Rules of Civility in Around the World in 80 Books

Jul 25, 2011 Elizabeth rated it it was amazing

Shelves: new-england, fiction, historicalnovels, east-coast, new-york

This book was truly excellent; one of the best I've read in a while. It's cool, cunning, and has something of a Great Gatsby varnish to the characters. Katie Kontent is a young woman who climbs the social ranks of New York City in the 30s, scouring jazz bars and drinking gin. She ends up falling for a young man named Tinker Grey who oozes money and when he blushes, the patches of red are star-shaped. But it's not a sentimental story; the restrained writing evokes those hard-edges and sexy curves ...more

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Sep 29, 2012 Katie rated it really liked it

Shelves: male-author, _us-new-york-city

This book is the story of Katey, a young woman trying to make her way in the upper class society of New York City in the 1930s. I was impressed by the author's depiction of the setting and enjoyed being swept away into the time period. While none of the characters were exactly likeable to me, I was nonetheless enthralled by them, as they were so well developed and multidimensional. I did get a little confused as to who some of them were, because they seemed to be important figures in the story, ...more

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Aug 03, 2011 Anie rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, 2012, male-author, female-protagonist, used-to-own

A novel set at the end of the Depression, taking us on a tour of a year in one woman's life (and the human geography of New York). I enjoyed this book quite a bit. The characters are fun and thought-provoking; the plot really gets you somewhere; there are some absolutely golden lines; and New York is its glorious constantly re-inventing self. Well worth the acquisition, as this is one of the few books I've not gotten from the library or Project Gutenberg recently. ...more

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Feb 23, 2021 Damian rated it really liked it

Glittering not brittle and charming without ever straying into whimsy. Hard to believe this was his first book! I had the joy of interviewing him for his second novel at my Literary Salon and you can find that on our podcast via all usual platforms. Just looking at his books makes me want a martini!

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Nov 11, 2019 Astrid Lim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, america, new-york, women

4.5 stars!

This is a book that definitely will stay with me for a long time. I love the setting (NYC in the 30s? Give me more!!), the narrator (bookish, complicated but without over dramatic girl), the reference of food culture, music and books. The glamorous life of New Yorkers and how much you would pay to be on the top of the world.

Amor Towles is amazing. It totally has different theme and style than his second book, Gentleman in Moscow, but totally has the same vibes. This longing, bitterswee ...more

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