Scan barcode
anna4ce's review against another edition
3.0
Absolutely gorgeous writing, but the story was lacking in direction. Successful in the same vein as Anna Karenina: wordy and beautiful but ultimately non compelling in plot.
mayalex's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.75
idaccool's review against another edition
5.0
Yes, it did take me over a month to read this brilliant book but it is definitely the best book I have ever read (with The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde of course).
theresaburnham's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Great story about family, hardship, loyalty, and what it means to be a good person. Though the language is a bit dense, I loved the long timespan of the story and characters, and the whimsy afforded to serious themes of war and captivity.
rkaufman13's review against another edition
Could have sworn I already reviewed this, but the tone of the book is "smarmy" and the main character's a Marty Stu. I don't know why everyone wants me to love this book.
irenelpynn's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
twellz's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 STARS! Despite a witty first chapter, the novel is slow to find its rhythm, but about 30% through it picked up & 75% through it, I couldn't put it down. I found myself highlighting passages like a fool!
The main character, Count Alexander Rostov, is sentenced in 1922 by the Bolsheviks to live out the rest of his life at the Metropol Hotel in Moscow. If he leaves, he is to be executed. Instead of living in his former posh hotel suite, he is instead given a 10' x 10' room in the attic. The fact that almost the entire book takes place in the Metropol Hotel is part of why I loved this book! His lunches with Nina & Sophie reminded me of dining at “elegant dinners” with my Bama when I was a little girl!
Favorite Quotes/Passages:
“But experience is less likely to teach us how to bid our dearest possessions adieu. And if it were to? We wouldn’t welcome the education. For eventually, we come to hold our dearest possessions more closely than we hold our friends. We carry them from place to place, often at considerable expense and inconvenience; we dust and polish their surfaces and reprimand children for playing too roughly in their vicinity—all the while, allowing memories to invest them with greater and greater importance. Until we imagine that these carefully preserved possessions might give us genuine solace in the face of a lost companion.”
“Some might wonder that the two men should consider themselves to be old friends having only known each other for four years; but the tenure of friendships has never been governed by the passage of time.”
“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.”
If you want to read a book with page-turning suspense, action or romance this is not the book for you. "A Gentleman in Moscow" was totally unlike anything I have ever read. Like Towles’ “Rules of Civility”, the writing style is tedious, exquisite & a million reasons why I will savor this story forever!
The main character, Count Alexander Rostov, is sentenced in 1922 by the Bolsheviks to live out the rest of his life at the Metropol Hotel in Moscow. If he leaves, he is to be executed. Instead of living in his former posh hotel suite, he is instead given a 10' x 10' room in the attic. The fact that almost the entire book takes place in the Metropol Hotel is part of why I loved this book! His lunches with Nina & Sophie reminded me of dining at “elegant dinners” with my Bama when I was a little girl!
Favorite Quotes/Passages:
“But experience is less likely to teach us how to bid our dearest possessions adieu. And if it were to? We wouldn’t welcome the education. For eventually, we come to hold our dearest possessions more closely than we hold our friends. We carry them from place to place, often at considerable expense and inconvenience; we dust and polish their surfaces and reprimand children for playing too roughly in their vicinity—all the while, allowing memories to invest them with greater and greater importance. Until we imagine that these carefully preserved possessions might give us genuine solace in the face of a lost companion.”
“Some might wonder that the two men should consider themselves to be old friends having only known each other for four years; but the tenure of friendships has never been governed by the passage of time.”
“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.”
If you want to read a book with page-turning suspense, action or romance this is not the book for you. "A Gentleman in Moscow" was totally unlike anything I have ever read. Like Towles’ “Rules of Civility”, the writing style is tedious, exquisite & a million reasons why I will savor this story forever!
kirsten0929's review against another edition
3.0
[2016] This book was completely charming and Count Alexander Rostov is one of the most likable characters I have ever come across. I started out loving this book. Everyone was so nice and everyone got along and life in the hotel was good and rolled along without incident until…well, that’s the problem, there was no until. Life just rolled along, which was fine for about the first 300 (of 462) pages, but after that it started wearing a little thin. Give me some adversity! Give me some conflict! None to be found. Anytime I thought I saw some potential for a pivotal moment or a turning point of some sort, the issue was resolved pretty much before it started. Our hero aged over the course of the book but I’m not sure he grew.
This book wasn’t quite what I expected - it’s basically a G rated book and I was expecting at least a PG. Not the book’s fault, but I was expecting a little more depth and complexity. I would have like a little more exploration of his feelings about his 30-year house arrest (he’s very zen about it but surely they couldn’t have all been good), what he missed about the outside world (apparently nothing?), the logistics of how that would work (I guess because all of them couldn’t be addressed, none of them were?), etc. I also expected a more in depth look at Moscow during these years, politically and socially (we get glimpses). It stays very much at the surface - a book of this length could have gone down a couple more layers. All that said, it was such a sweet book that I still really enjoyed it and will look back on it fondly. Wouldn't mind giving his other book, Rules of Civility a read.
This book wasn’t quite what I expected - it’s basically a G rated book and I was expecting at least a PG. Not the book’s fault, but I was expecting a little more depth and complexity. I would have like a little more exploration of his feelings about his 30-year house arrest (he’s very zen about it but surely they couldn’t have all been good), what he missed about the outside world (apparently nothing?), the logistics of how that would work (I guess because all of them couldn’t be addressed, none of them were?), etc. I also expected a more in depth look at Moscow during these years, politically and socially (we get glimpses). It stays very much at the surface - a book of this length could have gone down a couple more layers. All that said, it was such a sweet book that I still really enjoyed it and will look back on it fondly. Wouldn't mind giving his other book, Rules of Civility a read.
emmaje01's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0