Penelope Wallace has just come of age in 1950s England. We’ll watch her in a year when she casts aside caution and accepts an invitation to tea from complete stranger Charlotte at her Aunt Clare’s. From the enigmatic Harry to the worldly Rocky Dakota, from her too-young-to-be-a-widow mother and the crumbling stately home, from the obsession with a singer named Johnnie Ray to her brother’s new love of grittier rocker Elvis, Rice’s debut just draws you into its story of secrets and makes you laugh at Penelope’s triumphs and tribulations in the search for the love of her life. No wonder it’s been a great favorite. I was reminded a lot of a recent favorite: Amor Towles’ Rules of Civility.

posted Jun 22, 2012 at 2:18PM

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