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Monday, May 22, 2017

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

'A Gentleman in Moscow', one of the most buzzed about books of 2017, tells the story of Count Alexander Rostov, who is sentenced to live out the rest of his life on "house arrest" in the grand Metropol Hotel, following his "conviction" by a Bolshevik tribunal. Set in 1922 and the years that follow, the entire book’s plot centers on this hotel and the unlikely friends, lover, and even child that become a part of the Count’s life.

At first, I thought this novel would be a wordy tome full of intellectual ramblings. Instead, it turned out to be a delightful Russian-style comedy full of irony, romance, tragedy, intrigue, political satire, and hilarious scenes of slapstick humor. It does contain some philosophizing, but these musings are interesting and but ultimately fall short. 

While I appreciated the glimmers of stories throughout and the relationships that help sustain him in his time in Metropol, these interludes really didn’t necessarily move plot, but was more of a study of character. The Count is certainly a charming gentleman and I really found myself enamored with him during his interactions with Nina (a precocious 9 year old girl who he meets in the early days of his house arrest) and Sophia (Nina's daughter who he becomes a surrogate father for).  Also, the Bishop is quite the worthy adversary to Rostov as a Bolshevik version of Mr. Burns from The Simpsons.  


I can certainly see why so many are enamored with this book, but I was craving a little more action and a little less introspection in this story.  

Recommended by Monica Shine
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