A Gentleman In Moscow By Amor Towles
The mega-bestseller with more than 2 million readers, soon to be a major television series From the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Lincoln Highway and Rules of Civility, a beautifully transporting novel about a man who is ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel's doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery. Brimming with humor, a glittering cast of characters and one beautifully rendered scene after another, this singular novel casts a spell as it relates the count's endeavor to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a man of purpose.
- Author - Amor Towles
- Publisher - Penguin Publishing Group
- Publication date - 03-26-2019
- Page count - 512
- Hardcover
- Adult
- Fiction
- Dimensions - 5.4 H x 8.3 W x 1.1 D
- ISBN-13 - 9780143110439
Web ID: 9093122
Glorious !!!!!
Quite simply, the best fiction I’ve ever read in my entire lifetime!!!!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great Character Study
I was initially put off by the historic timeframe and location of the novel. But as I got deeper in the book I found the main character to be extremely compelling. I found the book to an examination of good and evil regardless of a person’s station in life. The protagonist Count Rostov was a fascinating and well crafted individual. The plot did not disappoint and the ending was quite satisfying. Highly recommend this book for all that enjoy great character studies.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
3.5*
At 462 pages this book is not for the faint hearted and certainly for the first hundred or so pages, I struggled to get into this meandering story, finding the writing style flowery and elaborate. Having persevered I finally found myself connecting with the characters only to find the ending rather ambiguous.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
An engaging and uisite socio-political commentary
This book took some time. I finished two small books in quick succession predominantly because of the difficulty of holding up 462 pages of the hard-bound book while lying down, which happens to be my favourite position to read! I have yet to read the author's Rules of Civility, so this was my introduction to the author..and what an introduction! Exquisite language, subtle humour, and characters that live on long after you put down the book. In 1922, the thirty-year-old count Alexander Rostov was sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol Hotel across the Kremlin. Rostov must now give up his regular suite and live in an attic room through some of the most tumultuous decades that Russia witnesses. When fate suddenly puts the life of a young girl in his hands, he must draw on all his ingenuity and inner reserves to protect the future she so deserves. The book takes us into their lives, and we get to eat, drink, meet people, and live their lives within the four walls of the Metropol hotel. The language from Rostov's, " I have been known to fence with a quill" to his very profound "No matter how the time passes, those we have loved never slip away from us entirely" either evoke a chuckle or a deep sigh. When you encounter the beguiling Anna Urbanava in the company of the beguiled, you can't help laughing aloud. And when we are privy to a debate on the differences between what was probable, plausible, or possible, you do take time to ponder. Most people who step through the hotel are those raised in grand homes in cosmopolitan cities, educated in liberal arts, graced with idle hours, and exposed to the finest things. This observation makes the count, and an American he befriends, born ten years and four thousand miles apart, find a lot of common ground than they have with most of their own countrymen. That leads to another observation on why the grand hotels in the world's capitals all look alike- be it the Plaza in New York, the Ritz in Paris, the Claridge's in London, Metropol in Moscow built within fifteen years of each other but they too were kindred spirits, the first hotels with central heating, international cuisine, and international newspaper. Besides the obvious observations, there were a lot of learnings we gather from the life of the Count. When he says, I have had a lot of conveniences, but in the end, it has been the inconvenience that mattered the most, it holds true for most of us. He also observes that he had to give up late-night drinking after he turned 60 because he found that they ( the drinks), 'like unsettled children, were likely to wake you up at three or four in the morning!' As I end this review, I am left with something I read at the beginning of the book that was supposed to have been passed down by the Count's father, "If one did not master one's circumstances, one was bound to be mastered by them." My rating 5/5 If I have to summarise in one sentence, this exquisite socio-political commentary draws you in and keeps you drawn.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A rare book to treasure
What an unusual premise for a book! I found this book to be one of those rare and original books that readers will savor, placing on the keeper shelf to share with fellow readers. I read this book based on the recommendation of my father. He was frustrated that I did not inhale it as quickly as other books, however I found this book profound and one that need to be read slowly to savor the depth of thought and ideas of the Count. His observations of the changing world from his rare viewpoint was one of a man of intellect, full of wit. With richly drawn characters, the author drives home the value of friendship and the families we are born into and the ones we choose. While tragedy is prevalent, there is also a strong message of hope.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A must read!
For me this book was like a hug, I recommend it to everyone who doesn’t know what they want to read next. For sure on my top 5 favorite of all time.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Wasted Time
We read this in our Book Club. A well read group that stretches each other outside their comfort zones of material. Not one of us enjoyed the book. While the character descriptions were well done, the technical aspects of this book are not anyone's best. You really must be up on the the Russian time period to follow along. The book is choppy, and confusing throughout. While the intent of the storyline would have been interesting, the way it was presented was all over the board and often just absent - never to be revisited. Too much time and too many pages were wasted on trivial things that matter not in the storyline or plot and had nothing to do with anything in the book nor are necessary in getting the reader to the ending.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Did Not Want This Book To End!
Sometimes you find yourself slowing down at the end of a book because you don't want it to be over. A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW is one of those books. Highly recommend!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com