'A Gentleman in Moscow' by Amor Towles is a captivating tale following the life of Count Alexander Rostov, a Russian aristocrat placed under house arrest in a luxurious hotel in Moscow following the Russian Revolution. Despite his confinement, Rostov forms deep friendships, navigates the changing political landscape, and finds meaning and purpose within the confines of the hotel. The book spans several decades, offering a glimpse into Russian history from the revolution to the early 1950s, all seen through the eyes of the charismatic and resilient Count.
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Has Romance?
There is a romance subplot but it is not the primary focus of the story.
From The Publisher:
** Available for pre-order, THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY, the dazzling new novel from Amor Towles **
Chosen for the Duchess of Cornwall's online book club The Reading Room
OVER A MILLION COPIES SOLD: a BBC Radio 4 Book Club choice, soon to be a major TV series starring Kenneth Branagh
'A wonderful book' - Tana French
'This novel is astonishing, uplifting and wise. Don't miss it' - Chris Cleave
'No historical novel this year was more witty, insightful or original' - Sunday Times, Books of the Year
'[A] supremely uplifting novel ... It's elegant, witty and delightful - much like the Count himself.' - Mail on Sunday, Books of the Year
'Charming ... shows that not all books about Russian aristocrats have to be full of doom and nihilism' - The Times, Books of the Year
On 21 June 1922, Count Alexander Rostov - recipient of the Order of Saint Andrew, member of the Jockey Club, Master of the Hunt - is escorted out of the Kremlin, across Red Square and through the elegant revolving doors of the Hotel Metropol.
Deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, the Count has been sentenced to house arrest indefinitely. But instead of his usual suite, he must now live in an attic room while Russia undergoes decades of tumultuous upheaval.
Can a life without luxury be the richest of all?
A BOOK OF THE DECADE, 2010-2020 (INDEPENDENT)
THE TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017
A SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017
A MAIL ON SUNDAY BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017
A DAILY EXPRESS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017
AN IRISH TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017
ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S BEST BOOKS OF 2017
ONE OF BILL GATES'S SUMMER READS OF 2019
NOMINATED FOR THE 2018 INDEPENDENT BOOKSELLERS WEEK AWARD
Ratings (251)
Incredible (82) | |
Loved It (85) | |
Liked It (38) | |
It Was OK (15) | |
Did Not Like (30) | |
Hated It (1) |
Reader Stats (576):
Read It (251) | |
Currently Reading (4) | |
Want To Read (226) | |
Did Not Finish (25) | |
Not Interested (70) |
8 comment(s)
Another reread, think I didn't read it in 2022 so I had forgotten much of it. I still enjoy the story but perhaps not as much this time around. Its a very compelling story.
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I read this for the first time last year and ever since I have been wanting to reread this novel again. Amor Towles weaves his story around the characters and the hotel in a beautiful and emersive way. Even though it takes place in almost just in the hotel it never gets boring or "closed up". The characters in it feels almost alive and the book was a very intruiging way to end my day with, as I read this one slowly before bed. Definitely a book I will reread many times in my life.
Possibly the best book I've ever read. Perfect. (Please ignore the TV adaptation, it is a disappointment by comparison.)
I wanted to read this book so much that I literally jumped with excitement when my request for ARC was approved. I loved the idea of a Count being under a house arrest, a grand hotel, talk about poetry et cetera et cetera. Technically I loved the blurb but not the book.
It was slow, long long thoughts and talks about literally nothing, some uninteresting politics and daily details are too tedious to read. The characters felt underdeveloped or may be a bit hollow.
As per the narration, the novel in well written but narrated in a dreary way.
Not my cup of tea, I didn't like it at all even though I wanted to and tried for days.
ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!
During the Russian Revolution, an aristocratic man is forced to live in a hotel. This was a very different and enlightening look at Russian history with interesting characters.
Alexander Rostov para mi ha entrado junto con Dracula y Montecristo en el panteon de condes ilustres de la literatura.
Aunque me da la sensacion de que Rostov no llegaria a intimar con ellos creo que la admiracion seria mutua.
Este libro aunque ocurriendo en los confines de un hotel no es lento ni aburrido, acabamos conociendo a sus personajes bastante bien y quiza eso es lo mejor que se puede decir de este libro, mas alla de lo que pase o no, uno sigue leyendo porque que le va a pasar al bueno del conde, ira a cenar al Boyarsky, claro, como no, me pregunto que vino eligira como acompanyante hoy.... Aah, excelente eleccion.
Couldn't put it down. Astonishing concept of human survival.
DNF @ page 30.
I hate this. Not sure what I was expecting but this is shaping up to be the pinnacle of what I'm calling "book club fiction": characters that are caricatures, twee sentiment after twee sentiment, prose that's amateur at best, constant allusions to other better books that highlight just how much this novel falls short. It's not even bad, just barely competent.
Thought provoking…well written. Great historical fiction novel.
What can you read after
A Gentleman in Moscow?
About the Author:
Amor Towles is the author of New York Times bestsellers Rules of Civility and A Gentleman in Moscow. The two novels have collectively sold more than 4 million copies and have been translated into more than thirty languages. Towles lives in Manhattan with his wife and two children.
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