A Gentleman in Moscow in Around the Year in 52 Books

Nov 22, 2016 Nadine in NY Jones rated it did not like it

Shelves: era-early-1900s, everyone-loved-it-except-me, lotsa-buzz, authors-i-don-t-ever-want-to-read-a, historical-fiction, wouldnt-normally-read, only-reading-because-of-the-buzz, fiction

Recommended for fans of The Book Thief, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, and All the Light We Cannot See. (All very popular books that I did not care for.)

I hated every minute of this book, and I read it as quickly as I could, just to get it over with.

So many words! So exceedingly fussy. So many extraneous asides. The frequent "witticisms" and examples of the Count's charm did not charm me, they just annoyed me. So self-aware. So twee. I fear this is not the book for me.

Much of the book is predic ...more

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Dec 06, 2019 laurie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2019

I absolutely loved this book. A particular passage made me spontaneously cry, and that never happens when I read. (Really never.) Towles combines a complex story and richly drawn characters against a backdrop of a fair amount of Russian history in a way that in less talented hands would fail miserably. I’m so impressed and glad I read it. I think this is my best book of 2019.

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Jun 19, 2017 Rachel rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, best-sellers, favorites

I want to hang out with the Gentleman in Moscow! He's so classy, caring, calm, funny... great taste in food and wine. I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator is terrific. The story is absolutely lovely! I can see how some may find it a bit slow as there is no big drama, but it is a wonderful story of life, and how one can still remain optimistic and a good person even when things are taken away. And in the end, many of the things that were discussed in detail earlier in the novel all co ...more

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Jan 16, 2019 Cat rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction

The ending started to drag a little bit. There is so much in this book though. And it made me want to go back and reread Russian classics. I loved the playful Russian literature thing.

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Sep 30, 2016 KT rated it it was amazing

Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Reading a book by Amor Towles is a lot like watching a pre-code Hollywood film. There's a charm and wit that infuses the story, whatever the situation for the characters. His previous novel, "The Rules of Civility" followed a working class girl as she navigated the upper echelons of NY society with only her wit and poise as her weapon and armor. "A Gentleman in Moscow" follows a man on the opposite trajectory. Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Reading a book by Amor Towles is a lot like watching a pre-code Hollywood film. There's a charm and wit that infuses the story, whatever the situation for the characters. His previous novel, "The Rules of Civility" followed a working class girl as she navigated the upper echelons of NY society with only her wit and poise as her weapon and armor. "A Gentleman in Moscow" follows a man on the opposite trajectory. Count Alexander Rostov goes from nobility to a simple hotel waiter in the aftermath of the Bolshevik revolution in Russia.

Tried and found guilty of being an aristocrat, Rostov is saved by a revolutionary poem he once wrote and instead of being executed or sent to Siberia, he is sentenced to life imprisonment in the hotel where he lives. Over the next several decades, we stay with him as people come and go from his life and people's fortunes rise and fall depending on which way the political wind is blowing.

What begins as a punishment ends up a refuge, as one by one, the people he knows fall prey to the whims of Stalinism. His oldest friend, Mishka, a scholar and revolutionary of the working class eventually observes, "Who would have imagined ... when you were sentenced to life in the Metropol all those years ago, that you had just become the luckiest man in all of Russia?"

What could be a dull book is made lively and colorful by the Count's unflappable charm. He keeps the reader going, and the friends he makes within the hotel, old and young, create a quirky family that stick together and steal small freedoms under an oppressive regime. Towles paces the book perfectly, as the years go by and we stay within the hotel, the stakes rise as the count acquires a daughter and develops a nemesis. And when you least expect it, Towles inserts a mystery and a caper that pull you in as the action suddenly speeds towards the end.

One does have to put aside any expectations of reading a true history of this period of Russian history. While the story takes place during one of the most horrific times to be a Russian citizen, the action takes place within a bubble where the worst of the horrors don't permeate. The story makes reference to what is going on outside the walls of the hotel, but for the most part, the reader is shielded from the brunt of it along with the count. What you are here for is the characters and the author's turn of phrase, rather than the harsh reality of a historical text. ...more

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Sep 20, 2019 Celeste rated it really liked it

This is a slow developing read but worth the time. I love the descriptions and I love the count. It’s amazing how the author is true tot he style of Russian classical literature.

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Dec 25, 2017 Joan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: novels

Wonderfully crafted, multilayered book populated with eccentric and intelligent characters caught up in powerful chain of events.

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Jan 04, 2023 Ann rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2023-aty-52

Edit: I read the physical book and it was more enjoyable than the audiobook. I'm not counting the reread though. I'm just glad I gave it another chance. I'm adding a star for the Casablanca hat tip.
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I didn't think that an aristocrat man who's never had to work, would be relatable; but, he was forced to be stuck at home too.
This took me a while to finish, his complacency on his privilege started to grate on me. ...more

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