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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Elegantly written and unexpectedly delightful, this is writing at its finest. A beautiful book.
This was not a great book. There’s way too much flavour text and seemingly pointless descriptions that take away from the characters and plot that are actually somewhat interesting. I enjoyed the ending but it felt like a slog to get to.
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Before reading the book I thought the title just meant "a man in Moscow" but after a few chapters it became clear that its golden lettering was actually denoting "an aristocrat in a city of commoners".
At some point the narrator tells us to remember a character's name only to never bring him up again. At various times we get a glimpse into the ordinary lives of Soviet citizens, as an illustration of the country's state.
Overall, its a cute story and I suspect the writer is abit of a russophile but it was a very American book. By which I mean, there was a hero to whom all the characters looked to and despite their various stations in a complicated political time endeavour to help him no matter what.
At some point the narrator tells us to remember a character's name only to never bring him up again. At various times we get a glimpse into the ordinary lives of Soviet citizens, as an illustration of the country's state.
Overall, its a cute story and I suspect the writer is abit of a russophile but it was a very American book. By which I mean, there was a hero to whom all the characters looked to and despite their various stations in a complicated political time endeavour to help him no matter what.
adventurous
challenging
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A beautiful book. One of the best I have read in a while. Towles takes an unusual premise and then succeeds in weaving 400 pages of magic. Finally, a book I can recommend with full confidence.
A "happy" book for me after a long time!
This book follows the life of the protagonist, Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, who has been sentenced to live under house arrest at a hotel for the rest of his life. He's forced to forego almost all of his possessions and move to a 10x10 room to live out the rest of his life. As someone who embodies the quote “if a man does not master his circumstances then he is bound to be mastered by them.”, the Count makes the best of his situation.
Not complaining about one's circumstances and still going about as gracefully as possible is quite extraordinary, and that is what I love the most about Count Rostov. One cannot help but revere him right from the get go. There's a certain charm to his character that lingers with you long after you're done reading the book. Of the 200-odd books I've read so far, I've not come across that many characters I've come to love, admire, and respect. And, Count Rostov is right at the top.
The pace of the book is just right. While reading about the book, I came across an interview of the Author's where he speaks about how he spaced the years. He doubles the time period (2 weeks, 4 weeks, 2 months etc) right up to the middle, and then halves them as he progresses towards the end. I found this to be quite clever, and probably that is why the pace of the story felt right. The writing itself is elegant. All other characters are written just as well as the main character. This is a beautifully written story that deserves more than 5 stars in my opinion.
This book follows the life of the protagonist, Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, who has been sentenced to live under house arrest at a hotel for the rest of his life. He's forced to forego almost all of his possessions and move to a 10x10 room to live out the rest of his life. As someone who embodies the quote “if a man does not master his circumstances then he is bound to be mastered by them.”, the Count makes the best of his situation.
Not complaining about one's circumstances and still going about as gracefully as possible is quite extraordinary, and that is what I love the most about Count Rostov. One cannot help but revere him right from the get go. There's a certain charm to his character that lingers with you long after you're done reading the book. Of the 200-odd books I've read so far, I've not come across that many characters I've come to love, admire, and respect. And, Count Rostov is right at the top.
The pace of the book is just right. While reading about the book, I came across an interview of the Author's where he speaks about how he spaced the years. He doubles the time period (2 weeks, 4 weeks, 2 months etc) right up to the middle, and then halves them as he progresses towards the end. I found this to be quite clever, and probably that is why the pace of the story felt right. The writing itself is elegant. All other characters are written just as well as the main character. This is a beautifully written story that deserves more than 5 stars in my opinion.
Loved this book so much! Count Rastov shows us how to lead a life full of purpose despite one's circumstances. I found myself missing him after the book was over.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I just loved this. Admittedly, a kind of slow start, but I feel that way about a lot of books because I often just have a hard time getting into them. Once I was absorbed though, IT WAS FANTASTIC! I loved the characters, I LOVED the vocabulary, I loved the plot. Absolutely excellent!!!