Dear Mr. Knightley
By Katherine Reay
About the book:
Samantha Moore survived years of darkness in the foster care system by hiding behind her favorite characters in literature, even adopting their very words. Her fictional friends give her an identity, albeit a borrowed one. But most importantly, they protect her from revealing her true self and encountering more pain.
After college, Samantha receives an extraordinary opportunity. The anonymous “Mr. Knightley” offers her a full scholarship to earn her graduate degree at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. The sole condition is that Sam write to Mr. Knightley regularly to keep him apprised of her progress.
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. 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.
My Thoughts:
Samantha, who grew up an orphan, is a twenty something determined to make it on her own. But one too many mistakes gives her no place to go but back go the place she grew up, Grace's house. Discouraged but still determined she decides to earn back the journalism scholarship she lost. Earning her scholarship back comes with one condition, that she write letters to the unknown man providing the scholarship to her. She calls him "Mr. Knightly"
This entire book is written in letters. Initially that sounds boring but is actually unique and a bit captivating. Samantha feels like a failure on the inside and appears awkward on the outside but having the birds eye view of her that we do she is tender and likable.
Katherine Reay is a debut novelist who I can tell has many more captivating books to come.
*I received this book free for review from Thomas Nelson Publishers*
Rating: 4 carats
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