A Gentleman in Moscow

Meet Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov.  As the Russian Revolution is successful so the Count returns to his home country from Paris.  Managing to get his only family member remaining out of Russia, so he decides to stay.  After settling in Moscow at the Hotel Metropol things at first move along quite peacefully, that is until he is hauled in front of a tribunal in 1922.  Saved as such by a poem he penned years before Rostov is placed under house arrest at the hotel. 

This is where the story really starts, as Rostov is found that he is thrown out of his hotel room and placed instead in a disused servant’s room in the attic.  Taking his own furniture with him it isn’t too long before he has settled in – with a few alterations.  Thus we follow Alexander over the years, as he makes friends, has to make adjustments and even gets a job in the hotel, with numerous situations arising.  We also find out more about the legendary poem, and the Count’s past, as well as that of other characters.

In all this is a very well told and absorbing read that is certainly hard to put down.  With various escapades over the years, will the Count ever be able to leave the confines of the building?  Having to take on duties for others this is a man whose spirit is irrepressible, and always seems to be able to find a way through things.  Taking the rough with the smooth we follow over many years this interesting life.

If you are looking for something a little bit different, with quite a few literary references, and especially if you enjoy films like ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ this should make for a very enjoyable read, and in itself this would make a great film.

I was kindly provided with a free review copy of this by the publishers via NetGalley for reviewing purposes.

I absolutely adored the writing - charming, elegant and intelligent with light touches of humor spread throughout.  The author is a wizard with words, and it sometimes felt like I was reading poetry.  The count's ruminations on anything and everything from the ages of man to wine was beautiful and insightful.  As Count Rostov, now a Former Person, is banned to the live the rest of his days in a hotel in Moscow, we get to see the changes in Russia, but at a save distance.  And as the count remarks "But when you exile a man into his own country, there is no beginning anew.  For the exile at home - whether he be send to Siberia or subject to the minus Six - the love for his country will not become vague or shrouded by the mists of time." so in many ways this novel reads like a love letter to Russia.  It also a book about love and friendship in all it's different forms, and all the characters we meet are intriguing and memorable.  If you are looking for a plot-driven, action packed story, best you skip this one, but if you enjoy a beautifully written account of an interesting life lived well that you can slowly savor, then make sure you add this to your reading list.

A Gentleman in Moscow is an elegant, beautifully written novel, with great atmosphere and unforgettable characters.  Amos Towles draws you in to the story with sparkling prose - a novel of great stature and very highly recommended.

Maureen Haltrecht

I loved Amor Towles debut novel, “Rules of Civility,” so I was thrilled to read his new novel.   “A Gentleman in Moscow,” tells the story of Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, who has already lived for four years (although voluntarily) in a suite in the Hotel Motropol in Moscow when we first meet him.   However, it is 1922 and Count Rostov finds himself sentenced to a life of house arrest – forced to spend his days in the hotel and unable to leave.   Returning, he finds he has been banished from his comfortable suite and given a garret in the attic. 

However, Count Rostov is a gentleman in every sense of the word and that includes haven the obligatory stash of wealth squirreled away – in this case, hidden in his desk, which he enjoys making his captors carry upstairs to him.  Although he misses walks in the park and visits to the bakery, he adapts and carries on his life much as normal.   The Hotel Metropol is central to the city and so there are always new people to meet, old friends who help him and things to do.

This novel takes us from 1922 through to the 1950’s and, were you ever forced to spend your life under house arrest, there would be worse companions than the urbane, calm, kindly Rostov.   There are so many characters that are important here; including Andrey, who runs the dining room with efficiency, Marina who sews upstairs, the actress Anna Urbanova, Osip Ivanovich Glebnikov, an officer of the Party,  and, of course, Nina – who is only nine when she first meets the Count and who holds all of the secrets of the hotel – along with the keys…

Outside the hotel walls, you feel all of the history of Russia pressing in; although Count Rostov’s life remains fairly unchanging.   This leads one of his friends, Mishka, to announce that even though Count Rostov was sentenced to life, he has ended the, “luckiest man in Russia.”  I feel we readers are, though, for having the pleasure of his company throughout this novel.   Amor Towles has done it again – this is a masterpiece.  I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.