What an interesting concept for a book! Writing a novel in the form of letters can't be easy and to be successful at that. From Across the Room is told completely in the form of letters. Mostly from the main character, Thomas Gadwell. He has met a young lady, Mary Harting and is smitten. The problem is, her father absolutely forbids them to see each other. He is currently writing his second novel and Mary's father feels that that is not a good way to make a living.
So in the form of the letters, he writes to Mary or darling Mary as he calls her, his editor Avery, Henry, his mentor, and his father. These letters are one-sided but as Thomas writes these letters we learn what the person who receives the letters writes back had to say in their own letters. His main purpose I think in writing these letters is to get advice on how he is to get in Mary's fathers good graces and what he should do to pursue his goal of having Mary for his own.
The reader learns about his visits to Mary and her family, his visits home when his father has a heart attack and his visits to his friends. The writing is very descriptive to the time, 1888-89, how Mary is restricted in how she can visit Thomas, although they do meet against her father's wishes.
I was totally impressed with this book, I am generally not a fan of this era and thought that I would have a hard time reading it. That did not happen, I got totally immersed in the story and have to say that the ending caught me off guard. I really enjoyed the book and highly recommend it. You won't be disappointed!
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