Akiva Reads

by Naomi Novik

Reread. Quick and engaging. The premise is so, so great, and it's carried off so well, so that's the main reason to read it. I promise you won't regret it.

Plot and character aren't neglected, though. Laurence is a man of his time, sexist and classist and uptight and hidebound... and somehow you're still rooting for him as he's forced, over and over, to reevaluate his priorities.