A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

 

Summary (from the publisher): A Gentleman in Moscow immerses us in another elegantly drawn era with the story of Count Alexander Rostov. When, in 1922, he is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, the count 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 a doorway into a much larger world of emotional discovery.

Brimming with humour, 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.

Review: In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel in Moscow. Accustomed to an aristocratic lifestyle, the count must now live in a tiny room in the attic of the hotel while history unfolds beyond the hotel's doors. With time, despite his reduced circumstances geographically, he builds a much larger and more fulfilling life. The once world traveler, accustomed to grand hotel suites and his own estate, finds the world and those that will mean the most to him within the walls of one hotel.

Over an emotional journey that spans thirty years, the count comes to believe he is the luckiest man in the world, despite what many would view as greatly reduced circumstances. Fate brings 9 year old Nina into his life and eventually Nina's daughter. The count also finds love and friendship among the residents of the hotel, as well as a purpose and meaning that his life as an aristocrat never had.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

This was a charming novel with endearing characters. Despite being confined to the hotel, the count and thus the reader finds it is a world unto itself and I loved the descriptions of its various rooms, occupants, and employees. It did move a bit slow and I didn't enjoy it quite as well as Rules of Civility but still a well written and entertaining novel with striking characters and well executed historical accuracy.                                                                                                                                                                                               

Stars: 4

Related Title: 

• Rules of Civility by Amor Towles