From the New York Times bestselling author of Rules of Civility and the forthcoming novel The Lincoln Highway, a story about a man who is ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel—a beautifully transporting novel. The mega-bestseller with more than 2 million readers, soon to be a major television series In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a … 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.
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This book was delightful! I loved Rostov, and felt like he was a friend.
This was a wonderful book. I wasn’t sure the point at first and was honestly way too busy worrying about what the book was about. But when I just let myself enjoy the writing, my thoughts changed. The writing was lyrical, the Count- charming. Sometimes we get so used to these quick best sellers that grab you in with twists and turns that sometimes we forget to just enjoy the story.
I am so glad I stuck with this book. It was heartwarming, charming, and I was completely captivated
Amazing characters. A life of kindness, attention to detail, and friendship brings many rewards in this beautiful novel.
This is the best book I have read in ages. Hope it is a movie, or mini series. My book club, and they are tough, loved it. lj
This will be a read-again and again book for me. I loved it!!
This might be my favorite book of all time.
A great setting and a wonderful heartening character arc for the protagonist. A beautiful book.
I could go on for pages about this book but I will sum it up with a word I seldom use. It was thoroughly DELIGHTFUL. Great story, great Characters and realistic view of Communism.
This is among the most beautifully written novels I have read in decades. Wonderfully original, literate, lyrical prose; engrossing and fully-drawn characters; historical fiction at its finest. Very highly recommended. As a post script, this novel was recommended to me by a 103 year old friend who said, “If you don’t like it, don’t tell me!”
Is it valuable to know that a reader loved the work, but can’t articulate why?
I really like Amor Towls’ The Rules of Civility, so I was eager to get A Gentleman in Moscow. I loved every page. I wanted to keep reading to the end every time I picked it up. At the same time, I wanted to read slowly so I could savor every moment, every nuance, every perfectly crafted sentence.
Best book I’ve read in years. I read @ least one book per week. Sad when it ended. Sad when I had to put it down to address my responsibilities. Wonderful. Thanks to the author.
This is the second book I’ve read by Amor Towles, the first being, “Rules of Civility”. “Rules” was so great that I intentionally stopped reading halfway through. I intend coming back to it and starting from the beginning, slowly savoring the story. If you get a chance, read the prologue. You’ll be hooked, as I was – it is haunting.
“A Gentleman in Moscow” is another gem. The Count, at thirty, has been living a wonderfully glamorous life. As governments topple, however, the rich become reviled, and are usually executed. In the Count’s case, he is informed that he will be forever sequestered in the hotel in which he is living. If he sets one foot on the street, he will be executed.
His glamorous suite filled with fine furnishings and memories is no longer his. He is moved upstairs to a one room space, no luxury included. He immediately realizes materialism is unimportant, it’s his memories that are.
We travel with him through the hotel and meet the staff, seeing soon he will become bored, ultimately insane if he is unable to ever leave. He begins playing tricks on his friends to keep himself entertained, and meets an unlikely playmate.
“Why Comrade Neplevsky, you’d think you’ve never seen a beautiful woman walk from a closet before”. This sentence comes from a scene that is almost The Marx Brothers at their slapstick best. I laughed for some time envisioning the characters involved.
As I have said, this book is a gem, and I will savor it again. Very well written, wonderful characters who make the best out of a grim time in history. Five stars well deserved!
The Count survives the Bolshevik takeover of Moscow because he wrote a poem dear to the hearts of the revolutionaries. So instead of being executed, he is put under house arrest in the grand Metropole Hotel on Theater Square in the heart of the city. There he lives for the next 32 years. When I finished the first chapter, I wondered how Mr. Towles would sustain the story, and I was most pleasantly surprised to find that his fine storytelling and even finer hand with the English language made this book a real treat. The Count is among my favorite characters, courtly, urbane and kind–unlike many he encounters during his strange exile. You will treasure the hours you spend with this splendid book.
It’s one of those books in which the side observations about life makes the book worth reading.
I loved this book so much. The setting and historical fiction are wonderful, I loved hearing more about this time which I know very little about. it begins in Russia in the late 1920’s. I also really loved the characters, they are all so rich and interesting and I enjoyed seeing them develop as this book coves a number of years. I can’t recommend this one highly enough, it was perfection.
Not too sure when I started this…..but it was a very good book….
I recommend it highly !
The fictional Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov is placed under house arrest inside the Metropol Hotel in Moscow in 1922 because of a poem he wrote. (I’m guessing in reality he would have been executed.) It is inside the Metropol that he lives the remainder of his life. Over many years, he forms lasting relationships with staff and guests as he accepts his lot in life. He manages to remain kind, caring, and dignified. The Count’s fictional story unfolds amidst the nonfictional reign of Stalin, Russian communism, and life in Bolshevik Moscow. (As with all historical fiction books, the fiction may blend into the historical accuracy; I don’t know enough to comment on that. The pieces of Russian history presented in the book added to the story and were interesting to me nonetheless.)
It is the Count’s day to day encounters with other characters that made me like this book. It is a book that meanders along, a leisurely read, that allowed me to casually meet each character as did the Count. I often stopped my reading to question myself as to how I would have reacted if I had been faced with his fate. Would I be as positive as he, or would I become depressed and bitter? Would I continue to control how my life unfolded as best as I could, even though control was basically taken away? I came to admire the Count so much. Instead of a lonely and miserable existence, he fully lived his life while imprisoned. His days were interesting. He found love. He influenced others, and they influenced him. He not only persevered and survived; he lived life. The ending seemed rushed to me, but I was satisfied. I believe the Count was as well.
Beautifully written & immersive. Part character study, part philosophy of life, part love story between a father & daughter and among friends who become family. I loved the count’s optimistic take on life, his desire to find the good in those around him, his love of storytelling, books, food, wine, & conversation, and the way he influenced the people around him.
I was not patient enough to read the print copy of this book, but listening was an awesome experience. So glad I did!
This book is beautifully written. It has wonderful insight. The author is skilled at the art of bringing humor into an otherwise tragic journey in the life of the main character. There is enough history to explain the culture and the times but never read like a text book. The characters, although not all with a common cause, were all unique and very different from one another but developed just enough for them to all fit together. This book was thought provoking and emotionally charged revealing the human spirit at it’s finest. Highly recommended.