A Gentleman in Moscow

This was quite good. It's very slow, though, and without the looming library deadline I don't know how long it would've taken me to read. I did really enjoy it though.

This was one of the most satisfying novels I've read in a long time. Alexander Ilyich Rostov is a character that I would love to meet and befriend. Still, there is so much that speaks to me in this book. In the end, the message that really shines is to love the people you care about no matter the inconvenience, treat people with dignity even when they don't deserve it, and to learn to live life wherever one is or one's station.

Fantastic writing, characters, and story. Thank you Mr Towles for giving life to such wonderful characters in a fascinating, changing world.

“It was suddenly as if the book were not a dining room table at all, but a sort of Sahara. And having emptied his canteen, the Count would soon be crawling across its sentences with the peak of each hard-won page revealing but another page beyond. . . .” This book was a huge let-down. Amazon tells me, its print edition has 378 pages. Those must be metres high and wide because I swear it were 10.000 for me. In fact, reading this book felt exactly like my opening quote. Count Alexander Rostov has the bad luck to be born into a family of aristocrats during revolutionary times. His only redeeming feature from the perspective of his “comrades” is a poem he wrote. Which is why they don't put him against a wall but into life-long house arrest inside his favourite hotel, the Metropol in Moscow. Ok, well, he's moved from his favourite suite to the attic but ultimately, Alexander makes the very best of it or – as the blurb puts it – “can a life without luxury be the richest of all?” The answer, sadly, is no. A resounding “no” because the Count – being a self-declared “gentleman” lives after a code of honour that more reliably imprisons him than any government ever could. He reads what he's supposed to read (Montaigne, but in his most brutish way he uses the book to prop up his table! Oh heaven, what a villainous miscreant!), lives where they tell him and lives out a quaint live which, to be honest, is simply immensely boring. During his first year of house arrest Rostov meets Nina who is (metaphorically) going to become his daughter's mother. Their meeting is amusing and their adventures raised my hopes for a good book but, alas, it was not to be. Nina becomes first a pioneer, next an exile and ultimately a victim of her Soviet dream and we only ever get reminiscences about her. An opportunity lost. Now, the Count gets settled into a life that's the very definition of twee and is actually happy with it. He meets a beautiful (willowy) woman whom he “consorts with” but would never risk his modest but gentlemanly bachelorhood for her. Not even “moving together” in the hotel ever crosses his mind. He twists a young girl whom he calls his daughter into a younger version of himself whom he basically (and gentlemanly!) has to “push from the nest” because she's afraid of the world beyond the doors of her hotel home. Which is mostly the Count's very own fault. Here's an example so you can make your own mid up – it's pretty much the best example of the strenuous way of telling a non-story: “After all, what can a first impression tell us about someone we've just met for a minute in the lobby of a hotel? For that matter, what can a first impression tell us about anyone? Why, no more than a chord can tell us about Beethoven, or a brushstroke about Botticelli. By their very nature, human beings are so capricious, so complex, so delightfully contradictory, that they deserve not only our consideration, but our reconsideration—and our unwavering determination to withhold our opinion until we have engaged with them in every possible setting at every possible hour.” Why, yes, I haven't made that up – he did it! Even worse, the characters don't develop in any way. The Count at 32 (at the beginning of the book) feels pretty much exactly the same (namely like a wise old sage!) in all aspects that matter (yes, he takes one step after another but that's not what I mean) compared to himself at 64 (at the end of the book). His friends are the same as well; they're all noble, self-deprecating and revere “His Excellency”, the Count without ever criticising or questioning him. We don't learn much about “Russia under[going] decades of tumultuous upheaval”; in fact such small matters as World War II are mostly skipped or “charmingly” referred to. All that ever matters is the count, the willow and his daughter. Only during a few key moments in the book do we get to see real emotions and passions. If and when we do, though, it certainly “shakes the dust from the chandeliers.”. Because one thing's for sure: Towles can definitely write. Let's take a look at Rostov remembering something as simple as bread: “The first thing that struck him was actually the black bread. For when was the last time he had even eaten it? If asked outright, he would have been embarrassed to admit. Tasting of dark rye and darker molasses, it was a perfect complement to a cup of coffee. And the honey? What an extraordinary contrast it provided. If the bread was somehow earthen, brown, and brooding, the honey was sunlit, golden, and gay. But there was another dimension to it. . . . An elusive, yet familiar element . . . A grace note hidden beneath, or behind, or within the sensation of sweetness.” An author who can so richly and evocatively write on such a simple subject most certainly deserves my respect but the story is so lacking it's the book's ruin. Whenever passions run high, we really get to see the quality of writing but there is way too much of what I like to call “non-content” - filling material, literary waste products – that gather and celebrate dark masses in honour of their ilk: “For the record, the Count had risen shortly after seven. Having completed fifteen squats and fifteen stretches, having enjoyed his coffee, biscuit, and a piece of fruit (today a tangerine), having bathed, shaved, and dressed, he kissed Sofia on the forehead and departed from their bedroom with the intention of reading the papers in his favorite lobby chair. Descending one flight, he exited the belfry and traversed the hall to the main stair, as was his habit.” For the record, I know the Count to be a slave of his habits and I really couldn't care less (especially in such detail!) about the exact measure of his eccentrics. Said eccentricities lie not only within the Count but inside the author as well and once fancy strikes (he'd probably prefer the less prosaic “providence”) him it's “as if Life itself has summoned them” (the eccentricities!) and force him to randomly capitalise words. Must be the literary adoption of wagging one's finger, I guess. It's truly sad because the book has an interesting premise and the potential for greatness which it can't fully realise despite having something to say: “I have had countless reasons to be proud of you; and certainly one of the greatest was the night of the Conservatory competition. But the moment I felt that pride was not when you and Anna brought home news of your victory. It was earlier in the evening, when I watched you heading out the hotel's doors on your way to the hall. For what matters in life is not whether we receive a round of applause; what matters is whether we have the courage to venture forth despite the uncertainty of acclaim.” Only the ending – amusingly exactly the piece most proponents of this book loathe – somewhat reconciles me – the Count finally overcomes his artificial convictions and starts living a little, next to a willow... A satisfying end to a book that seemed to never end but eventually came to a proper close. Amor Towles writes like I would imagine Count Knigge on a charming rampage. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Really enjoyable read, lovely characterisation. We trace the life of the Count over several years, all the while wondering where the book is leading us, if anywhere. Through the whole book I was waiting for some big thing to occur, and it never does until the very very end. That's not to say it's boring - there are plenty of little upsets and developments, and the Count reacts to them all in a delightful way. But there's no big bang. It's very lifelike and human, and there's lots of thoughtful reflection on the human condition, which feels sincere and sage, and really I think this is where most of the book's value lies for me. The ending is a bit rushed, and it's a shame we don't get to hear what happens to some of the characters. Worth rereading. Would recommend, glad I read it. But not one of those books that really affected me, just a really good book.

fuck best sellers and all that jazz but this paperboi is truly ‘delightful', ‘charming', and ‘evocative'.

Count Alexander Rostov is sentenced to house arrest at an elite hotel in Russia after been condemned as an unrepentant aristocrat by the Bolsheviks. And so the hotel and its inhabitants become his life, and an outsider might be saddened for the constriction Rostov must suffer. But Rostov is a gentleman, and as a gentleman, he has been taught from birth how to live a noble life, and, constrained or not, it is a noble life that Rostov lives.

I fell in love with this man, with the grace he bestows upon his friends and his enemies alike. It's a lovely story filled with little moments of love and mystery and intrigue, with little sides of wisdom and brilliance from a gentleman in Moscow.

‘'On Saturday, the twenty-first of June 1946, as the sun rose high over the Kremlin, a lone figure climbed slowly up the steps from the Moskva River embankment, continued past St.Basil's Cathedral, and made his way onto Red Square. Dressed in a ragged winter coat, he swung his right leg in a small semicircle as he walked. At another time, the combination of the ragged coat and hobbled leg might have made the man stand out on such a bright summer day. But in 1946, there were men limping about in borrowed clothes in every quarter of the capital. For that matter, they were limping about in every city of Europe.''

Moscow, 1920s. It is a grey morning in the capital. It might be late autumn or early winter. The Moskva river stands witness to another day, to another uncertain outcome as it has done for so many centuries. Walk to the centre of the city with quick steps for the wind is freezing on your face. But do not be so hasty when you pass outside the Metropol Hotel, this beautiful building that resisted the violence of the mob a few years ago, in 1917. If you look up, you might see a young man, obviously an aristocrat, standing by the window of his suite, overlooking the glory of a metropolis whose contradictions are as many as its beauties.

Let Count Rostov be your guide to the most tumultuous decades of the country which gave birth to Chekhov and Tolstoy, to Dostoevsky, Pushkin, and Gogol. To Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev. To Akhmatova and Mayakovsky. It would take an entire notebook to include them all. The land that left her eternal seal on architecture, ballet, music and every form of Art. The land that exerts an almost mystical fascination on those of us who love Culture. Russia. The enchantment of two continents, the beauty, the fury, the disillusionment.

‘'According to local lore, hidden deep within the forest was a tree with apples as black as coal - and if you could find this tree and eat of its fruit, you could start your life anew.''

Count Alexander Rostov has been sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, after one of the infamous ‘'fair'' trials by a Bolshevik tribunal. Because one thing we know about the Bolsheviks is how ‘'just'' and ‘'cultured'' they were...He is deemed too valuable to be killed off or sent to Siberia, therefore he becomes a permanent resident in the luxurious hotel near the Kremlin. As he becomes a member of the staff, putting his aristocratic upbringing to good use, he finds himself the protector of two young girls. He finds love in the face of an alluring, intelligent actress, he meets members of the Party who retain their own agenda and tries to avoid being plagued by memories of his past. Through his eyes, we witness the course of a nation that faces the consequences of questionable choices and actions. Oppression, hunger, and isolation. And we, the readers, embark on an exciting journey in one of the most beautiful novels of our times.

Towles writes with beauty, elegance, and pinache. While the setting and the period are familiar to most of us and the circumstances that led to one of the darkest eras in European History well-known, through clarity, beautiful prose and an elegant sense of humor and sarcasm, Towles creates a story that is rich and successful in depicting the nightmare of the Soviet era through the eyes of a man who is unable to walk the streets of the capital for decades. Alexander's life before the Bolsheviks' evil eyes turn on him is revealed gradually, layer after layer, guest by guest, conversation by conversation and Rostov's course becomes the course of Russia over the long years.

‘'And suddenly it struck me that walking the length of Nevsky Prospekt was like walking the length of Russian Literature. Right there at the beginning - just off the avenue of the Moika embankment- is the house where Pushkin ended his years. A few paces on are the rooms where Gogol began Dead Souls. Then the National Library, where Tolstoy scoured the archives. And here, behind the cemetery walls, lies brother Fyodor, our restless witness of the human soul entombed beneath the cherry trees.''

Towles pays homage to the greatness of Russian culture in every chapter, in every page. The plethora of great writers, the references to Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov, the Russian contribution in the advancement of the motion picture, the philosophy and the particular psychosynthesis of the Russian Artist. The sceneries of Moscow, St.Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod. It is impossible to pinpoint the fascinating elements that make A Gentleman In Moscow such a unique experience.

‘'And I will be sure to say please and thank you whenever I ask for things. But I have no intention of thanking people for things I never asked for in the first place.''

Alexander, Anna, Nina, Sophia, Andrey, Marina...Characters that deserves their very own novel. It is rare, so rare for a writer to create a cast where everyone is vital to the story, where everyone's fate creates anticipation and wonder, in a novel whose main character is imprisoned in a golden cage.

Towles succeeded in creating a perfect story with an outstanding cast of characters and beautiful dialogue. He created a novel reminiscent of the classics of the past. He created a modern classic, a masterpiece.

‘'I have lived under the impression that a man's purpose is known only to God.''

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com

It was okay. 60% in before it got interesting, and that's cuz Rostov realized that he can't while away 30 years going to dinner and recommending wine to strangers and having apertifs and doing fewer and fewer stretches every morning without wanting to die. And actually, he stopped irritating me quite so much when he got a job and had a reason for walking the stairs two at a time every day, and I liked his relationships with Emile and Andrey and their Boyarsky Triumvirate (though I kind of imagined Andrey and Audrius and Vasily were all the same person? That's ... not great). Young Nina was the best character, with her ice cream hors d'oeuvres; that's my kinda gal.

I really thought that when Sofia got injured and he raced her across the city to the hospital, and was told he had to go back to the hotel (house arrest and all that), that he was going to get shot in the back of the bread truck.

I also tried counting the number of times Rostov/Towles referenced Pushkin and lost count. It was a lot. It was distracting and irritating.

I finished because it's for book club, and it had it's moments, and because I've not finished a lot of the book club books on time this year, and I don't want them to kick me out. ;)

3.75 out of 5 stars

This was a beautifully written novel that deserves to have each sentence savored. Amor Towles writes about the mundanities of life in such an engrossing way that I found myself more enamored with these minor passages than the bigger story being told. It sags in the middle a bit and having 100 pages or so trimmed off would likely have improved my overall rating.

A Gentleman in Moscow is possibly the greatest book I've picked up on a whim. I'm incredibly interested in the period of time immediately after the Russian revolution, so the setting of this particular book jumped out at me when I discovered it on goodreads.

I adored Towles' writing style. It felt easygoing and I flew through the pages when I picked it up. It was the first book that prompted me to use the highlight function on my kindle. The style really felt as though the Count was telling this tale to me with all his eccentricities. He is the best character this year to date for me. I loved him from the first page and keep thinking of him when I'm not reading the book.

Pick this book up!

For the 2018 Read Harder Challenge: A book set in or about one of the five BRICS countries (Russia). I loved this book, with its unique story and characters who are affected by, but set apart from, the turmoil of Russia from 1922 to 1954. Well done.

I loved this book, and the character who stars in it, the Count. I regret I'll never be able to spend time with him in real life, but thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent with him engrossed in this book. And it is filled with wisdom and friendship and love.

A beautiful tale, and the detail of the characters, their surroundings and the history throughout the book made me often wonder if it was actually a biography!

The entire story is a eloquently walk through a character's life whose choses to made the best of what they have, and left me wanting to see things the same in my.own daily life.

Witty, charming, and somehow profound in its own simple nature. I relished the depth of character detail and how characters of the book remained true to their depictions throughout. Certainly changes occurred which is part of the wonder of the book - to feel yourself attached to the Metropol, clinging to all that was held dear about an age long passed while seeking to grapple with the challenges and changes of a new day. Perhaps what is most stirring about the book are the many moments in which you are caused to stop and ponder questions bigger than yourself, often in tandem with the Count himself as he reflects on a deceased sister, a reinvented nation, and a life filled with providential “unexpectancies”.
I am not a Russian history major, but to journey through these pages is to walk in the shoes of a man firmly vested in the honor of mother Russia while admiring and appreciating all that is good in other cultures.
Overall, a highly enjoyable read which had me vested in the Count's story from the very opening court scene.

Whimsical, colorful, the whole book written like a charming wink, like a Wes Anderson film in the form of a book (and in fact reminds me a bit of the Grand Budapest Hotel) - this book is delightfully coy in a comforting way. It's like one of those clever cartoons from childhood: too sweet and whimsical to be real, but wholly engaging nonetheless. I couldn't suppress a smile while reading. Certainly a far cry from the seriousness of the staples of the Russian literary canon (Tolstoy, Chekhov...)

I think we fall into the trap that a truly good book has to be somehow devastating, revealing some depth of a sad shared human experience. But why can we not revel in the charms and wonder the world has to offer, even within our small little sections of the world, such as the Counts “prison” of the hotel?

Yet there IS a certain gravity to the book. The stability of an unchanging cast of characters and unchanging scene of the hotel while the backdrop of early-mid 20th century Russia is in constant (and perilous) political upheaval creates a fascinating dichotomy, and lends some needed gravitas, and raises some interesting thoughts about our smaller worlds that exist inside the larger one.

A quick, simple, but lovely read - would absolutely recommend!

Amusing, heartfelt, epic on a small scale, and deeply moving.

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.

Very enjoyable read. This book receives high marks in every area. The setting, story and characters were all unique and interesting. The writing was superb. I read the Kindle version and am now thinking that I want to get a print copy for my personal library just so I can read it again. It isn't a fast-paced read or full of action, so if that is what you enjoy you may be disappointed in this book. Recommended for lovers of literary fiction.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital review copy of this book.

This is a charming and relaxing book, nicely set and nicely written. Characters are fine, though I find them all to be more or less stock characters. If you know anything about the Soviet Union and Russian history, you will find the premise slightly less than plausible, possibly even quaint, in its asserting an alternate universe where early Bolsheviks have romantic hearts of gold underneath it all, and blah blah blah.

But if you can suspend that bit, it's a nice escape from reality to read, if not especially deep or enlightening. The action and storyline aren't really that revelatory or intriguing. Nevertheless, when the time comes that I need a confection, I would read his other books.

Exceedingly charming. The adventures of Count Alexander Rostov who is sentenced to life-long house arrest in the Hotel Metropol in Moscow. We get hints at the revolutions happening outside during early and mid 19th century Russia, while experiencing the count's life of culture and friendship and strange encounters inside the hotel. Beautiful language, and the charms of a character who can live life to his fullest even while restricted to a small space. I had some issues with the ending (forced insert of some action?) and it never felt like I was curious about what would happen next. Language was clearly superior to plot. Light but such delightful entertainment.