As time passes and there is no word from Nina, Alexander raises her daughter as his own. Young Sofia is the source of his life's joy and purpose. Along with the other members of the hotel staff that comprise his inner circle, Sofia is brought up to be a proper young lady. I will explain my reaction. Much depends on what you are looking for. First and foremost this is a novel, a fairy tale, a fantastical story. A mystery, suspense and the question is: will all turn out well? Will good win over evil? I prefer books that are gritty, depressing even sad, as long as they are realistic. In the first few weeks of living in the Metropol Hotel-- Alexander holds himself high - has no interest in bitterness ---GOD I LOVED THIS MAN---and quietly stayed in his room, reading, and reflecting. He ate his meals in either of the two restaurants: the Boyarsky or the Piazza. Count Rostov being a wine and food connoisseur, is a treat for us readers - as the descriptions of the food and wine are mouthwatering-savory-and scrumptious. The way the tables were set -the waiters and chef add to delightful glory as well. I could smell and taste the fish, while visualizing the seating in the dining room. Original review: I can define this book with one word, namely charming. As the word’s definition states, the book was very pleasant and attractive, thanks to its protagonist, count Alexander Rostov. If you’re looking for a summer novel, this is it. Beautifully written, a story of a Russian aristocrat trapped in Moscow during the tumult of the 1930s. It brims with intelligence, erudition, and insight, an old-fashioned novel in the best sense of the term.”

But what appealed to me personally in this novel was the character-work and the deep thematic currents that run through A Gentleman in Moscow. This is a novel with an abundance of things to say, with profound moving ruminations on selfhood, friendship, parenthood and the devastating unattainability of modest hopes. It is a novel driven so fiercely and so clearly by a deep urge to make observations about people, to see them, truly see them, and in turn, let them see themselves in all their glorious and sometimes mundane glory. The resulting narrative is an emotionally and intellectually rewarding experience; people, after all (to borrow some of the count's own words) “deserve not only our consideration, but our reconsideration.” Count Rostov has been sentenced to house arrest in the grand Metropol Hotel in Moscow. We follow him as he tries to make a life of purpose for himself within this small world. Instead of withdrawing and giving in to misery in the face of diminishing circumstances, he makes the most of his situation. He reaches out, opens his heart, and lets in all that life has to offer inside the hotel. The last book I couldn’t put down was The Huntress, by Kate Quinn, about a small group on Nazi hunters in Vienna in 1950, hunting down a woman war criminal; and this woman’s reinvention of herself in the US after the war. Riveting historical fiction, which also features the story of a Soviet night witch. – EthosDaimon A Brief History Of Seven Killings by Marlon James and Apeirogon by Colum McCann Dublin Literary Award. "The Nominees". International Dublin Literary Award . Retrieved 17 June 2019.Daskal, Victoria (5 October 2021). "A Gentleman in Moscow's Wine". www.mummywineclub.com. Archived from the original on 2021-10-05 . Retrieved 2021-10-05. Andreeva, Nellie (2017-08-18). "EOne Ups Carolyn Newman To SVP Scripted Programming, Acquires 'A Gentleman In Moscow' Book Rights For TV". Deadline . Retrieved 2022-09-02. A Gentleman in Moscow' tells the story of Count Alexander Rostov, who is sentenced to live out the rest of his life on "house arrest" in the Metropol hotel, following his "conviction" by a Bolshevik tribunal. He was convicted of being an unrepentant aristocrat and is stripped of his wealth by the new Bolshevik regime. From one of the hotel's most prestigious guests, to a member of the wait staff, Count Rostov manages his fall from grace with poise and dignity. Vlessing, Etan (2018-04-03). "Kenneth Branagh to Star in TV Adaptation of 'A Gentleman in Moscow' ". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 2023-01-03. You don’t have to be a Russophile to enjoy the book, but if you are, it’s essential reading. I think early 20th century Russian history is super interesting, so I’ve read a bunch of books about Lenin and Stalin. A Gentleman in Moscow gave me a new perspective on the era, even though it’s fictional. Towles keeps the focus on the Count, so most major historical events (like World War II) get little more than a passing mention. But I loved seeing how these events still shifted the world of the Metropol in ways big and small. It gives you a sense of how political turmoil affects everyone, not just those directly involved with it.

they seemed to depict an America in which corruption and cruelty lounged on the couch; in which justice was a beggar and kindness a fool; in which loyalties were fashioned from paper, and self-interest was fashioned from steel. In other words, they provided an unflinching portrayal of Capitalism as it actually was.” The reader is confined to the hotel along with the central protagonist, Count Alexander Rostov. In 1922 a Bolshevik tribunal has judged him to be an unrepentant aristocrat. The story follows this one man, born in 1890, sentenced to live his entire life in the Hotel Metropol. He isn't shot immediately, only because he is said to have written poetry critical of the aristocrats, but one step out from the hotel, and he will be executed. Towles plays with sentences, even a sentence about sentences. In some cases he plays for the sake of it. For example, At one point, I got teary-eyed because one of the characters gets hurt and must go to the hospital. Melinda was a couple chapters behind me. When she saw me crying, she became worried that a character she loved was going to die. I didn’t want to spoil anything for her, so I just had to wait until she caught up to me. The day after his failed suicide attempt, the Count asks the Metropol’s maître d’ for a job as a waiter. Knowledgeable about food, and skilled in dealing with people, the Count becomes the headwaiter within four years. He, the maître d’, and the hotel chef form a Triumvirate of friends who run the Metropol’s dinner services, including the Boyarsky restaurant and special events in private rooms. The Bishop is a continual thorn in the Triumvirate’s side.In the year 1922, Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov has been sentenced to House arrest at the famed Moscow Hotel Metropol. Once of the landed elite of Nizhy Novgorod, the Count must live out the rest of his days in one small hotel room. As the Bolsheviks have persevered following their revolution, no long are there ruling classes in Russia, only comrades. It is under these conditions that Count Rostov has become a former person who can no longer step outside of the Metropol. Using this premise, Amor Towles has woven prose to create an enchanting story that makes up the Count's changed course of existence. BTW, one of my favorite short stories of the twentieth century is Nathan Englander’s “The Twenty-Seventh Man.” It can be found in his short story collection For the Relief of Unbearable Urges, which is available in many libraries. “The Twenty-Seventh Man” is also a fable about Soviet Russsia and men (in this case all writers) who were arrested. It is obviously a fable, and does not read like something out of reality (it isn’t intended to), and yet for me, it spoke far more powerfully than A Gentleman in Moscow because even though it was made obvious that the story wasn’t real, it nevertheless spoke to what I believe are truths about the predicament of such men in the USSR in a way that A Gentleman in Moscow did not.