Harvard Club of Philadelphia

HCP Book Group: The Correspondent

Filled with knowledge that only comes from a life fully lived, The Correspondent by Virginia Evans is a novel about the power of finding solace in literature and connection with people we might never meet in person. It is about the hubris of youth and the wisdom of old age, and the mistakes and acts of kindness that occur during a lifetime. The Group will meet on March 1st at a Center City home. Space is limited.

About the Book:

“Imagine, the letters one has sent out into the world, the letters received back in turn, are like the pieces of a magnificent puzzle. . . . Isn’t there something wonderful in that, to think that a story of one’s life is preserved in some way - that this very letter may one day mean something, even if it is a very small thing, to someone?”

Sybil Van Antwerp has throughout her life used letters to make sense of the world and her place in it. Most mornings, she sits down to write letters to relatives, friends, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter. When letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life, she realizes that the letter she has been writing over the years needs to be read and that she cannot move forward until she finds it in her heart to offer forgiveness.

Sybil Van Antwerp’s life of letters might be “a very small thing,” but she also might be one of the most memorable characters you will ever read.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Discover the word-of-mouth hit hailed by Ann Patchett as “A cause for celebration”—an intimate novel about the transformative power of the written word and the beauty of slowing down to reconnect with the people we love.

“The Correspondent is this year’s breakout novel no one saw coming.”—The Wall Street Journal

 
LONGLISTED for the CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE and the ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL

  
BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: NPR, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Elle, Christian Science Monitor 

About the Author:

Virginia Evans attended James Madison University for her bachelor’s in English literature. After starting a family, she went back to school for her master’s of philosophy in creative writing at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, where she had the good fortune to study under Carlo Gébler, Eoin McNamee, Claire Keegan, Harry Clifton and Kevin Power. She now lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with her husband, Mark and their two children, Jack and Mae. The Correspondent is her debut novel.

Host / Lead Organizer: Susan Robinson

Date: Sunday, March 1st at 3:00 pm.

Location: Address will be included in confirmation email. 

Coffee and tea will be provided.

Limited to 8 people. 

Click here to RSVP