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A Gentleman in Moscow

Amor Towles (Goodreads Author)

4.33 · Rating details · 422,258 ratings · 47,700 reviews

From the New York Times bestselling author of Rules of Civility—a transporting novel about a man who is ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel

With his breakout debut novel, Rules of Civility, Amor Towles established himself as a master of absorbing, sophisticated fiction, bringing late 1930s Manhattan to life with splendid atmosphere and a flawless com ...more

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Paperback, 462 pages

Published March 26th 2019 by Penguin Books (first published September 6th 2016)

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Nov 23, 2016 Elyse Walters rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: politics, literary-fiction, recommend, favorite

Tears were streaming down my face the last several pages. Turning each page slower - and slower - breathless - filled with gratitude- overwhelmed by what this rare book offers and then delivering a wonderful satisfying ending......to the already - rich- wonderful-absolutely marvelous novel.

Goose bumps and butterfly fluttering.....the writing is pulsing with life. Amor Towles's
leading man...."Count Rostov" ....[Alexander Ilyich Rostov]....or "Sasha", to a select few old friends, is THE MOST EXCE ...more

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Nov 03, 2016 Jeffrey Keeten rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: the-russians

Vyshinsky: Why did you write the poem?

Rosov: It demanded to be written. I simply happened to be sitting at the particular desk on the particular morning when it chose to make its demands.

Vyshinksy: And where was that exactly?

Rostov: In the south parlor at Idlehour.

Vyshinksy: Idlehour?

Rosov: The Rostov estate in Nizhny Novgorod.

Vyshinksy: Ah, yes. Of course. How apt. But let us return our attention to your poem. Coming as it did-in the more subdued years after the failed revolt of 1905--many cons ...more

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May 27, 2019 chai ♡ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: to-reread, trope-grumpy-with-a-candy-heart, trope-found-family, hall-of-fame, adult, adult-historical, adult-lit, fiction, read-in-2019

〘 find other reviews on my blog 〙

It’s always a shock, after you finish a particularly good book, to look up and see the world go about its business with perfect indifference, while you just sit there, feeling like something has shifted, moved, broken open inside you. The trance of being immersed in your reading is so intense you turn the last page and step forth into the real world with a sense of complete unreality. Like you couldn’t remember being there, the way you might feel when you're ...more

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May 20, 2019 Bill Gates rated it really liked it

Melinda and I sometimes read the same book at the same time. It’s usually a lot of fun, but it can get us in trouble when one of us is further along than the other—which recently happened when we were both reading A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.

At one point, I got teary-eyed because one of the characters gets hurt and must go to the hospital. Melinda was a couple chapters behind me. When she saw me crying, she became worried that a character she loved was going to die. I didn’t want to spo Melinda and I sometimes read the same book at the same time. It’s usually a lot of fun, but it can get us in trouble when one of us is further along than the other—which recently happened when we were both reading A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.

At one point, I got teary-eyed because one of the characters gets hurt and must go to the hospital. Melinda was a couple chapters behind me. When she saw me crying, she became worried that a character she loved was going to die. I didn’t want to spoil anything for her, so I just had to wait until she caught up to me.

That one scene aside, A Gentleman in Moscow is a fun, clever, and surprisingly upbeat look at Russian history through the eyes of one man. At the beginning of the book, Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov is sentenced to spend his life under house arrest in Moscow’s Metropol Hotel. It’s 1922, and the Bolsheviks have just taken power of the newly formed Soviet Union. The book follows the Count for the next thirty years as he makes the most of his life despite its limitations.

Although the book is fictional, the Metropol is a real hotel. I’ve even been lucky enough to stay there (and it looked mostly the same as Towles describes in the book). It’s the kind of place where you can’t help but picture what it was like at different points in time. The hotel is located across the street from the Kremlin and managed to survive the Bolshevik revolution and the rise and fall of the Soviet Union. That’s a lot of history for one building.

Many scenes in the book never happened in real life (as far as I know), but they’re easy to imagine given the Metropol’s history. In one memorable chapter, Bolshevik officials decide that the hotel’s wine cellar is “counter to the ideals of the Revolution.” The hotel staff is forced to remove labels from more than 100,000 bottles, and the restaurant must sell all wine for the same price. The Count—who sees himself as a wine expert—is horrified.

Count Rostov is an observer frozen in time, watching these changes come and go. He felt to me like he was from a different era from the other characters in the book. Throughout all the political turmoil, he manages to survive because, well, he’s good at everything.

He’s read seemingly every book and can identify any piece of music. When he’s forced to become a waiter at the hotel restaurant, he does it with this panache that is incredible. He knows his liquor better than anyone, and he’s not shy about sharing his opinions. The Count should be an insufferable character, but the whole thing works because he’s so charming.

Towles has a talent for quirky details. Early-ish in the book, he says the Count “reviewed the menu in reverse order as was his habit, having learned from experience that giving consideration to appetizers before entrees can only lead to regret.” A description like that tells you so much about a character. By the end of the book, I felt like the Count was an old friend.

You don’t have to be a Russophile to enjoy the book, but if you are, it’s essential reading. I think early 20th century Russian history is super interesting, so I’ve read a bunch of books about Lenin and Stalin. A Gentleman in Moscow gave me a new perspective on the era, even though it’s fictional. Towles keeps the focus on the Count, so most major historical events (like World War II) get little more than a passing mention. But I loved seeing how these events still shifted the world of the Metropol in ways big and small. It gives you a sense of how political turmoil affects everyone, not just those directly involved with it.

A Gentleman in Moscow is an amazing story because it manages to be a little bit of everything. There’s fantastical romance, politics, espionage, parenthood, and poetry. The book is technically historical fiction, but you’d be just as accurate calling it a thriller or a love story. Even if Russia isn’t on your must-visit list, I think everyone can enjoy Towles’s trip to Moscow this summer. ...more

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Oct 12, 2016 Jen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star-favourites, russia-war

I wanted to savour this one, word for word. Towles bestows on us a language to be treasured; a story to be remembered.
This was a remarkably enchanting narrative with a charming character. A gentleman, Rostov, has been put under hotel arrest. For the next several years, as he serves his time, relationships are cultivated from employees to guests to the visitors he receives and to a young girl whom he becomes a guardian for.
Very descriptive - I tasted almost every meal he ate - from the crisp and ...more

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Jan 22, 2017 Brina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

In the year 1922, Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov has been sentenced to House arrest at the famed Moscow Hotel Metropol. Once of the landed elite of Nizhy Novgorod, the Count must live out the rest of his days in one small hotel room. As the Bolsheviks have persevered following their revolution, no long are there ruling classes in Russia, only comrades. It is under these conditions that Count Rostov has become a former person who can no longer step outside of the Metropol. Using this premise, Amor In the year 1922, Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov has been sentenced to House arrest at the famed Moscow Hotel Metropol. Once of the landed elite of Nizhy Novgorod, the Count must live out the rest of his days in one small hotel room. As the Bolsheviks have persevered following their revolution, no long are there ruling classes in Russia, only comrades. It is under these conditions that Count Rostov has become a former person who can no longer step outside of the Metropol. Using this premise, Amor Towles has woven prose to create an enchanting story that makes up the Count's changed course of existence.

Over time, Count Rostov grew to call himself the luckiest man in Russia. This realization, however, occurs after he has been in the hotel Metropol for over thirty and forged close friendships with her staff and inhabitants. At first, he is a once proud man who has had all of his material possessions taken away from him and has to make do with life in a room, until the day that the Count encounters nine-year-old Nina, altering the course of his life. A precocious girl with an eye for adventure, Nina takes the Count with her on all of her forays through the hotel. No longer is the Count confined to a room with his books and manuscripts, but at the whims of an enchanting palace. House arrest becomes luxurious instead of the intended punishment.

Towles creates a compelling cast of characters to complement the Count, none more vital to sustaining his existence than Sofia, Nina's daughter who she leaves in his care. Rather than resenting this turn of events, the Count raises Sofia as his own daughter, and two become inseparable. Yet, Sofia is raised by the entire staff of the Metropol: Emile, the head chef of the Boyarsky restaurant; Andrey, the maitre d' restaurant; Marina, the seamstress who becomes a mother figure; and Vasily the concierge. The group becomes like family over the course of the Count's house arrest, and with the luxurious conditions of the lobby, bar, and restaurant, it becomes evident that the Count is the luckiest man in all of Russia.

What makes A Gentleman in Moscow a true work of historical fiction are Towles' apt descriptions of life occurring outside of the Metropol's walls. Stalin has taken control of the country, and Russians can either join the party, get shipped to Siberia, or otherwise conveniently disposed of. Relations with the west are tenuous at best but Towles relays these feelings in the Count's relations with American ambassador Richard Wilshire, who becomes a key figure in the novel. As long as one has friends within the party, which the Count manages to attain, even enemies like him can remain safe on a daily basis, even if it means living within the walls of a hotel.

A Gentleman in Moscow evokes an era of the tsar when the city rivals Paris and London as a destination for elite classes throughout Europe. A member of the landed aristocracy prior the Bolshevik Revolution, Count Rostov is well versed in literature, history, and appears to be a true renaissance man. Through his relationship with Nina and Sofia, Towles shows the Count to have a genuine soft spot in his heart as well, turning him into a truly memorable character. A delight of an enchanting story to read, A Gentleman in Moscow was worth the hype of the reviews I have read about it and rates 4.5 shiny stars. ...more

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Jun 18, 2019 Yun rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Adversity presents itself in many forms . . . if a man does not master his circumstances then he is bound to be mastered by them.
Every once in a while, I come across a book that speaks to the heart of who I am, as though it's been written specifically for me. That's how I feel about A Gentleman in Moscow.

Count Rostov has been sentenced to house arrest in the grand Metropol Hotel in Moscow. We follow him as he tries to make a life of purpose for himself within this small world. Instead of wit ...more

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Feb 04, 2017 Candace rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: listened-to-audio-version, historical, sweet-heart-warming-stories

'A Gentleman in Moscow' tells the story of Count Alexander Rostov, who is sentenced to live out the rest of his life on "house arrest" in the Metropol hotel, following his "conviction" by a Bolshevik tribunal. He was convicted of being an unrepentant aristocrat and is stripped of his wealth by the new Bolshevik regime. From one of the hotel's most prestigious guests, to a member of the wait staff, Count Rostov manages his fall from grace with poise and dignity.

This book provided beautiful imager 'A Gentleman in Moscow' tells the story of Count Alexander Rostov, who is sentenced to live out the rest of his life on "house arrest" in the Metropol hotel, following his "conviction" by a Bolshevik tribunal. He was convicted of being an unrepentant aristocrat and is stripped of his wealth by the new Bolshevik regime. From one of the hotel's most prestigious guests, to a member of the wait staff, Count Rostov manages his fall from grace with poise and dignity.

This book provided beautiful imagery and a thought-provoking dialogue on the rise of communism in Russia over a period of about 30 or so years, beginning in 1922. I was amazed at the insights of Count Rostov related to world events, especially considering that he was confined to a large hotel for the majority of his adult life. He was an intriguing and remarkable personality.

Beyond all else, Count Rostov remained a gentleman. At times, his focus on manners and his devotion to various formalities seemed ridiculous. After all, he was essentially imprisoned in a gilded cage. What did he have to lose?

However, I came to appreciate the formal mannerisms of Count Rostov. He truly was a gentleman. By staying true to himself, he refused to let the regime win. He wasn't bitter. He didn't waste energy on blatant defiance of the Bolsheviks. He kept his head high and maintained his composure. It was truly impressive.

Over the course of the decades spent in the Metropol, a colorful cast of characters comes into the Count's life. Despite the fact that he cannot leave the hotel, he always has something interesting going on. Most notable were a handful of the hotel's employees, a famous actress and two young girls.

The first girl, a nine year-old named Nina Kulikova, becomes a constant in Alexander's life when she has a prolonged stay at the hotel. Alexander takes her under his wing, becoming a mentor of sorts. Together, the two make a game of spying on the hotel's various occupants and become virtually inseparable. Alexander counsels her on the characteristics of a princess. Nina breathes life into his day to day existence.

Years later, Nina returns to ask a favor of her old friend. She needs the Count to watch over her daughter while she goes in search of her husband, who has been taken by the regime. Alexander agrees.

As time passes and there is no word from Nina, Alexander raises her daughter as his own. Young Sofia is the source of his life's joy and purpose. Along with the other members of the hotel staff that comprise his inner circle, Sofia is brought up to be a proper young lady.

Spanning decades, 'A Gentleman in Moscow' provides romance and political intrigue. It certainly is no small undertaking. Accordingly, the story does seem to drag at times. There was just so much time covered and so many changes occurring, while the Count's life remained rather stagnant at times. Truly, that was his punishment - to be excluded from life outside the hotel while having a bird's nest views to watch it from the windows and balconies.

While I was taken aback by the beauty of this story at times, I also found myself bored for much of this book. Sure, there were many things that I found to be quite interesting about the Count's life and the ongoing commentary on Russia's Bolshevik-era politics. However, I found my mind wandering frequently.

That being said, I do think that this book is worth a read. It was interesting, if not always entertaining or gripping. I certainly feel more "enlightened" for having read this book. It was a nice change for me. Now, I think I'll jump right back into my preferred romance genre with a feel-good story that is about as deep as a kiddie pool. LOL. ...more

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Dec 05, 2016 Adina rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: russian, netgalley, historical-fiction

Later Edit: I thought about deleting my confession because I received a few complains saying I got too personal. Most of my reviews are a bit but maybe a went too far with this one. However, I thought better and the review stays because i want it to be a warning that this social platform, which should be a place to share our opinion of books with each other in a friendly manner sometimes becomes a stress factor. There is a pressure to like some books because everybody does and you don't want to Later Edit: I thought about deleting my confession because I received a few complains saying I got too personal. Most of my reviews are a bit but maybe a went too far with this one. However, I thought better and the review stays because i want it to be a warning that this social platform, which should be a place to share our opinion of books with each other in a friendly manner sometimes becomes a stress factor. There is a pressure to like some books because everybody does and you don't want to be the odd one out or you might feel reluctant to share your true feelings because some fanatics will attack you. Guys, we are here for the same thing, the love of books in general. We might not always agree but we should be kind to each other and respect other's opinions.

***

Ladies and gentleman! I have a confession to make! I pride myself that I am always honest in my reviews and for this reason I want to start the year with a confession about my original review of AGIM. I was dishonest. I increased my rating and I gave it a favorable review that was not in accordance to my real feelings. I do not know why, probably because so many of my friends were in love with it and I felt that I should have had the same opinion. During last year I've thought about this book a lot and a negative review I read today (by Jonathan) made me decide to come clean.

My true opinion about this book is that it is neither charming or fun. I could not stand the main character as I found him pretentious and superficial. The plot lacked realism and I do not feel it reflects the Russia of that time.

I also have to admit that O only read 60% of it.

***

Original review: I can define this book with one word, namely charming. As the word’s definition states, the book was very pleasant and attractive, thanks to its protagonist, count Alexander Rostov.

When the Bolsheviks came to power Count Rostov is sentenced to home arrest in Hotel Metropol, one of the most famous and elegant establishments of this kind in Moscow. Moved from his quarters to a small attic room, the Count needs to adjust to life in confinement and he does that with wit, dignity, poise and elegance. He treats the hotel personnel with kindness and interest and makes unforgettable friends from the employees of the hotel and guests. The most memorable is a little girl, Nina who becomes the count’s guide into the secrets of the hotel.

The book reads as a beautiful fairy tale. Its lack of realism and the count’s capacity to be above all Russia’s problems and also his own made me reduce one star. I enjoyed this novel although I read it very slowly. Some parts were marvelously enchanting others less so. All in all a beautiful book, quite fitting for this season. ...more

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Jan 20, 2020 Rick Riordan rated it it was amazing

I’m not sure why I picked up this book. It just sort of found its way into my hands. A historical novel set in Moscow from 1918 through the 1950s, it follows Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, a cultured and well-educated Russian nobleman who rushes back to his country in the early days of the Revolution, only to narrowly escape the firing squad and get sentenced to life imprisonment within his hotel, the Metropol. He is given this small mercy only because he once wrote a poem that some Bolsheviks c ...more

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Sep 12, 2016 Kevin Ansbro rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: hedonism, gentle-humour, favourites, wry-humour, human-kindness, hist-fic, heartwarming, uplifting

"A gentleman can live through anything."
—Oscar Wilde

Reawakening my childhood memories of The Count of Monte Cristo, Amor Towles delivers a sprawling, chucklesome novel of aristocratic derring-do.
The Bolsheviks have seized power in Mother Russia and Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov is placed under house arrest at Moscow's Hotel Metropol. A nobleman of impeccable manners, Rostov is billeted in an austere attic room with barely enough space to swing a Cossack, but nevertheless never allows his hig "A gentleman can live through anything."
—Oscar Wilde

Reawakening my childhood memories of The Count of Monte Cristo, Amor Towles delivers a sprawling, chucklesome novel of aristocratic derring-do.
The Bolsheviks have seized power in Mother Russia and Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov is placed under house arrest at Moscow's Hotel Metropol. A nobleman of impeccable manners, Rostov is billeted in an austere attic room with barely enough space to swing a Cossack, but nevertheless never allows his highborn standards to slip.
His Excellency is charm personified: he is altogether a bon vivant, a gourmet, a polymath and a gentleman of unrestrained integrity. Men love him, women adore him; even cats and dogs purr and pant in his glittering presence. In short, this is a chap who might make even Cary Grant seem inelegant.
Despite being born into privilege, and therefore used to being fawned over by all and sundry, our aristocrat never condescends his attendants and sees great nobility in the honest toil of the proletariat.
The novel is beautifully written and each inconsequential detail exquisitely observed (devotees of efficient, decisive prose need to stay well clear, lest they bring a temper tantrum upon themselves). Apart from the ghost of Tolstoy guiding his hand, I detect an evocation of Oscar Wilde's writing in Towles' flamboyant figurative imagery, and the story cleverly avoids the trapdoor of tedium, despite its opulent-yet-claustrophobic setting (think of The Grand Budapest Hotel and you'll summon a kindred vibe).
The Count is a fanciful, charismatic, genial companion; his waggish interplay with precocious kids, spiteful waiters and willowy movie starlets had me up on my toes and dancing the Kalinka with mille-feuille in hand!

Almost every man, woman and babushka on Goodreads have already favoured this book, so I wanted to see for myself what all the fuss was about. Was this another example of mass hysteria I wondered?

And I'm so pleased that I did take it on.
"Da!" I say. "Da!" (I said it twice).
This is a novel of such whimsical delight that it left me smiling from ear to ear for much of the read. And I defy anyone, or anything (man, woman, cat or dog), not to fall in love with Count Alexander Ilych Rostov! ...more

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Mar 21, 2016 Diane S ☔ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

5+ The Hotel Metropol in Moscow, within sight of the Kremlin, will see much in the coming years. It will also become the home and prison of the former person known as the Count Alexander Rostov. Sentenced by a Bolshevk Tribunal,he is confined for life in this Hotel. Summarily taken from the suite he had inhabited for four years, he is brought to the attic and given one of the storage rooms as his new home.

One of the most wonderful and memorable characters one is fortunate to make the acquaintanc ...more

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Jul 13, 2016 Chrissie rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: audible, contemp-novel, mystery, russia, 2016-read, hf, returned

When everybody raves about a book, and then I don't care for it much, well I feel kind of depressed.

I will explain my reaction. Much depends on what you are looking for. First and foremost this is a novel, a fairy tale, a fantastical story. A mystery, suspense and the question is: will all turn out well? Will good win over evil? I prefer books that are gritty, depressing even sad, as long as they are realistic.

There are lots of historical tidbits and curios to pique the reader's interest. Litera When everybody raves about a book, and then I don't care for it much, well I feel kind of depressed.

I will explain my reaction. Much depends on what you are looking for. First and foremost this is a novel, a fairy tale, a fantastical story. A mystery, suspense and the question is: will all turn out well? Will good win over evil? I prefer books that are gritty, depressing even sad, as long as they are realistic.

There are lots of historical tidbits and curios to pique the reader's interest. Literature, architecture, music, philosophy, cinema, English Asprey bags, Swiss Breguet timepieces and the famed Hotel Metropol in Mosco, its restaurants and bars, its staff and renown guests. You get a wide assortment of unrelated facts. Breadth rather than depth. Some facts were interesting, others less so.

The reader is confined to the hotel along with the central protagonist, Count Alexander Rostov. In 1922 a Bolshevik tribunal has judged him to be an unrepentant aristocrat. The story follows this one man, born in 1890, sentenced to live his entire life in the Hotel Metropol. He isn't shot immediately, only because he is said to have written poetry critical of the aristocrats, but one step out from the hotel, and he will be executed.

What is happening in Russia and abroad during Rostov’s years of confinement, 1922 -1954, is glimpsed through what the staff and visitors to the Metropol tell Count Rostov and us. We and he are confined to the hotel and what we learn we are told. One character is sent to a gulag but the reader does not go there. We don’t experience it. What is happening outside is told through others’ stories.

A central question of the novel is what Count Rostov makes of his life, a life confined to one hotel! He is relegated to a teeny room up in the attic. The book is often philosophical in tone. Much is said through innuendos, but too often the reasoning becomes convoluted. Little is said simply; that is not the style of the book. The Count is erudite and his language is learned, scholarly, lettered. There is quite a bit of humor, not always but often veiled. While much is said cleverly, sometimes it just becomes wordy. I appreciated the clever writing in the beginning, but by the end was simply worn out.

The narration of the audiobook is by Nicholas Guy Smith. Who has said that aristocrats speak in a clipped manner? This is the second time I have run across this misconception! I could understand what was being said, but I personally object to the stop and start, jerky tempo.

Convoluted language, often just plain wordy, long and drawn out. Too much of the story is told rather than experienced. Tons of assorted curios, which hopefully will interest you more than me. I would classify this as a fairy tale for adults.

Keep in mind, everyone else but me seems to love this story.

Rules of Civility I loved and gave a whopping five stars!
...more

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Dec 04, 2016 Maureen ( NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Just across the square from the Kremlin, is the Metropol Hotel, where Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov has a suite of rooms, but in 1922 he is sentenced to house arrest in that very hotel, and banished to a small attic room. His crime? He was found guilty of being the author of seditious poetry. Other than that, I'm not giving anything away.

I've found it difficult to review this one - how do you convey how it really made you feel deep down when it's left such a wonderful impression. On setting asid Just across the square from the Kremlin, is the Metropol Hotel, where Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov has a suite of rooms, but in 1922 he is sentenced to house arrest in that very hotel, and banished to a small attic room. His crime? He was found guilty of being the author of seditious poetry. Other than that, I'm not giving anything away.

I've found it difficult to review this one - how do you convey how it really made you feel deep down when it's left such a wonderful impression. On setting aside this book, it feels like I'm leaving a friend behind, but let's start with the writing, it was just exquisite. I actually felt as if I was in that attic room sharing his morning ritual of bitter coffee, biscuits and a piece of fruit. For a man of entitlement, used to the many luxuries in life, he derives extreme pleasure from the most simple things.

He takes his incarceration with good grace, and spends his time reading and reflecting on life, a life lived to the full, and one with which he regales us with great wit. He dines daily in one of two restaurants, the Boyarsky or the Piazza, and the meals eaten and the wine chosen to accompany these meals are described so accurately, it's almost impossible not to salivate at the thought of them.

The characters in the story are delightful, and Alexander befriends many of them, including those who at the time would have been seen as being beneath him, given his title and position. He is a kind, courteous and gentle man, and it's inevitable that you're going to love him as I did. He left me with that feeling you get savouring a delicious hot chocolate on a cold winter's night - warm, comforted, happy!

The storyline could have become monotonous, set as it was in this one hotel, but it wasn't - it was a joy to see how Alexander adapted to his situation, but if I have one criticism it was that I found some of the narrative overly long. Other than that, this was a gem of a story.

* Thank you to Netgalley & Random House UK/ Cornerstone for my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review* ...more

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Mar 16, 2020 Peter (on hiatus) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: literary-fiction, top-10, atw-2020-challenge, favorites, around-the-world

Distinction
Every now and again, along comes an outstanding novel that hits every aspect of what a great book should be. A Gentleman in Moscow is epic in its ambition, enthralling in its storytelling, entertaining in its humour and eloquent in its prose. The story is set amongst the socially chaotic birth of communist Russia, yet celebrates the dominion of the individual. Amor Towles opens the novel on 21 June 1922, with the Count being tried in front of the Emergency Committee of the People’s Co Distinction
Every now and again, along comes an outstanding novel that hits every aspect of what a great book should be. A Gentleman in Moscow is epic in its ambition, enthralling in its storytelling, entertaining in its humour and eloquent in its prose. The story is set amongst the socially chaotic birth of communist Russia, yet celebrates the dominion of the individual. Amor Towles opens the novel on 21 June 1922, with the Count being tried in front of the Emergency Committee of the People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs for being part of the leisure class, corrupt and a threat to the new communist ideology.

“Prosecutor Vyshinsky: State your name.
Rostov: Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, recipient of the Order of Saint Andrew, member of the Jockey Club, Master of the Hunt.
Vyshinsky: You may have your titles; they are of no use to anyone else. But for the record, are you not Alexander Rostov, born in St. Petersberg, 24 October 1889?
Rostov: I am he.
Vyshinsky: Before we begin, I must say, I do not think that I have ever seen a jacket festooned with so many buttons.
Rostov: Thank you.
Vyshinsky: It was not meant as a compliment.
Rostov: In that case, I demand satisfaction on the field of honour.
[Laughter]
Secretary Ignatov: Silence in the gallery.”

The Count is found guilty but is saved from execution because he wrote a poem supporting the pre-revolutionary movement. Sentenced to indefinite house arrest at the Metropol Hotel in Moscow, he will stay there until 1954. This opening scene illustrates many of the treats waiting for us in the novel - the Count at odds with the ruling party, his adherence to a gentleman’s behaviour, his courage, and the humour with which he dispatches commentary.

Immediately on his house arrest, Rostov is moved from his luxurious suite in the Metropol to the attic, and a small room that requires him to make sacrifices. Sacrifices in terms of possessions, liberty, social standing and relationships. In those moments we see the true character of a man. The Count is generally adored and respected as he accepts all these challenges with resolve, integrity, humour and the dignity becoming of a gentleman.

The talented Amor Towles weaved many aspects into the novel to add incredible depth, with references to Greek and Roman legends including Helen of Troy, and more modern associations with ‘The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe’ and ‘Winnie the Pooh’. The revolving front door of the hotel is an interface between the outside tumultuous changes and harsh living conditions of Stalinist Russia, and the internal opulence of the hotel, as it resolutely maintains its luxury status.

Rostov makes very close friends with some colleagues, but notably, Nina, who as a nine-year-old girl shows the Count how to reverse the closing walls of the hotel and see numerous adventures in hidden corridors and rooms. Another little girl, Sofia, is introduced into the story who steals the Count’s heart and the connection they have is special beyond description. There are also threats and spies, only too willing to denounce other colleagues, so care is paramount. The character developed for Count Alexander Rostov is surely one never to be forgotten and his adventures, over thirty-two years within the Metropol Hotel, flowed with a constant fascination that remained enthralling from beginning to end – and what an end.

I was delighted to read this amazing work from Amor Towles, delighted to discover my great friend Ceecee hadn’t read it either and ecstatic that she wanted to read this with me. For a book that I have rounded down to 5-stars, I can only say, you HAVE to read this. Highly recommended!! ...more

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Mar 12, 2018 BlackOxford rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: american, slavic

How To Be Charming

An old saw, from some unknown source buried in my sub-conscious, has it that ‘Charm is that personal characteristic which generates the response ‘Yes’ before a request is even made.’ Towles’s Count Rostov is the epitome of a man with this kind of charm. Rostov even charms the KGB into letting him live, in reduced but habitable circumstances, within the confines of the best hotel in Moscow. From there he continues for decades to charm the staff, the guests, and the wider world o How To Be Charming

An old saw, from some unknown source buried in my sub-conscious, has it that ‘Charm is that personal characteristic which generates the response ‘Yes’ before a request is even made.’ Towles’s Count Rostov is the epitome of a man with this kind of charm. Rostov even charms the KGB into letting him live, in reduced but habitable circumstances, within the confines of the best hotel in Moscow. From there he continues for decades to charm the staff, the guests, and the wider world of smugglers, petty criminals, and exploiters of loopholes in Soviet society. Charm, however much it is a bourgeois virtue, certainly has survival value even in the most ardent of socialisms.

Towles’s literary achievement is the sustained capturing of charm throughout his novel. Rostov’s character is genuinely sensitive, polite, urbanely witty, composed and empathetic. A man of taste and refined judgment, he is able, with the assistance of his raft of friendly natives, to ‘make do’ on his urban island as well as any Robinson Crusoe - to eat well, dress well, and to maintain a modicum of civilised decorum. Charm, it must be said, is an eminently practical virtue which includes a certain degree of instinctive cleverness. Think of a Samurai who has an intimate knowledge of both Montaigne’s essays and the secrets of French haute cuisine.

Charm does not arise from an attempt to be charming. It is clear that Rostov’s Being is enervated by a sort of Leibnizian optimism that the world he inhabits is the best of all possible worlds. He is not a Pollyanna but a realist who, either by training or breeding, appreciates the manifold beauty of things around him and the opportunity provided by changing circumstances. He is, in short, content with himself. This is his strength and the source of his confident attentiveness. Charm, it seems, is also a spiritual quality that allows one to maintain a vision of those things which are essential versus those which are not.

Charm abhors snobbery in any of its forms - based on rank or position, on ideological convention, on education, background, or prospects. Charm admires and is excited by the authentic, that which is satisfying for being precisely what it is - soup, children, birds, bureaucrats, expensive restaurants, as well as less expensive restaurants. The rest is beneath consideration. Charm is an aesthetic that filters the world as well as shaping its possessor. What is seen, heard, and felt is not raw but pre-processed, as it were, to conform with the needs of charm itself. It is a type of positive psychological feedback loop: charm begets charming experience which promotes charm, in a manner described by the virtue ethics of Thomas Aquinas.

Charm is in some sense grounded in proper behaviour. Thus it has a certain reverence for tradition, ritual, and the conventional formalities of life. But when confronted with breaches in expected behaviour, charm does not censure, it considers the reasons and possible benefits of not just an exception to the rule but of the rejecting the rule entirely in order to promote a superior social harmony. Such adaptation is not a symptom of a lack of principle but a recognition, as it were, that the Sabbath was made for man. That is, charm has a profound egalitarian element that seeks to grease all the wheels of social intercourse. Charm has sociological import.

Quite apart from anything else therefore, A Gentleman In Moscow, is an instruction manual on a particular manner in which life can be lived, even if life presents serious adversity, even if there are no allies to provide comfort in that adversity. It is consequently edifying as well as entertaining - in short, charming. ...more

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Jul 12, 2016 Karen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Read others reviews of this book for I cannot do it justice, but I will say I just loved it, loved the Count and his interactions with everyone, especially Nina, and later Sophia. So many times this gentleman had me laugh out loud. I would have loved to have met him!

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Nov 19, 2016 Candi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, favorites, goodreads-2016-award-nominees

"… the Count hadn’t the temperament for revenge; he hadn’t the imagination for epics; and he certainly hadn’t the fanciful ego to dream of empires restored. No. His model for mastering his circumstances would be a different sort of captive altogether: an Anglican washed ashore. Like Robinson Crusoe stranded on the Isle of Despair, the Count would maintain his resolve by committing to the business of practicalities. Having dispensed with dreams of quick discovery, the world’s Crusoes seek shelter "… the Count hadn’t the temperament for revenge; he hadn’t the imagination for epics; and he certainly hadn’t the fanciful ego to dream of empires restored. No. His model for mastering his circumstances would be a different sort of captive altogether: an Anglican washed ashore. Like Robinson Crusoe stranded on the Isle of Despair, the Count would maintain his resolve by committing to the business of practicalities. Having dispensed with dreams of quick discovery, the world’s Crusoes seek shelter and a source of fresh water; they teach themselves to make fire from flint; they study their island’s topography, its climate, its flora and fauna, all the while keeping their eyes trained for sails on the horizon and footprints in the sand."

Moscow, 1922: Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov has been sentenced to a life of isolation within the walls of the illustrious Metropol Hotel. His crime being simply that he is an aristocrat and a poet and therefore a threat to the ideals of the party. Removed from his luxurious suite and banished to the cramped quarters of an attic room, the Count resolves to make the best of his situation – which he undoubtedly accomplishes with the dignity of a gentleman and tasteful good humor.

You may ask how a story about a man imprisoned within such lodgings, no matter how grand the edifice, could hold your interest. Well, the answer is superb writing, wonderful characters, interesting history, dazzling storytelling, and a delightful dash of wit! I could carry on with more gushing adjectives, but I’m sure you get the picture! Needless to say, I adored the Count and this book. From the “Triumvirate” of close personal friends that share in the Count’s reverent appreciation of fine food and drink, to the adventurous Nina who teaches the Count the innermost secrets of the hotel, to the steadfast and reserved friend Mishka, to the lovely and celebrated actress, Anna, and to the unlikely party friend, Osip, we become bosom buddies ourselves with this diverse cast of characters. I did not want to leave these friends when I turned the last page!

The Count’s admiration of great literature and music and exquisite food are ones I suspect most readers will find quite delightful. One could almost imagine sitting in the Boyarsky, "the finest restaurant in Moscow, if not in all of Russia", across from the Count and indulging in the most enticing dishes, so vivid are the descriptions of the food. How about just a little taste of that Latvian stew – "The onions thoroughly caramelized, the pork slowly braised, and the apricots briefly stewed, the three ingredients came together in a sweet and smoky medley that simultaneously suggested the comfort of a snowed-in tavern and the jangle of a Gypsy tambourine." Or a generous pouring of a vintage bottle of wine – "In a sip, it would evoke the timing of that winter’s thaw, the extent of that summer’s rain, the prevailing winds, and the frequency of clouds. Yes, a bottle of wine was the ultimate distillation of time and place, a poetic expression of individuality itself." A cherished copy of Anna Karenina has been a constant companion of our distinguished Count, and I am sure many will appreciate the value of that sacred tome as well.

This book is not just a hedonistic treasure; there exists a compelling plot that Amor Towles executes brilliantly. You have to read it to see for yourself. Steeped in the atmosphere of the time and place, A Gentleman in Moscow is a book not to be missed. With the end of the year approaching and the time for resolutions to be put in place, I have resolved, like the Count, to try to live my life to the fullest, no matter what small literal and figurative boundaries in which I feel myself confined.
...more

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Jul 10, 2019 Erik rated it it was amazing

Probably the best book I've read over the last decade. Magical, in fact. ...more

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Dec 27, 2015 Angela M rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: edelweiss-reviews

I wanted to read this because of the wonderful story that Towles gave us in Rules of Civility, that wonderful sense of time and place - New York in the 1930's. This is a different story, but what is the same is the brilliant story telling, the amazing sense of time and place. This time we see Moscow starting in 1922 snd spanning 30 years, through the eyes of Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov and we get a window view of what is happening in Moscow, in Russia, in the world. It is literally a window vi
I wanted to read this because of the wonderful story that Towles gave us in Rules of Civility, that wonderful sense of time and place - New York in the 1930's. This is a different story, but what is the same is the brilliant story telling, the amazing sense of time and place. This time we see Moscow starting in 1922 snd spanning 30 years, through the eyes of Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov and we get a window view of what is happening in Moscow, in Russia, in the world. It is literally a window view because the Count has been placed under house arrest and is destined to spend his years in a luxury hotel, the Metropol. It is not, however, the luxury suite that he has been living in for the last several years, but a small attic room that he has been relegated to .

Having lived the life of an aristocrat, how will he survive this exile ? It is with the gift of adventure from a little girl who favors wearing yellow and who shows him places in the hotel he has never been. It is with the gift of wonder over a simple beehive and memories that the old handyman gives him with a small taste of honey turning out to be a gift of life. It is with the gift of intimacy, love from a beautiful actress. It is with occasional visits from his best friend Mishka who gives him the gift of their shared past and love of literature, and with friendships from a cast of characters including an unlikely one with Osip Glebnikov, Red Army colonel and official of the Party. It is also with his strength of character that as a reader I hope to find in every hero in every novel I read.

I can't say that I was taken with every page . There were a few times when I thought it was a little lengthy but then, then the love, the friendships and a little girl named Sofia fill the story with so much heart and humanity, I can hardly give this book any less than five stars.

I'm grateful to Viking/Penguin and Edelweiss for approving an ARC of this book ( after two refusals I requested it again and third time was a charm! ) Thank you . ...more

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Feb 04, 2017 Phrynne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

What a beautiful book. This one will almost certainly be in my top five reads for 2017. It was perfect.

Count Alexander Rostov is one of those characters who lives on long after you have finished the book. Imagine being confined to one hotel for thirty years of your life, never able to even step outside its doors. Yet Rostov not only does not give up, he actually makes a wonderful life for himself and enjoys every day. I loved him for his kindness, his optimism, his practicality, and eventually f ...more

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Jul 15, 2021 Cecily rated it it was amazing

Shelves: aaabsolute-favourites, class-etiquette, politics, friendship-and-found-family, family-parenting, historical-fict-20th-cent, russia, landscape-location-protagonist

I’ve enjoyed other books where the captivating and seemingly effortless storytelling is actually carefully and comprehensively crafted.
I’ve loved other charming and clever heroes who seem almost too good to be true.
I’ve read other books that are hugely enjoyable and also have great literary merit.
But I rarely encounter one volume that combines them all.
This is such a book.

The telling

The story is long in time and small in place: a road movie without a road. In 1922, Count Rostov is put on tria ...more

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Dec 11, 2016 Larry H rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This really was a special book, one which at times felt almost magical.

Count Alexander Rostov was always a man who enjoyed the finer things in life. He was always nattily dressed, participating in intelligent conversation, enjoying fine food and drink, and the company of erudite and beautiful people. Rostov lived in grand fashion in Moscow's Hotel Metropol, a hotel just across the street from the Kremlin, and he thrived on being a part of the buzz that passed through its doors and around its bus This really was a special book, one which at times felt almost magical.

Count Alexander Rostov was always a man who enjoyed the finer things in life. He was always nattily dressed, participating in intelligent conversation, enjoying fine food and drink, and the company of erudite and beautiful people. Rostov lived in grand fashion in Moscow's Hotel Metropol, a hotel just across the street from the Kremlin, and he thrived on being a part of the buzz that passed through its doors and around its bustling neighborhood.

In 1922, he was sentenced to a lifetime of house arrest at the Metropol, although the Bolshevik tribunal that issued the sentence wasn't simply content with allowing him to continue living in grandeur—they reduced his living quarters to one small room in the hotel belfry. But while no longer being able to step outside the hotel doors, and having to cram most of one's cherished possessions and family heirlooms into one tiny room might bring a lesser man to his knees, Rostov is (mostly) unbowed. He doesn't allow himself to miss a step of his usual routine, and it isn't long before he realizes how a life lived within one building can be just as full of excitement as one lived all over the world.

"...if a man does not master his circumstances then he is bound to be mastered by them."

While Russia and the world are experiencing events which cause major upheaval, Rostov doesn't miss out on it all. He can take the country's temperature, of sorts, by studying the behavior of the hotel guests, its managers, and its employees. While many may have written him off as a frivolous dandy, it's not long before many realize the Count's worth is far greater despite his diminished circumstances. He quickly is woven into the fabric of all of the hotel's goings-on, sometimes openly, sometimes secretly, and forms relationships that have ripples in the outside world, even as he realizes that the world he once knew and loved has changed.

"For the times do, in fact, change. They change relentlessly. Inevitably. Inventively. And as they change, they set into bright relief not only outmoded honorifics and hunting horns, but silver summoners and mother-of-pearl opera glasses and all manner of carefully crafted things that have outlived their usefulness."

Spanning several decades, A Gentleman in Moscow is rich with emotion, social commentary, humor, even Russian history. As he did in Rules Of Civility , which also was a fantastic book (see my review), Amor Towles both reveres and satirizes the world in which this book takes place, but the love he has for his characters is a beacon above it all.

While at times the book got a little too detailed with the workings of Russian government, poetry, and Bolshevik history, it always quickly got itself back on track and brought me back into the book's heart. These characters were so special, so fascinating, and Towles' storytelling was so vivid, I almost could see the scenes playing out in front of my eyes as I read them. And honestly, Count Rostov is a character worthy of being put up on a pedestal like other unforgettable ones.

I was a little late to the party on reading this, but I'm so glad I did, and I'm glad it lived up to the praise so many others have bestowed upon it. If you like novels with social commentary, satire, history, and a huge dollop of heart, pick up A Gentleman in Moscow . You'll marvel at it, and even want more.

See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo.... ...more

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Feb 20, 2017 Debra rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A Masterpiece!

This book was so good. Words such as wonderful and beautiful come to mind. The writing was simply wonderful. The story was beautiful. This book almost dripped with elegance. This book is not to be rushed. Do not read this book fast. Like a good glass of wine, this book should be savored and enjoyed slowly.

Count Alexander Rostov is deemed to be a unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal in 1922. He is sentenced to house arrest at the Metropol Hotel, a hotel across the street f A Masterpiece!

This book was so good. Words such as wonderful and beautiful come to mind. The writing was simply wonderful. The story was beautiful. This book almost dripped with elegance. This book is not to be rushed. Do not read this book fast. Like a good glass of wine, this book should be savored and enjoyed slowly.

Count Alexander Rostov is deemed to be a unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal in 1922. He is sentenced to house arrest at the Metropol Hotel, a hotel across the street from the Kremlin. The count, who has never worked a day in his life, had been living in luxury at the hotel when he was sentenced to house arrest. Now, he must live in attic quarters and leave most of his belonging behind. The items he does take with him have significant meaning to him. He never seems to pout or complain about this change in circumstances. He continues to maintain his schedule and even entertains quests in his attic room.

This book spans decades and shows how one man can build a life for himself no matter where he lives. The Count was able to build close and meaningful relationships with the staff and others living at the Hotel. He grows to think of himself as lucky. Stripped of his title, he is still a gentleman in every sense of the word. He holds his head high and lives a meaningful life. The saying you can't buy class comes to mind. Even though the Count was stripped of most things, he still had class, dignity and grace.

He builds a relationship with Nina, a 9 year old with a sense of adventures who takes the count on adventures throughout the Hotel. This opens his eyes and he learns that there is much more to this Hotel and the people who work there. From then on, he continued to have adventures inside the hotel.

The story has a lot of Russian history sprinkled throughout. It is vital for understanding the politics at that time and what was occurring outside of the walls of the hotel.

This book really took me by surprise. I really didn't see this book coming. Of course I heard the bzz about this book, but I wasn't sure with the description that I would enjoy it as much as I did. This book simply tipped toed up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder and begged to be read.

See more of my reviews at www.openbookpost.com ...more

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Mar 08, 2021 Dr. Appu Sasidharan rated it it was amazing

This is one of the most challenging reviews I have ever written. There was a tug of war between my rational mind and emotional mind when I read this book.

My rational mind was too logical and was not ready to accept Count Alexander Rostov’s tryst with actresses and his culinary escapades like a connoisseur when the world was burning outside due to the world war. But my emotional mind was simply blown away by the philosophical brilliance. I finished this book a month ago. I thought about it a ...more

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Jan 06, 2017 Cathrine ☯️ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: group-book-of-the-month, favorites, group-challenge

5 🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾 s
If you are overly committed with reading challenges and attempting to plow through many books in a certain amount of time this is one to save and savor after you calm down. You will want to apply your A-game reading skills to the pages or much delight could be missed.
Amor Towles is an aristocrat of an author to my working class cognitive skills and this certainly made me want to be a better reader (not to mention reviewer). Allow me the use of wine as a helpmate.

“A complete wine is bala 5 🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾 s
If you are overly committed with reading challenges and attempting to plow through many books in a certain amount of time this is one to save and savor after you calm down. You will want to apply your A-game reading skills to the pages or much delight could be missed.
Amor Towles is an aristocrat of an author to my working class cognitive skills and this certainly made me want to be a better reader (not to mention reviewer). Allow me the use of wine as a helpmate.

“A complete wine is balanced, harmonious, complex and evolved, with a lingering, satisfying finish. Such wines deserve extra attention, because they have more to offer, in terms of both pleasure and training, than any others you will taste.”
Paul Gregutt writing for Wine Enthusiast magazine.

I love fine wine but while the person with the privileged nose next to me in the tasting room is gushing over the gooseberry, coffee, pepper, and violet flavors coming through, all I can usually say is it’s very delicious while calculating how many bottles I can afford. Rich wine is concentrated, intense, and vibrates in your mouth which is an excellent way to describe what great literature does to your brain. Artisan wines develop over a long period of time gaining flavor, you cannot rush them. The same could be said of this verbose and well seasoned tale. It’s a full symphony piece and each instrument has its part to play. It has all the bells and whistles—some might say too many (I myself became a tad impatient). But I would ask which notes in the music score should be cut or how much less time should that Cabernet have spent in the barrel? Exactly right.

My tasting notes would include sophisticated, clever, laugh-out-loud funny, philosophical, historical, expressive and tender, with a big and bold juicy red heart at its core.
In wine tasting it’s all about the finish and this did not disappoint. I will definitely be watching Casablanca soon for the umpteenth time but with a new appreciation for its genius. What will I be drinking you might ask? Certainly more of the Veuve Clicquot champagne I appreciated while reading this (I swear it did not cause me to see stars). Then perhaps as time goes by I’ll finish with a jammy red chosen from the usual suspects. ...more

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Dec 30, 2019 carol. rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: my-library-kindle, lit-fiction, friend-recommended, lovely-lovely-language

2020 Update: I've never empathized more with the idea of living life within the confines of a single building.

Ultimately, I am reminded of an elaborate, beautiful confection, perhaps this Spanische Windtorte:

description

From The Great British Bakeoff, Season 2

Elaborately constructed, lovely, sweet, best enjoyed at a particular moment, not preserved at a later date.

Similarly, A Gentleman in Moscow is filled with lovely writing about a Russian noble, pre-Revolution, who is sentenced to ‘house’-arrest in a fa ...more

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Oct 19, 2017 Luffy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star, pretty-good, review-worth-reading, superb-characterization, classic

I didn't know how to review this book. I think the style of the writing, with its miniature microcosm approach was 90% the reason why I gave A Gentleman in Moscow 5 stars.

If you want a glimpse proper into the ramifications of the Great War then I urge you to read the non-fiction books, some of which are excellent.

The bolshevik revolution is just a backdrop in this story. The ease, education, class, and silence of the main character were a delight to read. I think it's not fine literature. I wo ...more

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May 29, 2019 Tina Haigler rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

"At half past six on the twenty-first of June 1922, when Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov was escorted through the gates of the Kremlin onto Red Square, it was glorious and cool."

If I could give this more stars, I would. I loved every second of this book. There are only two books in my adult life that have moved me beyond what I thought possible, from beginning to end: A Man Called Ove and A Gentleman in Moscow. I can not possibly express the level of emotions I felt while reading this. The words j ...more

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May 19, 2017 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, east-europe-russia

$1.99 Kindle sale, Feb. 7, 2021! I loved this lovely and slightly whimsical historic fiction novel, set in Moscow in the early to mid 1900s.

In 1913 a Russian aristocrat, Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, publishes a poem called "Where Is It Now?," a call for political change. Nine years later, that poem will save his life.

In 1922, the Bolshevik revolution has caused an upheaval and many aristocrats are being executed. The Count is spared, but is sentenced to permanent house arrest in the Hotel Metr $1.99 Kindle sale, Feb. 7, 2021! I loved this lovely and slightly whimsical historic fiction novel, set in Moscow in the early to mid 1900s.

In 1913 a Russian aristocrat, Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, publishes a poem called "Where Is It Now?," a call for political change. Nine years later, that poem will save his life.

In 1922, the Bolshevik revolution has caused an upheaval and many aristocrats are being executed. The Count is spared, but is sentenced to permanent house arrest in the Hotel Metropol, a grand hotel in Moscow where he had been staying.

description

The historic Hotel Metropol in Moscow

He is allowed to keep whatever furniture and personal belongings he can squeeze into a servant's room up on the 6th floor. (Delightfully, he soon figures out that the other rooms there are used only for storage, so he kicks out the back of his closet into the next room and turns it into a secret study area.) He deepens his friendships and relationships with the staff ... excluding a sycophant waiter that he calls "the Bishop." His disdain for the Bishop will play a role in this tale. The Count also befriends a bright young girl who is soon caught up in the revolutionary fervor for collectivization, her demure and talented daughter, a famous willowy Russian actress, a Communist official, and an American diplomat.

It's a rather isolated life, and sometimes despair is at the door, but he perseveres through the years. A Gentleman in Moscow explores friendship, love, enmity and life in general, with compassion, insight and a frequently droll sense of humor.

"What is it exactly that you do as an officer of the Party?”

“Let’s just say that I am charged with keeping track of certain men of interest.”

“Ah. Well, I imagine that becomes rather easy to achieve when you place them under house arrest.”

“Actually,” corrected Glebnikov, “it is easier to achieve when you place them in the ground. . . .”

The Count conceded the point.

The stately Metropol hotel becomes a microcosm of life. We see the effect of collectivization in Russia, as well as WWII, but somewhat at a remove; the Count's life in the hotel is sheltered, though danger is often peering around the corner and affects several people that he cares for.

Amor Towles has some fascinating comments about this book on his website. My favorite bits:

"Essentially, A Gentleman in Moscow takes the shape of a diamond on its side. From the moment the Count passes through the hotel’s revolving doors, the narrative begins opening steadily outward. Over the next two hundred pages detailed descriptions accumulate of people, rooms, objects, memories, and minor events, many of which seem almost incidental. But then, as the book shifts into its second half, the narrative begins to narrow and all of the disparate elements from the first half converge. Bit characters, passing remarks, incidental objects come swirling together and play essential roles in bringing the narrative to its sharply pointed conclusion."

"... the book has a somewhat unusual structure. From the day of the Count’s house arrest, the chapters advance by a doubling principal: one day after arrest, two days after, five days, ten days, three weeks, six weeks, three months, six months, one year, two years, four years, eight years, and sixteen years after arrest. At this midpoint, a halving principal is initiated with the narrative leaping to eight years (view spoiler), four years until, two years, one year, six months, three months, six weeks, three weeks, ten days, five days, two days, one day (view spoiler).

"While odd, this accordion structure seems to suit the story well, as we get a very granular description of the early days of confinement; then we leap across time through eras defined by career, parenthood, and changes in the political landscape; and finally, we get a reversion to urgent granularity as we approach the denouement."

The story does rather meander through most of the years, until it sharpens at the end. Although I'm a big fan of whimsical humor, occasionally it felt a bit forced. But overall I loved this and recommend it highly! ...more

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English Casual Bo...: * JULY 2022: "A Gentleman in Moscow" by Amor Towles	2	13	Jun 17, 2022 05:09AM
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About Amor Towles

Amor Towles

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Born and raised in the Boston area, Amor Towles graduated from Yale College and received an MA in English from Stanford University. Having worked as an investment professional in Manhattan for over twenty years, he now devotes himself fulltime to writing. His first novel, Rules of Civility, published in 2011, was a New York Times bestseller in both hardcover and paperback and was ranked by the Wal ...more

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“After all, what can a first impression tell us about someone we’ve just met for a minute in the lobby of a hotel? For that matter, what can a first impression tell us about anyone? Why, no more than a chord can tell us about Beethoven, or a brushstroke about Botticelli. By their very nature, human beings are so capricious, so complex, so delightfully contradictory, that they deserve not only our consideration, but our reconsideration—and our unwavering determination to withhold our opinion until we have engaged with them in every possible setting at every possible hour.” — 657 likes

“if a man does not master his circumstances then he is bound to be mastered by them.” — 591 likes

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Preview — A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

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