A Gentleman in Moscow

What a great read. I got this as a Book of the Month selection (i.e., a monthly book subscription service) and can comfortably say it was the best one by far out of the 6 or 7 books I got and read as a subscriber. This is not a book I would have picked on my own and would encourage those who feel hesitant to give it a try. Why? A few bullet points:

1. The writing is interesting, detailed, and engaging. This was what initially struck me when I started reading this book.
2. The characters. I am a big fan of Count Rostov. He is a fascinating character - humble, witty, sharp, intelligent, rational, and complex. You get to see his story unfold as well as that of those around him throughout the hotel. The characters are all so different yet together create a complete work. His relationships with these other characters reveal a lot as well, and as his fondness for others grows, so does the reader's.
3. The subject matter. I know little to nothing about Russian history or culture and believe this book provides a peek into the transformation Russia went through in the early to mid-20th century.

While the length of the book may be intimidating to some, the content and quality of what lies within is worth setting aside any hesitations. I am interested to read anything else by this author simply because of how much I enjoyed this work! It was a nice alternative to the nonfiction books I was reading around the same time.