Despite a few flaws, a well-researched, engaging tale about a colonial island’s diverse inhabitants.
A debut historical novel explores slavery, land rights, and botany in colonial Canada.
With her intellectual curiosity, Moorish father, and aversion to marriage, Suzanna Torriano is unusual in 18th-century London. But it’s when she travels to St. John’s Island in Canada (now Prince Edward Island) as the mistress of its new governor, Walter Patterson, that Suzanna truly stands out. Eager to learn about her new home, Charlotte Town, Suzanna explores the markets and forests and develops her interest in “finding and identifying plants,” hoping to send notable discoveries to a prominent botanist in London. But she also learns that her new home still permits slavery and that Patterson’s decision-making is propelled by a greedy lust for power. He becomes obsessed with luring British loyalists to the island, even if it means pushing out hardworking tenants. He also believes that slavery is necessary for the island to prosper, and his complete aversion to emancipation is repugnant to Suzanna. When a pregnant enslaved woman is unfairly charged with stealing money from her owner’s desk—a crime punishable by hanging—Suzanna yearns to help her. But there are many distractions, including Ian MacDonald, a handsome Scottish settler. Redmond is an impeccable researcher, and she expertly conjures the sights and smells of St. John’s Island. Descriptions of scents, such as “freshly-pulled onions piled on carts, stacks of newly-mown hay, occasional whiffs of salt from the harbour, and musk of human and animal sweat,” immediately transport readers to another time and place. Unfortunately, her characters often feel like one-dimensional pawns, and the story would have benefited from more scenes between Suzanna and Ian. Nevertheless, lovers of historical fiction—particularly Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series—will find much to enjoy here.
Despite a few flaws, a well-researched, engaging tale about a colonial island’s diverse inhabitants.Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2022
ISBN: 9781039155206
Page Count: 335
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: Nov. 21, 2022
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
© 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.
