Rules Of Civility by Amor Towles

When Katey Kontent, a working-class New York native, meets the handsome and successful Tinker Grey on New Year’s Eve in 1937, she suddenly finds herself in the glamorous social circle of Manhattan’s elite. A Gatsby-esque tale about the lengths people will go to for wealth and status, narrated by a witty, intelligent and always grounded protaganist. Towles writes in a woman’s voice remarkably well (even though he’s a guy), creating a believable heroine you’d want to befriend in real life.

Rules of Civility, Amor Towles, $17. Available at Indigo.ca and Amazon.ca.