An ambitious and multifaceted novel that cunningly challenges patriarchy and its consequences.
In Giordano’s debut historical novel, a young aristocrat is whisked away to her new husband’s Caribbean residence, where she discovers that all is not as it seems.
The novel opens in Somerset, England, in 1791. Eliza Hastings is the last unmarried daughter in her wealthy family, as she’s less interested in finding a potential mate than she is in spending time in the library. Her impatient parents arrange a function to which they invite numerous potential suitors, but rather than socialize, Eliza decides to pursue a beautiful moth through the garden. As she does so, she encounters a strange man with “wary green eyes”: Lord Charles Sharpe, a baron and lieutenant colonel of the British Legion. Soon after their first meeting, Sharpe requests Eliza’s hand in marriage, which she uncertainly accepts to get away from her family; they leave for his father’s house in the Bahamas shortly after the wedding ceremony, where Charles plans to put down roots. Even during their passage, something feels wrong. Charles is dismissive of Eliza, and they sleep in separate chambers (although the latter was not uncommon for the aristocracy of the period). Then, after their arrival at their destination, Charles forces himself upon her, finally revealing his violent, domineering character. Eliza is horrified by the presence of slavery on the plantation, and she finds herself a prisoner on the island. Her only pleasure, swimming, is forbidden by Charles, although she regularly disobeys him. Then Eliza’s life changes again when she meets an enigmatic, well-dressed gentleman named Jean Charles de Longchamp, who charms her with his knowledge of literature. In Jean, Eliza finds the possibility of new love and also, perhaps, an opportunity to break free.
This is a compelling series starter with a fascinatingly complex main character. Her driving ambition to escape her patriarchal society’s sexist expectations and experience the world on her own terms proves to be inspiring. Giordano communicates Eliza’s predicament with clarity and elegance: “He represented reason right now when she only wanted to chase after her hazy surroundings, comfortable in wantonness, and her newfound freedom.” Eliza and Charles’ heated conversations about slavery are particularly engaging, as when Eliza says, “I believe that men enjoy dominating others. Whether it is women or their fellow man. There is no moral justification for the trade, and there never shall be.” Charles, however, holds the vile assumptions of his time, gender, and class: “It is the natural order of things, my dear….Do not the strongest animals dominate the weaker ones?” In many respects, Eliza is a woman before her time: a 21st-century progressive feminist who refuses to tolerate Charles’ tiresome 18th-century condescension. This makes for thought-provoking reading; through Eliza’s perspective, readers witness the stark injustices and inequalities of colonial society with clarity. Meanwhile, Giordano produces formal yet amusing descriptive passages that may remind readers of Charlotte Brontë’s work: “An unimpressive corpulent man with red hair stepped forward, possessing ruddy flushed cheeks.” An ambitious and multifaceted novel that cunningly challenges patriarchy and its consequences.Pub Date: Dec. 13, 2022
ISBN: 9798986983400
Page Count: 536
Publisher: Käferhaus Press
Review Posted Online: May 12, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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