An impressive work of historical fiction that satisfyingly educates, illuminates, and entertains.
In this novel, a close-knit Irish family deals with a blend of personal struggles and politics.
Set in the Irish coastal seaport of Mullaghmore, Sligo, in the late 1970s, Shaw’s engrossing tale follows Terence Connolly; his wife, Bridget; and their teenage son, Tim, who collectively operate a multigenerational, rustic sheep farm. Terence has “mastered all the essential skills of the Sligo farmer: building trampcocks, slicing turf, raising sheep and cattle, sea gathering, weaving fish nets, and fishing.” As father and son work the fields in the shadow of nearby Classiebawn castle, a tragic event shatters the peace and tranquility of the community. A fishing boat owned by the castle’s occupant, Lord Earl Mountbatten, Queen Victoria’s great-grandson, is suddenly blown apart, killing the royal dignitary and several of his relatives, including his young grandson. The culprits reveal themselves as members of the Irish Republican Army who had murdered 18 British soldiers just hours before in opposition to encroaching British rule. Years later, as Terence travels with his aged father, Brian, a decorated war veteran, they become the target of British soldiers who question their allegiances, and they end up jailed and abused in Maze Prison in 1982. Tim is soon sent to America to stay with his aunt Mary in New York City, and it is there where his true coming-of-age begins. Though his new classmates at school are vicious and hostile, Tim overcomes that by distinguishing himself on the track team and outrunning all of his competitors. He also finds true love with aspiring athlete Gina Carbone. Based on historical events, Shaw’s novel presents an absorbing and unique narrative that explores familial struggles against a backdrop of violent political unrest. The author’s prose is delicate and descriptive, and the story is leisurely paced and appealingly atmospheric, with sharply drawn characters readers will remember. At one point, an emboldened Bridget tries to intervene on behalf of her husband’s incarceration with the help of her friend Maeve Grogan—a fearless liberator and feminist—despite a hunger strike by Terence and a revenge ambush on the Mullaghmore farm.
An impressive work of historical fiction that satisfyingly educates, illuminates, and entertains.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 283
Publisher: Manuscript
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2022
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
A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.
A struggling writer finds an unexpected muse when a mysterious man shows up at her cabin.
Petra Rose used to pump out a bestselling book every six months, but then the adaptation happened—that is, the disastrous film adaptation of her most famous book. The movie changed the book’s storyline so egregiously that fans couldn’t forgive her, and the ensuing harassment sent Petra into hiding and gave her a serious case of writer’s block. Petra’s one hope is her solo writing retreat at a remote cabin, where she can escape the distractions of real life and focus on her next book, a story about a woman having an affair with a cop. When officer Nathaniel Saint shows up at her cabin door, inspiration comes flooding back. Much like the character from Petra’s book, Saint is married, and he’s willing to be Petra’s muse, helping her get into her characters’ heads. Petra’s book is practically writing itself, but is the game she’s playing a little too dangerous? Does she know when to stop—and, more importantly, is Saint willing to stop? Hoover is no stranger to controversial movie adaptations and internet backlash, but she clarifies in a note to readers that she’s “just a writer writing about a writer” and that no further connections to her own life are contained in these pages—which is a good thing, because the book takes some horrifying twists and turns. Petra finds herself inexplicably attracted to Saint, even as she describes him as “such an asshole,” and her feelings for him veer between love and hate. The novel serves as a meta commentary on the dark romance genre—as Petra puts it, “Even though, as readers, we wouldn’t want to live out some of the fantasies we read about, it doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy reading those things.”
A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9781662539374
Page Count: -
Publisher: Montlake
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
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