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jaclyn323's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. It was good, still predictable but not too cheesy. There was a lot of character growth, which was good.
hanland's review against another edition
5.0
This book was wonderful. Sam's narrative voice is engaging and I love the development of all the characters. The plot is a bit predictable, but satisfying. It was written beautifully, the story was dimensional, and it was delightful to read. A contemporary nod to all the classics, not just a retelling of a story. Definitely sparks joy.
sdelcharco's review against another edition
4.0
Fun story! Read it while sailing the BVI. Read it quickly.
texastink's review against another edition
3.0
**Some Spoilers Ahead**
This book was definitely not what I was expecting having read the back cover. It was kind of dark at times and very heavy. Samantha, the main character, could be quite intriguing at times and quite frustrating at others. Overall, I kind of enjoyed the book and can relate to trying to hide your true self and gloss over being open and honest for the sake of comfort and safety. Those parts were the most convicting and interesting for me and gave me good things to think about. My main problem with the book is the way it ends. Had the ending been different, my rating would have been much better. As it is, Samantha experienced a massive betrayal right at the end of the book. Something that shows the absolute lack of honesty and integrity of another character in the book. I understand that the person was caught in a tough place, but it is still inexcusable. The whole book, nothing came easy for Samantha. Nothing in life and nothing in her growth. But somehow at the end, in spite of the terrible betrayal of trust, she's able to forgive and move on incredibly quickly and easily. It was a nice easy bow on top of a messy, though not ugly, story and it doesn't make sense. While she should certainly forgive the person, and possibly reconcile, that kind of breach of trust would take a lot of time to heal from. I would have liked to have seen that process instead of a quick and easy happy ending, especially given the emotional mess of the rest of the book.
This book was definitely not what I was expecting having read the back cover. It was kind of dark at times and very heavy. Samantha, the main character, could be quite intriguing at times and quite frustrating at others. Overall, I kind of enjoyed the book and can relate to trying to hide your true self and gloss over being open and honest for the sake of comfort and safety. Those parts were the most convicting and interesting for me and gave me good things to think about. My main problem with the book is the way it ends. Had the ending been different, my rating would have been much better. As it is, Samantha experienced a massive betrayal right at the end of the book. Something that shows the absolute lack of honesty and integrity of another character in the book. I understand that the person was caught in a tough place, but it is still inexcusable. The whole book, nothing came easy for Samantha. Nothing in life and nothing in her growth. But somehow at the end, in spite of the terrible betrayal of trust, she's able to forgive and move on incredibly quickly and easily. It was a nice easy bow on top of a messy, though not ugly, story and it doesn't make sense. While she should certainly forgive the person, and possibly reconcile, that kind of breach of trust would take a lot of time to heal from. I would have liked to have seen that process instead of a quick and easy happy ending, especially given the emotional mess of the rest of the book.
carriedoodledoo's review against another edition
5.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this--although to me it smacked more of "Daddy Long-Legs" than "Emma". Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of Emma in here too, but the unknown benefactor that poor girl eventually falls in love with while going to school is too strong of a connection to ignore.
amydvm's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
christian_faith_and_fiction's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book so much that I stuck it straight into my 'I will re-read this' pile.
The book is a contemporary romance, written as a series of letters from Sam to 'Mr. Knightley' her mysterious benefactor who paid for her to study journalism. I loved the characters and wanted to spend more time with them. The book had more grit to it than I expected from the cover. I guessed the 'who' of the ending (but not the 'how') but that in no way took away from my enjoyment of the story.
The main character Sam hides behind her books and their characters. This was something my teenage self would have really identified with. Thank God he sets us free to be ourselves without fear.
agrinczel's review against another edition
3.0
3.25 stars; this was a mostly a pretty good “Daddy Long Legs”-retelling, but definitely not quite as good as the original. I think if I hadn’t loved DLL, and also knew exactly where this story was going I would have liked it better. I did get invested in Sam & Kyle, even if their evolution felt rushed, but it wasn’t enough for me to really love this.
callienicole's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn't sure what I would think of this book when I first started it, since most of the book is written in the form of letters from the main character, Samantha Moore, to her anonymous benefactor, "Mr. Knightly". I quickly got caught up in the characters though and actually really enjoyed the letter format. Sam is able to go to journalism school because of a grant through the foundation of a "Mr. Knightly" - but in exchange for the scholarship she must write him letters while she attends school. We are given an inside look to Sam's emotions as she realizes that she retreats into her books to protect herself from difficult situations, often quoting her favorite characters (including many from Austen's books) to shield her feelings.
The character growth in this book was expertly written - gradual enough to be believable and endearing. This book is from a Christian publisher, and while I wouldn't necessarily characterize this as Christian fiction, there are several Christian characters and by the end of the book you get the feeling that Sam is on the path that will eventually lead her to realize how much her Heavenly Father loves her.
The only reason this book gets 4.5 stars instead of 5 from me is because of a couple lines about Sam seeing joy in those around her and wishing it for herself. She finds that elusive joy in the end, but through a romantic relationship. I would have loved this book better if she had found her joy in a relationship with Jesus, because His is the only joy that truly lasts because He is the only One who never lets us down.
Still, this book was just delightful, and even more so if you are familiar with Jane Austen's books. The ending was very satisfying and left me warm and fuzzy. I definitely recommend it!
The character growth in this book was expertly written - gradual enough to be believable and endearing. This book is from a Christian publisher, and while I wouldn't necessarily characterize this as Christian fiction, there are several Christian characters and by the end of the book you get the feeling that Sam is on the path that will eventually lead her to realize how much her Heavenly Father loves her.
The only reason this book gets 4.5 stars instead of 5 from me is because of a couple lines about Sam seeing joy in those around her and wishing it for herself. She finds that elusive joy in the end, but through a romantic relationship. I would have loved this book better if she had found her joy in a relationship with Jesus, because His is the only joy that truly lasts because He is the only One who never lets us down.
Still, this book was just delightful, and even more so if you are familiar with Jane Austen's books. The ending was very satisfying and left me warm and fuzzy. I definitely recommend it!
happylilkt's review against another edition
2.0
2.5/3 stars
I have mixed feelings about this riff off of Daddy-long-legs / Austen fan-fiction. I made the mistake of reading the former just before and the tone difference between the two is striking. In DLL, the heroine is precocious, irreverent, understandable naive, and completely delightful and delighted with her Cinderella circumstances. In DMK, the heroine is wounded, insecure, surprisingly naive, and over the top at quoting books. I personally think it would have been better to have gone the comedy/wit route as a nod to the spirit of DLL, but I can appreciate why the subject matter led the author to embrace this tone, too, and I think it works for the most part.
I didn't find the heroine's habit of quoting books as a defense / coping mechanism very believable (books as an escape, yes, quoting lengthy passages, no.). It seemed such a stretch, and so it always jarred my reading of the novel. :(
But the main issue I have with the book is this: The letters... DLL wrote charming, irreverent, delightful letters. And they *were* letters. In DMK, they are NOT letters. Oh sure, they are formatted as letters, but it is just a novel pretending to be correspondence. I cannot believe that anyone would write multiple letters in the format, with that dialogue and detail to some head of a foundation. It just didn't work. I understand why the author did it that way (for storytelling purposes), but it just wasn't believable to me and, again, took away from my experience as a reader.
So in sum, I actually liked the story and characters (and I love Chicago so I'm always happy to see stories set there!), but I didn't like the DLL container the author forced it into. I think it did her no favors and only drew uncomplimentary comparisons with DLL and impeded my ability to fully engage with the book.
That being said, I would read more by this author again.
The book has no profanity or sex. It addresses topics such as child abuse and dysfunction. It could be appropriate for a precocious middle schooler, and definitely a high school reader.
I have mixed feelings about this riff off of Daddy-long-legs / Austen fan-fiction. I made the mistake of reading the former just before and the tone difference between the two is striking. In DLL, the heroine is precocious, irreverent, understandable naive, and completely delightful and delighted with her Cinderella circumstances. In DMK, the heroine is wounded, insecure, surprisingly naive, and over the top at quoting books. I personally think it would have been better to have gone the comedy/wit route as a nod to the spirit of DLL, but I can appreciate why the subject matter led the author to embrace this tone, too, and I think it works for the most part.
I didn't find the heroine's habit of quoting books as a defense / coping mechanism very believable (books as an escape, yes, quoting lengthy passages, no.). It seemed such a stretch, and so it always jarred my reading of the novel. :(
But the main issue I have with the book is this: The letters... DLL wrote charming, irreverent, delightful letters. And they *were* letters. In DMK, they are NOT letters. Oh sure, they are formatted as letters, but it is just a novel pretending to be correspondence. I cannot believe that anyone would write multiple letters in the format, with that dialogue and detail to some head of a foundation. It just didn't work. I understand why the author did it that way (for storytelling purposes), but it just wasn't believable to me and, again, took away from my experience as a reader.
So in sum, I actually liked the story and characters (and I love Chicago so I'm always happy to see stories set there!), but I didn't like the DLL container the author forced it into. I think it did her no favors and only drew uncomplimentary comparisons with DLL and impeded my ability to fully engage with the book.
That being said, I would read more by this author again.
The book has no profanity or sex. It addresses topics such as child abuse and dysfunction. It could be appropriate for a precocious middle schooler, and definitely a high school reader.