Rules of Civility

I really enjoyed this one, maybe because I could relate so well to the protagonist. It chronicles a year in the life of Katey Kontent, a 20-something who lives and works as a secretary in New York City in the late 1930s. Katey and her best friend/roommate, Eve, decide to go out for New Year's Eve, where they meet the wealthy and charming Tinker Grey. The three of them quickly become friends, though a tragic car accident puts them on a trajectory that will launch them in and out of each other's lives for the remainder of their friendship.

What I love about this book is that it really brings the time and the city to life; it's so well-written and of-the-times that it takes you to 1938 and makes you want to stay there. Martinis flow and jazz musicians draw crowds to the bars and speakeasies; one could be happy forever buried in a Dickens novel, and yet life is something to go out and experience with new friends, old friends, and not-yet friends. It was both inspiring and comforting; Katey didn't have her whole life together, but when you're in your 20s, who does?