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I have about 60 more pages to finish, hopefully today. So, far I love this book!!
I have a way to go yet but I am loving it.
Mod
It took me a while to get into the story, but I did end up enjoying the book. I didn't really care for the way characters would just sort of drop out of existence but I suppose it really was apt in context. I did love how Count Rostov was so equanimical about everything - I wish I had that ability. But then he shows a bit of silliness here and there, which makes him even more rich a character.
I loved this book! I am a fan of Russian history and have mainly read about Nicholas and Alexandra, so it was very interesting to read more about what took place for decades after their fall. This was especially enjoyable because we learned about these events from the indomitable Count Alexander Rostov. I love that he was both a bit of a cad and a total gentleman. His manner of addressing others, putting them at ease and sticking to the rules of society even in his circumstances was a pleasure to read. I loved all of the attention to food and wine pairings. I found myself looking up dishes and wines here and which was fun. This book ended up being so much better than I expected when I first picked it up.
Mod
Agreed on all counts. The food and wine pairings were favorites of mine too. Count Rostov is my role model. Whatever the female version of a cad is, I want to be that and also display impeccable behavior and unquestionable decency.
Gigi wrote: "I loved this book! I am a fan of Russian history and have mainly read about Nicholas and Alexandra, so it was very interesting to read more about what took place for decades after their fall. This ..."Haha, yes! Would it be a vamp? He only showed a bit of caddishness in his youth, so it was a fun look back.
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Vamp! I'll take it!
I also really liked how he followed the rules of society in his circumstances. I read this book in the days following the election last November, and found that part giving me the hope I needed.
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I had the same reaction Kate, though I read it right after the inauguration in those first 2 weeks of hell. That beautiful refusal to lower his standards inspired me.
I enjoy books that show a character's persistence in "interesting times" and the attic confinement reminded me of one of my favorite childhood books, so I found a lot to like in this one. I really liked the writing style, as well.I wasn't as sympathetic to Rostov himself. I thought it took him an awfully long time to find something productive to do. It was very convenient how pretty much everyone liked him, he had an infinite money supply, and he regained access to the things he'd lost within a few years. I don't want to diminish his situation, but his privilege grated on me, especially given the context.
Sara wrote: "It was very convenient how pretty much everyone liked him, he had an infinite money supply, and he regained access to the things he'd lost within a few years. I don't want to diminish his situation, but his privilege grated on me, especially given the context. ..."I know what you mean. Although I did love the way he sized people up: took against Anna because she didn't know how to treat her dogs, took against The Bishop because he was an incompetent waiter. Both judgements *utterly* steeped in privilege but at the same time endearing.
I would have liked some sort of resolution for Nina. Having her just disappear was quite authentic, but unsatisfying to me.
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I just finished the part where :SPOILER:
he doesn't kill himself.
I just got it from the library so will join soon!
I really enjoyed the book as well — I think what I most liked was the rather jaunty narration, which echoed the Count's own approach to people. I kept expecting something ***** SPOILER ******* .... terrible to happen to our titular lead, given the state of the Stalin state and the purges that happened from the 30s onward. I kept putting it down, in fact, because I was anticipating his ultimate torture, demise, etc., and couldn't deal with it, however anticipatory and speculative on my part. However, perhaps given how nutty the last few months have been, I was rather relieved to find a relatively happy ending.
Agree that Nina's ultimately unexplained disappearance was nagging, but I did appreciate it's "authenticity," as Alicia put it so well. It was a relevant peek to how life must've have been at the time and kept reminding me of how Stalin would have photographs constantly altered to delete those purged along the way. *shudder* I also really loved the touching moments scattered throughout the book: the honey tinged with clove from bees that traveled to the Count's old estate; the Count's very real parental reaction to Sophie's being hurt and his subsequent disorientation, ending up outside the hotel without his even realizing it; his shock and discomfort at the "revealing" concert dress. Overall really enjoyed.
Bonnie wrote: "I don't know, i feel like the lives of the privileged are as interesting as those who are not."I agree in general. In this case, the way it allowed him to be a fairly passive character for a large part of the book made him a less interesting character to me.
Sara wrote: I agree in general. In this case, the way it allowed him to be a fairly passive character for a large part of the book made him a less interesting character to me..."Yes! I liked the book alot, but didn't love it for this reason. Has anyone read Rules of Civility? I liked that much more.
Mod
Posted review:
This book was a slooooow start for me. At the end of book 2, I took a break. I considered not picking it back up. It reminded me too much of why I stopped reading Victorian literature - not much happens, and there is social commentary galore. Not that there's anything wrong with that, mind you, and my English degree was primarily made up of Victorian literature, but I was not really in the mood for that kind of book.
A week later, I picked this back up, and I am glad I did. Suddenly, I found myself rooting for Rostov, Audrius, Andrey, Emile, Vasily, Marina, the whole staff of the hotel... except for, of course, the Bishop. Anna ended up being more than a one dimensional plot device. Ditto, Nina, and of course, Sophia. I was surprised to find just how much I liked this book, by the end. Glad I am such a "finisher!"
This was a slow start for me, too, as much as I enjoyed the writing I did not have sufficient interest in the characters to propel me through the first half. It was initially more amuse bouche and not enough entree.I look back and realize Nina
SPOILER....
....opened up his closed world with the pass key tours and with her daughter. And maybe the stasis of the hotel gives more importance to when it is time to aggressively take action.
I do want to reread Rules of Civility, that book did resonate more deeply with me.
Mod
This book grew on me as it went along. I loved the little details revealed slowly along the way. And, I did love the ending!
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Amy wrote: "This book grew on me as it went along. I loved the little details revealed slowly along the way. And, I did love the ending!"I loved the gradual diminution of his exercise routine!
Kris wrote: "Soooo, my review... I ended up giving this 4 stars, despite really not jiving with it too much, at first.Posted review:
This book was a slooooow start for me. At the end of book 2, I took a break..."
I'm with you- why is it moving so slow? It's interesting but moves slow. But you all are inspiring me to keep going!
It is interesting he was sentenced to live at the hotel. The finances of it all annoyed me.
Also, his age. He keeps talking about how he is past things, but by my calculation, he is at most early 30s when imprisoned.
I guess I need to finish!
This was my favorite book of this past year. And I've given or recommended it to so many people - my aunt and uncle in Paris (his parents fled Russia in 1917), my mom, etc. They in turn have recommended it to their friends.I majored in Soviet Studies in college so it resonates with me. I love the way he works within the system, but still manages to rebel. There's a book of short stories by a writer named Zoschenko that was published under Soviet Rule. It was so subtly sarcastic that the government didn't realize it was subversive. One example was a very short story about losing a galosh on the subway, going through months of red tape, but eventually getting it back. This book reminds me of that. It also reminds me of one of my father's favorite books - Oblomov by Goncharov. Oblomov is a very charming, but lazy Russian.
There's something very distinctive about Russian men. My uncle had a friend, who was actually a Russian prince. He died 2 or 3 years ago, but his charm was similar to Count Rostov's.
Anyway, I digress. This book was just so lovely. It takes a while to get in to. The first chapter is slow going, but by the time it ends, you're so disappointed.
Mod
I love your comments. You know so much more about Russia (and its men) than I do, but I loved the same things about Rostov. It has been one of my favorite reads this year too. and I have read some really great books. Without being sappy or predictable this book made me feel good. That is hard to do.
I recommended the book to a friend who is Russian, and she loved it. Both the story and the way it was told - she said it was very Russian. I loved the book from the first page. I was prepared for it to take awhile for me to get into it, since I'd heard that from other readers, but it hooked me right away. I really enjoyed his story and all the people who came and went through his life at the hotel.
Mod
I love this comment. I too was hooked from close to the start (I understand the story needed a setup) and was transported from the moment his "house arrest" began.
Kris wrote: "OH, and I have to add - my favorite part of the book was Rostov describing the people at the bar singing about a lack of bananas today!!"That made me laugh. I traveled in Eastern Europe in 92 and everywhere were huge piles of bananas for sale. I got back to the UK and there was a threat of a trade war with eastern Europe and it was averted with the threat of the import of bananas being stopped. Apparently they did not have bananas under the Soviets and went nuts for them.
Finished it! This is a book that is a whole experience. It slogged at times but when I was done could look back at it and really appreciate it, But question about what people think at the end (view spoiler)
Mod
But question about what people think at the end [sp..."
I am going to guess that whatever answer people give to this it reveals a lot about who they are as a person. My answer: It doesn't matter. I did not give it a second's thought. Even if the worst happened he stood up for everything he believed in and that what mattered to the Count. Interested in seeing the thoughts of others.
I definitely don't think he was captured. I think he and Anna just made out under the apple trees for the rest of their lives.
Bonnie wrote: " My answer: It doesn't matter. I did not give it a second's thought. Even if the worst happened he stood up for everything he believed in and that what mattered to the Count. Interested in seeing the thoughts of others. ..."I like that thought! I was thinking how sad for Sofia to be on her own in a strange world.
Bonnie wrote: " My answer: It doesn't matter. I did not give it a second's thought. Even if the worst happened he stood up for everything he believed in and that what mattered to the Count. Interested in seeing the thoughts of others. ..."I like that thought! I was thinking how sad for Sofia to be on her own in a strange world.
Mod
That is a little sad, but her world will expand and I just know somehow that all will be well. Happiness with just a dash of melancholy.
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For myself, I see Sofia becoming a successful, world-renowned pianist, playing shows as a last minute, surprise artist, making her all the more popular for her secrecy. Questions would, of course, arise, but because she is not DNA related to the Count, any attempts to link her, late in life, to Rostov or Anna would be futile - so her parentage would remain a mystery.
Rostov and Anna would meet up with Sofia twice a year in Morocco, until Rostov's death. After his death, Anna and Sofia would find a small country home in South Africa, where Sofia would live with her between travels abroad to play. Neither woman would ever marry.
Mod
What a wonderful idea! And I love your story. I will be in Morocco in July and I will keep an eye out for Sofia or her progeny. (Whom I assume is also a musician, begotten during a 2 week tryst in Paris with Glenn Gould or Van Cliburn or maybe Johnny Cash or BB King.)
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I was figured that the message either got stuck in spam or (perish the thought) we had offended him by toying with his characters.
I'll paste the epilogues below, and then I'll post his email response that I got last Saturday.
Mod
Dear Mr. Towles,
Several months ago, I read A Gentleman in Moscow and was so taken by it that I suggested that my book club, Novel Ideas, read it and discuss when it was my turn to host in June. The ladies in my group have been together, more or less, for about 15 years, and while I am the youngest by a decade, I have never felt more at home with such intelligent, literate women.
To that end, when I assigned the book for June, I made a request that everyone write their own epilogue to the story. In 15 years, we've never had a writing assignment, but I had a feeling that I would be pleasantly surprised by the results. I even offered a prize to the winner.
My Novel Ideas ladies did not disappoint!! I have cut and pasted their stories here, below. (I though better of attaching files, because you probably have quite the filter on your email, and I didn't want you to lose them!)
My own ending was rather brief, since I wasn't in the running for the prize:
I saw Sofia becoming a successful, world-renowned pianist, playing shows as a last minute, surprise artist, making her all the more popular for her secrecy. Questions would, of course, arise, but because she is not genetically related to the Count, any attempts to link her, late in life, to Rostov or Anna would be futile - so her parentage would remain a mystery.
Rostov and Anna would meet up with Sofia twice a year in Morocco, until Rostov's death. After his death, Anna and Sofia would find a small country home in South Africa, where Sofia would live with her between travels abroad to play. Neither woman would ever marry, but they would raise Sofia's son, a violin prodigy, who, inexplicably reminds Sofia of her "father," Rostov, with his charming quietude and presence.
(As a side note, I had never seen Casablanca when I wrote that ending. Before book club met, I watched the movie. Loved it.)
**************************************
Lynnie Hunter, whom you emailed with about the distance to Nizhny Novgorod, was unable to make the meeting and her emailed endings were short, though pleasant:
ENDING ONE (probably the one that Towles intended!)
The Count and Anna build a lovely cabin in the countryside of
Nizhny Novgorod.
They live in peace and love, with their Borzois, Mishka and Nina, enjoying their rural surroundings until the end of their lives... "the bees circled overhead, the dragonflies skimmed the grass, and the apple trees blossomed for as far as the eye could see.",
OR
ENDING TWO (Lynnie's)
Alex and Anna completely disguise themselves. Together, with their names changed to Rick and Ilsa, they find passage to Morocco where they establish a popular cafe, "Sofia"s", serving bouillibaisse, bread, mint tea, spiced coffee and honeyed .cinnamon oranges. "Rick" sponsors poetry readings on Sunday nights and "Ilsa" runs a children's theatre, featuring performances from time to time at the cafe. The children snack on almond milk and Russian tea cakes. The couple welcomes jazz pianists to perform at Sofia's on Saturday nights.
The cheerful, energetic couple lives well into their 80's. In remembering them after their deaths, friends wonder why Rick always had a jar of buttons on his desk and why he always smiled at Ilsa saying: "here's looking at you kid!"
**************************************
Tina's below explored Rostov's emotions:
A Possible Epilogue To A Gentleman in Moscow (Not That it Needs One)
By Tina Barton
Count Alexander Rostov was taken aback when his old friend Mishka first told him that he was the luckiest man in all of Russia. This accusation might well seem strange to one who had spent decades in House Arrest, not feeling the outside air surrounding all 360 degrees of his person; not walking through a forest, or a garden, or even down a city street or country lane. But it had been many decades since he recognized the truth in full. Whether it was his indomitable spirit which refused to crumble, or the unconditional love of Sofia, Anna, Marina, the Triumvirate and so many others, and despite the heartbreaking loss of Mishka, and Nina, and even his entire family, he always found some way, not only to thrive, but to enjoy life, and find a way to make the world a better place in his own quiet way.
The Count’s deepest grief was the realization of the horrors that took Mishka, and probably Nina, and millions of his fellow countryman, while his fate allowed him to be protected in a kind of bubble in the relative luxury of his captivity. As he wandered about the countryside and was finally struck by the enormity of the atrocities caused by the Red Terror, Collectivism, and the Gulag, it took all his philosophical and gentle nature to accept the guilt without losing his soul. In 1958, he raised his glass to Nina’s memory for the second time, using the date that he last saw her (and hence the same day he first met Sofia) as the anniversary of her death. In 1963, he did not fail to raise his glass to Mishka.
Anna Urbanova, being one of those privileged Soviet artists who had some degree of freedom in international travel, occasionally flew to Paris, London, or New York, whenever a certain black-haired pianist with dark blue eyes happened to be mesmerizing the world class symphony audiences of those cities. Was there any wonder that the willowy stage actress should be accompanied by her tall manservant, who supervised the handling of her trunks and hat boxes, and guided her by the elbow into the green rooms of the most prestigious theatres to greet the fellow artist? And wasn’t it adorable how two other young fans of the pianist, denominated Nina and Alex, clung to the manservant, calling him Papa Sasha, while he promised to carry them to Russia in his coat pockets? The visits were not frequent, but they were sufficient, over the years that extended into decades, to assure father and daughter that all was well.
How Papa Sasha was able to travel without persecution to and from Russia for many succeeding years, had something to do, perhaps, with a long and beautiful friendship with a certain official named Osip. A desk with secret compartments in the legs, topped with a remarkable twice-tolling clock mysteriously appeared in an inn in the Nizhny Novgorad Province, where the famous actress Anna Urbanova was known to be taking in the country air. Inside the desk, among other small artifacts, were papers bearing the Count’s likeness but the name “Alexander Kulikova”
**************************************
Mary Jo's caused GREAT OUTRAGE, as you might imagine!!
Having instructed the lieutenant to “Round up the usual suspects”, The Chief Administrator with the barest hint of a smile, reflected on Count Rostov’s obviously well-planned exit from the Metropol. He lifted his phone’s receiver and contacted his friend Yankov in the Prolitariat’s Library of Cases. Yes, there was a file on a certain Alexander Ilyich Rostov listed under proceeding before the Emergency Committee for the People’s Commisariat for Internal Affairs. Yankov would be pleased to provide of copy of the proceedings and immediately dispatched a courier to the Chief Administrator’s office. Upon review, it became apparent that Count Rostov’s return from Paris was not so much that he “missed the climate” as he had stated to the Committee, but that he held a deep affection for Russia as evidenced by the poem, “Where Is It Now”. Love of Russia would bring thoughts of upbringing, childhood and desires to protect all things aristocratic. While friendships were significant and of consequence, they could also be ponderous and imposing. Perceived slights to the current regime could engender false charges and imperil family members. Protection of those who the regime deemed reactionary or dangerous could bring swift passage to the wastelands.
The Chief Administrator reflected on the Count and his standing with those in powerful places. While it saddened the Administrator’s heart, his was a precarious situation. The Count was a wanted man. Orders were given and KGB agents were dispatched to the Province. There, they learned the location of Idlehour and spoke with a girl of seven and a boy of 10 who described an older gentleman with a rucksack searching for the mansion. The agents scattered in a circular pattern in the area of what remained of the old manse. They slowly closed in and shots were fired. As Count Rostov saw the two tilting chimneys that remained of his beloved home, he heard a rustling in the overgrowth behind him. In a spectral moment, the Count was again at the inn at the edge of town where at a corner table for two awaited Anna – his beloved, his blessing, his entrance into eternity.
********
Forgot I would run out of space. Part 2 below.
Mod
Kathleen's was simply jaw droppingly full of detail:
A Gentleman in Moscow (conclusion)
Russia and beyond
He joined the woman and their toasted each other with a small glass of vodka. Finishing their bowl of borscht, he stood and helped her into her coat. Speaking quietly to the innkeeper, he arranged for a room and gave his name as Ilya Duras.
The Count arose at his usual time. He did five squats, five stretches and took five deep breaths. Gently touching Anna on the shoulder, he mentioned he would meet her in the tavern for breakfast. While eating his biscuit and daily fruit, he slowly studied the pages from the Baedeker from Italy.
Approximately 17 hours later, they arrived in Poltava, Russia where Anne directed him to the small house where she had grown up. They then made their way to the Hotel Palazzo. While at the bar, they listened as Pudgy Webster talked vending machines, nesting dolls and other trade items to anyone who would listen all the while tossing down shots of Vodka. Pudgy finally got up and staggered towards the door of the bar where he tripped and fell at Anna’s feet. Rising he grasped her hand and kissed it, causing the Count to yank him to his feet and help him to the exit.
Leaving the bar, a short-time later, the Count made his way to room 317 while Anna returned to their room. Pudgy opened the door and quickly handed the Count a small suitcase. A few moments later, the Count joined Anna. Opening the case , it was filled with soviet currency, maps and Russian travel documents in the names of Ilya and Anna Duras. Included were two toothbrushes, a set of nesting dolls and instructions how to conceal the documents. Studying the train schedule and ferry information for the Odessa area, the Count mentioned they would have to make a few purchases the next morning. Pocketing the currency, they burned the items not needed. In the morning, they breakfasted , read the papers and pushed the car keys under the door of Room 317 before commencing their shopping.
Arriving at the Poltava-Southern train station, they boarded the 2710 train looking like a tired middle-aged gentleman and his wife along with their basket of provisions and a small suitcase. Sleeping, playing cards and just sitting together, they watched the scenery pass, as the train made its way towards Odessa. Once there, they sought out the tavern where Anna had learned to clean fish. It was still there tucked away a few blocks from the train station. After giving their name as Ilya and Anna Duras and asking about Bread and Salt, the manager escorted them to a table near the rear of the tavern where dinner and a bottle of wine, Chateanuf du Pape awaited. Centered on the table was a set of Ukranian nesting dolls.
Italy
Nervously, Sophia Rostov waited in the wings of the theater in Bolzano, Italy. She was the next competitor in the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition. She had not wanted to enter but Richard Vanderwhile had insisted telling her that it was the right way to celebrate. Fingering her sapphire necklace and gazing down on her blue gown, she straightened her shoulders and glided onto the stage muttering “this is for Papa” as she was announced to wild applause. Barely, 10 minutes later she stood and bowed as cheers and applause rocked the hall.
After the announcement of her victory, Richard hugged her and walked with her to the Hotel Città, with its elegant Café-Restaurant-Bar, on Piazza Walther von Vogelweide, Bolzano’s main square. Sofia looked at Richard and said that it reminded her of the Metropol. “It was built about the same time, that is why, I booked it”, he replied as he handed her the key to Suite 317. “Go up and change and I will meet you in the bar”.
She mounted the grand staircase and thought about where the hidden service staircases of her youth and the dumb waiter were located. Opening the door of Room 317, a low tick tock was heard from the grandfather clock that graced the entry way. On the balcony she saw two figures, a man and a woman. Startled, the next words stopped her in her tracks before she fell into his arms “I heard every chord”.
Moscow
Andrey picked up the phone as it rang at the reception desk. A voice simply said “Goose a la Sofia for three” and then “Thank you” . Replacing the receiver, Andrey smiled as he slowly walked to inform his friends of the latest arrivals.
**************************************
Colleen's faithfully adhered to the theme and the style:
The Count, having been not “resigned but reconciled” to his newfound circumstances, had relied on his better self. A man who paid the utmost attention to detail, he also exhibited the utmost discretion and loyalty in his everyday endeavors. Thus, in those 40 years under house arrest at the Metropol he had henceforth cultivated acquaintances, dare I say, friendships, based on those very same characteristics. Thus, as Sasha, Anna, and Sophia alit onto the tarmac in New York, he recalled the words of his dear friend, Mishka, many years before, that he had been, indeed, “the luckiest man in all of Russia.”
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As you might guess, I saved the ones I thought were best for last... Judy read hers first, and we were all left speechless! She caveated her endings by saying that she is "not a writer." We begged to differ!
“Sasha, we’ve been waiting a long time for you to arrive. You must be famished. Please come in and join me for tea,” said Alexander Ilyich Rostov’s cousin, the former Princess Irina Rostova, as she welcomed him and Anna Urbanova into her sunny apartment in the 3rd arrondissement in Paris. “You can imagine my utter surprise when I received notification from the Russian consulate that you would be coming to France. You must tell me where you have been all these years.” And so, after finishing their repast, former Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov and his now wife, Anna began their tale:
Of course, I don't need to relate the whole saga to you, I only want to follow some threads. Please recall that in 1914 when Alexander returned from Paris to get his grandmother out of Russia at the start of the Bolshevik Revolution, he was able to relocate her to Paris where she lived very comfortably but very sadly for another 15 years never having given up a single hope that her beloved grandson would one day walk through her door. Alas, that was not to be and she was buried in the Sainte- Genevieve-Des Bois Russian Cemetery among her extended family members, friends, and fellow White Russian emigres.
Following another thread, Anna and Alexander stayed in Nizhny Novgorod only until the beginning of the apple harvest having quickly had their fill of the quiet country life and of apples. Still under the protective watch of Osip Glebnikov, they moved to Leningrad (St. Petersburg,) where they found a tiny apartment near the old Rostov mansion. For the next nearly two years, Alexander taught languages at the National School and Anna coached drama at the National Dance academy until late on the night of June 22, there came a loud knock at their door. Osip barged in and explained that due to his fluency in the French language and familiarity with Western customs, he was promoted to attache to the Russian consulate in Paris and needed to depart as soon as possible. Still grateful to Alexander for their shared history and having come to care for him a great deal (because didn't almost everyone?) he would be unable to continue his “blind eye” protective services. Fearing their eventual arrests, he gave them exactly one hour to gather some belongings and close up their apartment after which they were driven to the port where they were boarded onto a decidedly unglamorous cargo boat for what would be Alexander’s last Baltic Sea voyage. Osip further arranged for their safe transport overland to Paris and into the arms of his remaining cousins who were ecstatic to learn that he was still alive.
After staying up into the night relating much, but certainly not all of their saga, the two slept deeply arising late the next morning. After sharing croissants and coffees with Irina, she excused herself and in a few minutes, and returned holding a dark blue velvet pouch which she handed over to Alexander, saying this is from your grandmother, Sasha. Trembling with emotion, he managed to open the pouch to find a smaller pouch containing a numbered brass key belonging to one of the oldest banking houses in France, three pages of introductions and instructions, as well as several personal letters handwritten on Rostov stationary.
Suffice it to say that what former Count Rostov found in the vault box at the banking house was enough money and jewelry to allow him and Anna to enjoy the rest of their lives in his beloved Paris. Although they never travelled to New York to visit Sophia, they did share joyous reunions with her at least once a year, eventually meeting her two children, Alexander and Nina, who came along when she performed as guest pianist with European symphony orchestras. When Alexander died at age 84 and Anna followed him two years later, they were both buried near his grandmother in the old Russian cemetery.
ENDING #2
The first thing Boris The Bishop Leplevsky did after being freed from his 3 day imprisonment in basement of the Metropol Hotel was to alert the Soviet authorities. The second thing he did was to order the immediate removal of everything Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov ever touched, wore, sat on or even breathed upon. All of Rostov’s household effects were carted off that very afternoon to one of the huge warehouses where the no longer wanted or appreciated vestiges of Russian elite grandeur were piled, gathering dust and nearly forgotten until the USSR needed money.
In 1964, conscripted into reluctant service as curators, a small committee of resentful and rather unpatriotic former antiques dealers met with agents of the venerable Christie’s Auction Houses of London in these warehouses where included in larger lots, this committee also happily allowed some of the finest and most precious of the collection to be shipped away from the Baltic shores forever.
With the antique, highly ornate European furnishings market flooded with stock and being currently out of fashion, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY was able to purchase for a relative song, several big lots of inventory from Christie’s Russian offerings. They did however, finally win a bidding war for Alexander’s father’s highly unique twice-tolling Breguet clock. Appreciating the rarity of the time piece and the infrequency of such an opportunity to add such a find to the museum collection, they were very pleased with their acquisition . Soon after, they began a large scale reworking of their European furnishings displays where they recreated three beautiful rooms decorated in the fashion of the former Russian aristocracy. it was into one of these three rooms, that Alexander’s godfather’s Louis the XVI desk and the Breguet clock were placed very close together.
On June 21 every year if she was back home in New York, Sophie visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Russian rooms. She would linger behind the velvet ropes being careful not to trip the laser light sensors, and reminisce about her Papa, and her life at the Metropol. Sometimes she also brought her two children along and shared her life story especially related to the desk and the clock. But this year, in 1974, she came alone. As she stood behind the ropes, she became aware of a woman standing next to her admiring the same room. Sophia heard the woman whisper to herself in Russian, “ I wonder if they know the legs to that desk are hollow?”
When Sophie whipped around she found herself staring into the face of an older woman with beautiful light blue eyes and tears streaming down her cheeks.
**************************************
Mod
She resurrected Nina!!!! We were gob-smacked!
I hope you have enjoyed our attempts at closing out the stories of characters we came to love. I'll admit that I almost gave up at the end of book 2, but I am a finisher... and boy was I glad I persisted. (Nevertheless!)
I hope you are having an excellent summer.
Thank you for writing such a beautiful book.
Sincerely,
Kris Jackson
Mod
Dear Kristabelle,
I'm so sorry it has taken me this long to reply.
I LOVED getting your Epilogues. I keep a small file of notes from readers and this one is certainly going in! I often say that the future of my characters is in the hands of the readers. It warms my heart and tickles my fancy to have their future in hands such as yours.
With great gratitude,
Amor
*****************************
As you might imagine I was BEYOND DELIGHTED! So cool to hear back from the author that he LOVED our endings!!
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This is awesome! I adored this book and the author's response!
(My review written just after finishing the book)
Smart, magical, thoughtful, exceptionally relevant. funny, loving, heart-breaking, redemptive. I have more adjectives but need to get to work. This story is both intimate and universal, and says so much about the power and beauty of decency, adaptability, education ... really it speaks to the power of good character. That seems like such an old fashioned thing to say, but it is the cornerstone of everything that matters. We all know people who have everything (not just stuff, but healthy families and engaged friends), for whom the world is open and accessible, and who are deeply dissatisfied. We all also know people who struggle every moment, whose lives take place in a small and troubled ecosystem, but who still find the beauty and value of life in every moment. That second person, that is the one with good character, and that is the type of person we meet in Count Rostov. My lord he is delightful. I don't think this book would have worked at all if he was not such a wonderful character. Certainly Towles chose one of the most interesting periods in history so there is that, but this story rests on the shoulders of the Count (so much rests on the shoulders of the Count!) and he carries the story with grace and panache.
I don't want to talk about the story, because the way it unfolds in a tiny space is a great strength of this book, but I want to mention that when a turning point in literature is defined by someone recommending the wrong wine for a peasant stew, and that moment is captivating and unquestionable, you are in the hands of a great writer.