From the New York Times-bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow, a “sharply stylish” (Boston Globe) book about a young woman in post-Depression era New York who suddenly finds herself thrust into high society—now with over one million readers worldwideOn the last night of 1937, twenty-five-year-old Katey Kontent is in a second-rate Greenwich Village jazz bar when Tinker Grey, a handsome … Village jazz bar when Tinker Grey, a handsome banker, happens to sit down at the neighboring table. This chance encounter and its startling consequences propel Katey on a year-long journey into the upper echelons of New York society—where she will have little to rely upon other than a bracing wit and her own brand of cool nerve.
With its sparkling depiction of New York’s social strata, its intricate imagery and themes, and its immensely appealing characters, Rules of Civility won the hearts of readers and critics alike.
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Most interesting & great prose.
After a Gentleman in Moscow, I had high hopes for this one, but was sorely disappointed. It seemed as vapid as the lives of those he was following, and though it felt like a betrayal of some sort, I had to set it aside.
This was a very enjoyable read. The characters and stories were very entertaining.
Beautifully written
Beautiful, well written story.
Rules of Civility is a very well written book. The author, Amor Towles, uses language and events that suit the era, and that makes the book feel like it is a 1930’s novel and not a book written in 2020 about the ’30s. It feels real. What I do not like about the book is the characters. They are privileged and entitled, even the ones that do not come from wealth.
All in all, Rules of Civility is an entertaining book that gives a historical perspective from someone of that era. She lived it and can, therefore, draw us into that world with ease. I read it in a day and suggest that you take your time with it.
A bit slow.
I absolutely loved A Gentleman in Moscow, so I thought I would listen to this audiobook, especially since I was driving for 8 hours. I liked this story, but it took me awhile to like it; then, I was so disappointed by Tinker Grey, and then, I came around to understanding him. I think the plot is clever from its introduction to Tinker in a photo exhibition that Katey and her husband visit in 1966. The photos are from a hidden camera in the NYC subway from the late 1930s. While this is a flashback, 99% of the story takes place in 1938, so it does not bounce between 1966 and 1938.
Gems were the maxims, or personal rules, Katey choosing to ignore her father’s about dining out and paying the price, biting your tongue when a you’ve got a good retort, and many others. They were very enjoyable. Katey’s career seemed to drag for me and at times it was just odd. Yes, it fits, because Katey gets the idea for a cover story for a Conde Nast premier publication, but at times, I’m just not certain the work scenes fit. Personally, every time I heard Conde Nast, I kept thinking back to Ruth Reichl’s Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir, and had to remind myself that it was a different story.
I think Towles nails the affluent 1930s well, the clothes, the social habits of the age, the phrases, the rise of Jazz, New York City, so that’s part of the book that makes this a five star novel. Working in an archives, I’ve seen many photos of NYC at this time-frame, and I easily pictured NYC based on Towles’ descriptions. I liked most of the characters, including Tinker Grey, even the minor ones, except Katey’s Conde Nast boss; I didn’t like him, not sure why, because he’s portrayed pretty accurately, I think; I just didn’t like him. I despised Evelyn Ross from the beginning; didn’t like her, not even at the end. I liked the books the characters read, that Katey likes churches, the social mores of the day. That part was just fun. Wallace Wolcott and Katey, when she dresses especially for the occasion of sharing Christmas, were probably my favorite scenes, and since this was an audiobook for me, even Wallace’s pauses weren’t annoying but endearing.
However, and I cannot put my finger on it exactly, there were parts that just did not seem as if they belonged. While the Depression is referenced, it’s as if it happened to only a few. I guess we see that its effects did happen, when we read about the character who climbs atop a building and the attitudes of the onlookers and passers-by are so blase, because they witnessed it so much over the last 10 years, but the Depression is really minimized. Katey, a working class girl, easily crosses the lines between working class and Park Avenue flawlessly (despite being desperate because they just had a few nickels early on in the story), and since that is exceptionally atypical, that diminishes some of the best thought-provoking maxims I’ve read in a novel in a while. I think it’s the bounce between a child’s fairy tale and thoughtful historical fiction that bothers me.
I am so thankful I read A Gentleman in Moscow first; otherwise, I might not have read it after listening to Rules of Civility. The Epilogue is good; the Appendix is a gem!
I absolutely loved “Rules.” It was a delicious blend of “Of Human Bondage,” “The Great Gatsby,” and something else a little more uplifting. It is an amazing picture at post-depression New York city and the radical changes going on and that will continue to happen with the onset of WWII. While it has romantic qualities to the story, I’m not sure I’d call it a romance. It’s a story about a woman’s life and the different characters that touch it in a single year. The prose is absolutely incomparable. Towles is a five start story-teller and all the characters have something you love and something you dislike about them; they are completely human. I can’t wait to read “A Gentleman in Moscow.”
Within the week after I finished this book, I received a small pamphlet from the organization that manages Mount Vernon: “George Washington’s Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in company and conversation”. What a hoot! Towle’s story was a page turner for me. Perhaps I’ll read it again. At any rate, I highly recommend it.
Not as good as A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW but has well-developed characters and an interesting story.
I love the way Amor Towles writes. I’ll always be along for the ride and his adept language. He’s such a distinct writer and I love his humor and the humor as well as care he puts into his characters.
Well written, but not up to the standard of Gentleman in Moscow.
Another amazing read by Amor Towles!
I found this book much less interesting than Gentleman in Moscow
His second book was great. This one was too academic and boring.
Great book.
Great audible book
One of my favorites of all time. Sure wish this wonderful author had written more than two books. His other one, ‘A Gentleman from Moscow’ is marvelous too.
Mr Towels is a wonderful writer. Did not necessarily like any of the characters, however love Manhattan.