Samantha Moore, a 24-year-old orphan raised in the foster system, has been given a chance at a new life. An anonymous benefactor offers her a full-ride scholarship to Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism graduate program, and she accepts. The benefactor only asks for one thing in return: letters. Letters from Sam as she goes through her courses, so the mysterious Mr. George Knightley (a literary alias her donor can hide behind) can follow her progress.
Dear Mr. Knightley is a novel told through those letters. Sam learns to make friends, date, and write feature pieces for publication, and she tells Mr. Knightley everything. The anonymity of the letters means that Sam is free to share all her deepest thoughts, her feelings, her fears, and her dreams. She holds nothing back as she talks about her days to the mysterious Mr. Knightley.
This is the debut novel for Katherine Reay, and her background in and love of reading shines through on every page. Sam grew up with books being her only escape, and she is constantly referring to the novels that were her best friends all those years--Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Emma, The Count of Monte Cristo, Sense and Sensibility.
Although this book came out while Jane Austen was making her appearance in novels and non-fiction books at a mind-numbing rate, I believe that Katherine Reay would have included her in this novel no matter what. There is a genuine and playful dedication to literature that comes through these characters, along with a look at human nature that is clearly inspired by Austen and touches of humor, strength, intelligence, and romance that any fan of hers would enjoy.
Dear Mr. Knightley takes a few chapters to really get into, but once you find yourself sucked into the story, you're in. Sam and her foibles, her challenges, her relationships, and her attempts at improving herself become addictive, and the surprises, resolutions, and revelations remind us of all that is possible with faith, love, and teamwork.