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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
I'd give it 5 stars except that it was so hard to get into, I almost gave up. Stick with it, though -- the character development is beautiful and the way the whole story eventually unfolds is worth the slog at the beginning.
Absolutely amazing! I am head-over-heels in love with Amor Towles! I’ve reread Rules of Civility at least a dozen times and I will no doubt do the same with A Gentleman in Moscow... the borrowed copy from the Library is summarily being returned and I’m heading to the bookstore for a copy of my own posthaste!
Bravo!
Bravo!
emotional
funny
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Finally finished after a year of stops and starts. I really enjoyed it, while also frequently getting exasperated by the endless asides and long-winded ruminations associated with any action in the book. Sometimes delightful and sometimes tiring. Also a tale about a man forced to stay inside for such a long time was triggering in these pandemic times.
Who would have thought that a book of this size about a man who's restricted to one building in all the world for 40 years could be so interesting. This is so well written - the history, the prose, the way he views the world, the character development of even the least important people in the story - amazing. I felt like I knew each one of them personally. There are moments in the book where the story gets a little sluggish, but then... bam! That ending. Well worth the wait.
I read it as an audio book and I must say that the "reader" did an extraordinary job... even to the impersonation of Peter Lorre and Humphrey Bogart in a couple of snippets from Casablanca. Delightful all around.
I read it as an audio book and I must say that the "reader" did an extraordinary job... even to the impersonation of Peter Lorre and Humphrey Bogart in a couple of snippets from Casablanca. Delightful all around.
4.5 stars. For the most part, I found this book to be utterly delightful. There were moments where I found the Count's fussiness or long windedness irritating and tiresome but it made me appreciate all the more when his friends and loved ones gently called him on those behaviors. I thought the author's use of doubling the time between chapters was clever and the occasional moments where he "broke the fourth wall" (what is the proper term in novels?) charming.
I was moderately disappointed that the ending was ambiguous. After experiencing all of those years with the Count inside the hotel, I wanted a more firm conclusion. Osip's cameo at the end was perfect and a nice way to summarize the impact of the Count's many diverse friendships formed over the years.
I was moderately disappointed that the ending was ambiguous. After experiencing all of those years with the Count inside the hotel, I wanted a more firm conclusion. Osip's cameo at the end was perfect and a nice way to summarize the impact of the Count's many diverse friendships formed over the years.
medium-paced
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Found it a bit too slow