Oh, I love this writer, whose witty observations and precise characterisation make him as fine a recorder of humanity as Jane Austen or Henry James. This wonderful novel charts the life of a Russian Count from 1922, when he is sentenced to permanent house arrest in Moscow, where he resides at the Metropol Hotel. This apparently constrained life delivers warm and sometimes surprising friendships, unexpected responsibilities and plenty of opportunity to pursue what he believes to be a good life during a time of complex social, political, economic and ethical change. Worth reading for many reasons and it's already on my list of read-agains.

Delightful! Full of insight, wisdom and charm
adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious 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
adventurous challenging emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad 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: No

madiekatt's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 22%

It was just too slow moving and boring for me.

“what matters in life is not whether we receive a round of applause; what matters is whether we have the courage to venture forth despite the uncertainty”
hopeful informative medium-paced

I couldn't see why everyone loved this book. The characters weren't compelling to me and I gave up around 2/3 of the way through.
adventurous emotional reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I liked the prose, the concept, and the historical inclusions. I wish there was a little more meat to the storyline, without leaving the readers in the dark so much. I also think it took a little long to get into.