Review: Dear Mr. Knightley

Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay. Sam has had a rough life with parents who nearly killed her, a series of foster homes, and a group home in place of family. A charitable foundation offers to pay her way to graduate school; the only stipulation is that she write to her benefactor under the alias of Mr. Knightley. The letters narrate Sam’s attempts to overcome her bad start and emerge from behind the classic books she quotes whenever she finds herself in over her head.

This was probably my favorite book that I’ve read so far this year. It’s very light, but it was a massively fun read (I read it in a day), and the characters, especially Sam, are drawn sympathetically and realistically. It turns out to be Christian fiction as well, and the faith part of the book is written about as well as any I’ve read in a long time: light-handed and understated. Watching Sam fight through to find her voice, her confidence, and her family really made my day. 5/5*

Review: The Divorce Papers

The Divorce Papers by Susan Rieger. Rieger is a lawyer, and this book draws heavily on her experience.

Sophie is a young criminal lawyer who is roped against her will into representing Mia Meiklejohn Durkheim (yes, as rich as she sounds) in an ugly divorce. One of those epistolary novels that you don’t see as much any more, this book is made up only of documents: letters, emails, memos, and legal documents, primarily. Through these documents, the reader follows the divorce from its inception through its resolution, and we also learn about Sophie’s life and relationships and her own parents’ nasty divorce. 

I was interested in this book, but not enthralled. Men didn’t come off very well, and there were a few too many actual legal documents (I don’t mind reading memos, but I’m not crazy about reading laws and numbers, especially the fabulously inflated incomes of nasty people). It’s one of those books that entertained me for a few days, but I wouldn’t rush out and buy it. 3/5*