Set in 1938, Katey Kontent is working for a law firm in a typing pool and having fun on the town in the evenings with her bestie Eve. On New Year's Eve, they meet Tinker Grey and Katey gets her first taste of love and a big reality check. Though she's been an independent New Yorker for several years, it took being swept up in the glamorous life of the wealthy to discover that everyone is not as they seem. 
 The story is told in a crisp, smart voice. The characters could have stepped right out of a classic film. The setting and time period are outlined in elegant detail. And perhaps the best part of the book is Towles's writing - succinct and refreshing. 
 The book took on several incarnations for me. Was it a love story, a rags to riches story, a story of growth and self actualization? It was all of these things and it was fantastic. I absolutely loved this book.