A lover of James's layered prose, Holmes says she was moved by this 1880 tale of a difficult father-daughter relationship.

This novel had Holmes at the title: "I love Greenwich Village," says the Ohio native.

"Reading someone else's letters has a voyeuristic quality to it," Holmes says.

"Morrison has such an ability to write about painful topics in a fresh way," Holmes says.

When I heard Tina was pregnant again [Fey had a second daughter in August], I thought, That's great, but I hope she's writing a second book."