose does offer some light, humorous passages, as well, but it’s too often grammatically careless: “Smiling at her as a gentleman should she did a slight curtsy and headed for the bar.”
An uneven but intriguing melodrama with a surprising villain.Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-73400-571-4
Page Count: 449
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: April 30, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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