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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
emotional
inspiring
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
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An interesting book about seemingly very little, however the immaculate writing of various character relationships adds all the intrigue you need. Touching on the rules of civility and the power of life’s simplicities.
I absolutely love this book! As hard as it was to put down, I wanted to savor it so read as slowly as my patience would allow. Another fabulous book from this fabulous author. Highly recommended.
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of the best novels that I have ever read. It manages to be so many different things at once, and somehow does them well. Moment of suspense, poignancy, humor, and great characters.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
This was a blind date book, but if it hadn’t been, I don’t know whether I would’ve picked it up. I’m so glad I have it though.
It was an absolutely delightful and enlightening read. We follow Alexander Rostov throughout +/- 30 years of his life confided to the grand hotel Metropol in Moscow. We as the reader learn a lot about Russia during those years. From 1922 to 1954. I didn’t know much about that period in time, and this was very illuminating while never being drab or boring.
Alexander is whimsical character at times, and you can’t help but root from him and all the other inhabitants of the hotels. I found this book to be delightfully written, with lots of usually turnings of phrase. I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking for a light and heavy read at the same time with a happy ending.
It was an absolutely delightful and enlightening read. We follow Alexander Rostov throughout +/- 30 years of his life confided to the grand hotel Metropol in Moscow. We as the reader learn a lot about Russia during those years. From 1922 to 1954. I didn’t know much about that period in time, and this was very illuminating while never being drab or boring.
Alexander is whimsical character at times, and you can’t help but root from him and all the other inhabitants of the hotels. I found this book to be delightfully written, with lots of usually turnings of phrase. I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking for a light and heavy read at the same time with a happy ending.
I loved this book. A friend just said he thought it was a slow (but good) read. It was slow in the sense that it was about characters (and what quirky characters there are!). The plot doesn't move forward very fast till the end. But describing life exiled in a Moscow Hotel over 40 years is quite a feat. I would love to have the charming Count as a friend and someone over for dinner, though I might be nervous around such a polymath. It is beautifully written and I just escaped into this book for hours. There are so many great observations and statements about ways to live -- "Human beings deserve not only our consideration, but our reconsideration." If only we could do that in America today!
I believe I have found a new definition for my retirement life ---when he says he has "opted for a life of the purposefully unrushed." Other well-known quotes from this book include: "If one did not master one's circumstances, one was bound to be mastered by them (great advice) and from Montaigne - "the surest sign of wisdom is constant cheerfulness." I sadly finished this book today wanting it to go on for another 100 pages. But I also felt happy and cheerful when I came to the ending.
I believe I have found a new definition for my retirement life ---when he says he has "opted for a life of the purposefully unrushed." Other well-known quotes from this book include: "If one did not master one's circumstances, one was bound to be mastered by them (great advice) and from Montaigne - "the surest sign of wisdom is constant cheerfulness." I sadly finished this book today wanting it to go on for another 100 pages. But I also felt happy and cheerful when I came to the ending.
I really enjoyed this book. In the spectrum of "character driven books" to "plot driven books", this book fell firmly in the "character driven books" category, with Towles describing, in great detail, our protagonist, Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, the people he comes into contact with while under house arrest in the Metropol, and the events that transpire during his time at the hotel. Never had I given so much thought to seating charts during formal dinners until this book, until the Count explained (multiple times) how important they were!
What I really enjoyed about this story was how the Count changes through the duration of the book. When we first meet him, he's just been put under house arrest, and while he slowly (and mostly, out of necessity), tries to adjust to his hundred square foot room, there's still a wordly, regal manner about him. When he first meets Nina (and when we see him interact with his friend, Mishka), we see him soften - there's a side to him that's not "Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, recipient of the Order of Saint Andrew, member of the Jockey Club, Master of the Hunt", a side that learns to appreciate other human beings' perspectives and even starts to care for them (and we see this even moreso in his relationship with Sofia). That being said, one of my favorite sides of the Count was the one that emerged in his interactions with Emile and Andre - he was purposeful and driven, but at the same time lighthearted; I imagined him, in these interactions, to have a frequent twinkle in his eye (especially when discussing seating arrangements).
I would definitely read this book again - I found myself wholly immersed in the world Towles created.
What I really enjoyed about this story was how the Count changes through the duration of the book. When we first meet him, he's just been put under house arrest, and while he slowly (and mostly, out of necessity), tries to adjust to his hundred square foot room, there's still a wordly, regal manner about him. When he first meets Nina (and when we see him interact with his friend, Mishka), we see him soften - there's a side to him that's not "Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, recipient of the Order of Saint Andrew, member of the Jockey Club, Master of the Hunt", a side that learns to appreciate other human beings' perspectives and even starts to care for them (and we see this even moreso in his relationship with Sofia). That being said, one of my favorite sides of the Count was the one that emerged in his interactions with Emile and Andre - he was purposeful and driven, but at the same time lighthearted; I imagined him, in these interactions, to have a frequent twinkle in his eye (especially when discussing seating arrangements).
I would definitely read this book again - I found myself wholly immersed in the world Towles created.
I would almost call it not for me. But I was able to get on board eventually. Overall I would say that ironically the parts are greater than the whole.