This is not a book I would have ever picked out for myself. I'd never heard of it before and I don't usually read a lot of historical fiction. But I was browsing at the school library the other day and one of the librarians came over and handed it to me with a glowing recommendation. Now, that in and of itself made me a little wary, because I know how personal book preferences are. But, I figured "why not"? 
 And I'm really glad she made me pick this up. I ripped through it in two days and was thoroughly enchanted by the whole thing. It was so charming and rich and wonderfully moving. I admit, it took me a bit to get used to the letter writing format, but once I did, it was smooth sailing.