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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.
sparksofkell's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Medical content, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Gun violence and Infidelity
outoftheblue14's review against another edition
4.0
E-galley received through Netgalley for review
Dear Mr Knightley is an epistolary novel which, despite the reference to Jane Austen in the title, is actually a retelling of Daddy Longlegs. Samantha Moore is a young woman who has lived for years at Grace House, a residence for orphans in foster care. After college, Samantha is offered a scholarship to attend the prestigious Medill School for Journalism. The only request is that Samantha writes regularly to her benefactor (who uses the fictional name of "Mr Knightley") in order to inform him of her progress. He will not write her back.
As Samantha struggles with her coursework and tries to help a fellow orphan in foster care, she meets Alex Powell,a young successful novelist. He introduces her to the Muirs, an elderly professor and his wife, whom he considers his second family. The Muirs slowly become sort-of parents to Sam, too.
I was very intrigued by the blurb: a Daddy Longlegs retelling with a dash of Jane Austen. The heroine, Samatha Moore, has experienced many hardships in her life, as an orphan coming from an abusive family and several failed foster families. She's now studying to become a journalist, and struggles to find her voice. Sam is clever and compassionate, and does not hesistate to help others. She reveals herself in her letters: she has spent many years trying to hide in her books (she loves to quote lines from classics in daily life) and usually keeps her family life a secret.
Considering the model for this novel, I knew very early who Mr Knightley was going to be. I suppose it's very obvious to everyone who has already read Daddy Longlegs. The book was enjoyable, anyway. I loved the classic quotes. The Christian aspect is not preachy and the romance is sweet.
Dear Mr Knightley is an epistolary novel which, despite the reference to Jane Austen in the title, is actually a retelling of Daddy Longlegs. Samantha Moore is a young woman who has lived for years at Grace House, a residence for orphans in foster care. After college, Samantha is offered a scholarship to attend the prestigious Medill School for Journalism. The only request is that Samantha writes regularly to her benefactor (who uses the fictional name of "Mr Knightley") in order to inform him of her progress. He will not write her back.
As Samantha struggles with her coursework and tries to help a fellow orphan in foster care, she meets Alex Powell,a young successful novelist. He introduces her to the Muirs, an elderly professor and his wife, whom he considers his second family. The Muirs slowly become sort-of parents to Sam, too.
I was very intrigued by the blurb: a Daddy Longlegs retelling with a dash of Jane Austen. The heroine, Samatha Moore, has experienced many hardships in her life, as an orphan coming from an abusive family and several failed foster families. She's now studying to become a journalist, and struggles to find her voice. Sam is clever and compassionate, and does not hesistate to help others. She reveals herself in her letters: she has spent many years trying to hide in her books (she loves to quote lines from classics in daily life) and usually keeps her family life a secret.
Considering the model for this novel, I knew very early who Mr Knightley was going to be. I suppose it's very obvious to everyone who has already read Daddy Longlegs. The book was enjoyable, anyway. I loved the classic quotes. The Christian aspect is not preachy and the romance is sweet.
bhnmt61's review against another edition
2.0
The obvious literary allusions are called out early and often in this book— Austen, the Brontes, Dumas— but the more direct model of this story is Daddy Long Legs, a 1912 novel by Jean Webster told in letters written by a young orphan to a mysterious benefactor. I read it close to 50 years ago when I was about 12 and I loved it.
But as an adult, looking back on what I could remember about it, it seemed like a pretty strange premise, so I re-read it a couple of years ago. Yes, it is just as weird and inexplicable as adult-me was thinking it would be. Penniless orphan falls in love with an older wealthy man who is funding her education. She has been writing long, breathless, charming letters to him. The whole setup is just kind of creepy if you ask me, and it is copied almost exactly in Dear Mr. Knightley.
Reay solves some of the problems by making Samantha a little older (24) and the benefactor, Alex, a little younger (35- ish?), and wealthy because of his successful suspense novels, not because he was born and raised wealthy. They are both writers, so they at least have something in common, and she is on her way to being a successful journalist, so it’s not quite such an imbalance of power.
But it’s still an iffy proposition if you ask me, and I was not sold on this pairing, especially not on the way it ended. He is a creeper, and she is unbelievably naive. He has been lying, manipulating, and preying on her trust for months, reading dozens of her private letters but never letting on, and then after two minutes of apologies at the end, they’re good. Ugh.
Also, and this is probably just me with my individual peeves, I was resentful of the religious agenda. There’s not enough that it should be marketed as a religious novel, but it’s enough that if you’ve got a huge chip on your shoulder about the evangelical church (as I do), it’s a deal breaker. It feels sneaky and underhanded. I have zero interest in reading further books by this author.
So, all in all, this one wasn’t for me. I did finish it, so according to my own scale I should give it three stars, but I can’t.
But as an adult, looking back on what I could remember about it, it seemed like a pretty strange premise, so I re-read it a couple of years ago. Yes, it is just as weird and inexplicable as adult-me was thinking it would be. Penniless orphan falls in love with an older wealthy man who is funding her education. She has been writing long, breathless, charming letters to him. The whole setup is just kind of creepy if you ask me, and it is copied almost exactly in Dear Mr. Knightley.
Reay solves some of the problems by making Samantha a little older (24) and the benefactor, Alex, a little younger (35- ish?), and wealthy because of his successful suspense novels, not because he was born and raised wealthy. They are both writers, so they at least have something in common, and she is on her way to being a successful journalist, so it’s not quite such an imbalance of power.
But it’s still an iffy proposition if you ask me, and I was not sold on this pairing, especially not on the way it ended. He is a creeper, and she is unbelievably naive. He has been lying, manipulating, and preying on her trust for months, reading dozens of her private letters but never letting on, and then after two minutes of apologies at the end, they’re good. Ugh.
Also, and this is probably just me with my individual peeves, I was resentful of the religious agenda. There’s not enough that it should be marketed as a religious novel, but it’s enough that if you’ve got a huge chip on your shoulder about the evangelical church (as I do), it’s a deal breaker. It feels sneaky and underhanded. I have zero interest in reading further books by this author.
So, all in all, this one wasn’t for me. I did finish it, so according to my own scale I should give it three stars, but I can’t.