I was expecting Rules of Civility to be a much flipper and lighter book than it was. It’s New Years Eve 1937, and Katy Kontent (yes really) is about to embark on a life changing year in Manhattan. How could this not be chick lit?!?
But it’s not. There’s a rich non-suitor, a car crash, two job changes, the discovery of her ambition, Dickens, and so much more. It’s a lovely portrait of how an ambitious woman could move through the publishing world in 1938. And it’s a lovely portrayal of people both rich and otherwise in a world that’s about to come out of the Great Depression.
I ended up really liking this book. Highly recommended.