It’s been a while since I recommended a book via my blog, but Dear Mr. Knightley, by Katherine Reay deserves more than a five star rating. It’s been a long time since I felt so connected to a book. I saw so much of myself in the stories’ main character Sam—I spent the first fifty pages wishing I could hate the book and put it down. I usually cling to reading for its entertainment value, but Dear Mr. Knightley forced a lot of close soul examination too.

The story is told 99.9% through letters. Letters Sam writes to a Mr. Knightley. If you’re as big of a geek as I am about Jane Austen, the quotable lines throughout the letters are a nice touch. But you don’t have to be fluent in Austen to understand, Sam’s troubles are universal to every female who’s ever had to find herself.