I’m already looking forward to getting reacquainted with him.A Gentleman in Moscow is a historical-fiction novel set in the erstwhile Russian Empire during the Bolshevik Revolution. A truly unforgettable gentleman and a story not soon forgotten. In this quite superlative novel, Amor Towles has created one of modern fiction’s most endearing characters. The characterisation of the Count is what has stayed with me long after finishing this book. A man of principle armed with a quick-wit and an indomitable spirit. The author has written a character that is the definitive example of a 20th-century gentleman.Ĭount Rostov is a man we should all aspire to be. You may have read my previous post about what I think constitutes a 21st-century gentleman. The biggest strength of this book is not the setting or the cast of characters that come and go but his leading man- Count Rostov. He sometimes veers into language that is overly flowery but I could forgive him those indulgences with ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ the author has crafted a novel of the highest order. Towles’ prose is sparkling and he writes with great verve. In many ways a poignant book, it recounts the life of the Count as he reaches his autumnal years: as aches and pains begin to creep in, his reflections on his life, his youth, his lack of liberty and his realisation that this hotel really is his prison for life. It’s not an easy feat to maintain interest over almost 500-pages with a novel set mostly in one place but Amor Towles creates a magnificent world within the walls the Metropol and populates it with a gloriously eccentric cast of characters. We read as Count Rostov goes about his daily life adjusting to his newfound lack of freedom and the relationships that he forges with the guests and staff of the hotel.
Set against the tumultuous (and terrifying) political climate of 20th-century Russia: dictators, diplomats, and spies all waltz through the ever-revolving doors of the Metropol. He is threatened with execution should he ever step foot out of the hotel. He is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat and sentenced to life imprisonment in the luxury Metropol hotel in Moscow by the Bolsheviks who swept into power after the Russian revolution. It’s the story of Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov “member of the Jockey Club, Master of the Hunt”. Ostensibly a book about a man who lives in a hotel it is so much more than that. One of the very best books I’ve read in the last few years, ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ exceeded all my expectations. In light of the current situation we all find ourselves living in, I don’t think there’s a better book I could feature for the site’s first book review.
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