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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
adventurous
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:
No
Beautifully written, witty, endearing characters, satisfying ending.
slow start, well worth it! All books make me cry these days. This one made me laugh a good bit too!
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
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:
Yes
I nearly gave A Gentleman in Moscow five stars. There were only two drawbacks: The first was the slightly slow beginning, in which the main character, Count Alexander Rostov, came across to me as irritatingly snooty. But as the novel progressed, the author expertly developed Rostov's character and I loved him by the end. The second drawback was Amor Towles' expectation that his audience have somewhat more than basic knowledge of Russian history and literature; readers that don't should still be able to enjoy the book, but I definitely found myself missing some of the references. Still, the novel provides a good opportunity to learn about those subjects without being overly pedantic. Towles offers a nuanced view of Soviet Russia across several decades, a remarkable approach considering the protagonist is a former Russian aristocrat under house arrest in a Moscow hotel. But while Towles includes enough political details to provide context, A Gentleman in Moscow isn't really about Soviet-era politics, but rather about one man's endeavor to make a life for himself in the face of challenging circumstances. One of the novel's greatest strengths is its ability to evoke an entire city, country, and time period, all within the walls of the Metropol Hotel. Clearly a gifted writer, Amor Towles is on my list of authors to watch!
A long read that certainly picks up pace towards the end. Certain quotes will always stand out to me, like
"that sense of loss is exactly what we must anticipate, prepare for, and cherish to the last of our days; for it is only in our heartbreak that finally refutes all that is ephemeral in love."
"For 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 of acclaim"
Incredibly well written and a satisfying and surprising ending. The plot has multiple twists and turns especially for a book that follows a man contained completely in a hotel.
"that sense of loss is exactly what we must anticipate, prepare for, and cherish to the last of our days; for it is only in our heartbreak that finally refutes all that is ephemeral in love."
"For 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 of acclaim"
Incredibly well written and a satisfying and surprising ending. The plot has multiple twists and turns especially for a book that follows a man contained completely in a hotel.
Wonderful character development with a captivating story line.
I cannot say enough good things about this book. Best book I've read in ages. Loved it from start to finish. So well balanced in every way. Loved the writing, loved the characters, loved the storyline and the Count's insights. Just so enjoyable. Go and read it right away.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐯, 𝐚 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐦, 𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐥.
𝙸 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎. 𝙸𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚍, 𝙸 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢𝚎𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝. 𝙱𝚎𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚞𝚗𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜.
#agentlemaninmoscow #amortowles
The first half I found charming but VERY slow but then that ending
I hate to say it, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped. Planning a reread, maybe next year.