I was rooting for her from the first letter. And we cheer for her as she makes her way towards love and family. We connect with her pain and strength as we learn about her past. We feel her excitement and fear at the opportunity to study at Northwestern. Knightley and readers of the novel into the heart of her experiences. Sam happens to write great letters that bring Mr. It offers such a unique look at the events of novels and gives us an in depth look inside the head and heart of characters. I think more books should be written in letters. I have raved about the epistolary form before here on greenish bookshelf (most notably in this review of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society). I love the epistolary form (written in letters) of this novel. But just as Sam finally begins to trust, she learns that Alex has secrets of his own-secrets that, for better or for worse, make it impossible for Sam to hide behind either her characters or her letters.” As Sam’s true identity begins to reveal itself through her letters, her heart begins to soften to those around her-a damaged teenager and fellow inhabitant of Grace House, her classmates at Medill, and, most powerfully, successful novelist Alex Powell. Goodreads relates, “ Samantha Moore survived years of darkness in the foster care system by hiding behind her favorite characters in literature, even adopting their very words. Knightley by Katherine Reay is an epistolary novel written from the perspective of Samantha Moore–a graduate student in journalism at Northwestern writing to her financial benefactor who uses the pen name Mr. It was easy to get into, the characters are easy to connect with, and it has intense emotions throughout.ĭear Mr. This was a perfect first book for me post-first-trimester.Reay writes about food and small details so beautifully.I loved feeling nerdy enough to catch them 🙂

Reay so effortlessly alludes to so many great classic novels.

This is a perfect book for book nerds.

Now that I have read one book by Reay, I am clamoring to read all her books! It felt great to be engrossed in a story again. I mean, a book that references Jane Austen in the title: what’s not to love?! But this novel is so much more than just a clever title. The title is what first drew me to this book. Knightley by Katherine Reay which both delighted and surprised me. This week, I am determined to at least make a dent in those reviews. Between birthdays and pregnancy and life, I can’t seem to catch up! Also, I am kind of obsessed with the new Victoria series on Masterpiece PBS and you should all check it out. But wow, I have been behind on reviews from the beginning of this year. I have actually been able to read quite a bit in this new year. Hi everyone! Today I am finally back with a new review.

This post is part of the awesome I Love Austen Week hosted over at Hamlette’s Soliloquy!

Dear mr knightley