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joelafond's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
relaxing
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
5.0
megannicolemay_'s review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Excellently written! Towles delivered this one with grace, wit, and such thoughtfulness to the nuances and daily pleasures of life despite one's circumstances.. "if a man does not master his circumstances then he is bound to be mastered by them."
Highly recommend this heartwarming novel for anyone who wants to fall in love with the characters, root for their success, and learn about early 1900's Russian history along the way.
Highly recommend this heartwarming novel for anyone who wants to fall in love with the characters, root for their success, and learn about early 1900's Russian history along the way.
vvnobook's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
cdhotwing's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
kassiani's review
4.0
Evidently well written - I especially liked the ever-evolving world of the hotel, with continuous rooms, behind-the-scenes and clients to discover, as well as the portrait of the regime transitions (from the Romanovs to the bolsheviks to the communists - much that changes, much that stays the same, as evidenced by the use of the hotel ballroom). Nina and the Count's friendship was lovely. Especially enjoyed the descriptions of food (coffee!) and the insights into human psychology.
However, I felt like the book kept the reader at a distance all throughout and I failed to make meaningful connections to the characters or the plot (maybe the longwinded overly descriptive narration and time jumps?).
Maybe try to read it again (paper copy?)
QUOTES:
"After all, what can a first impression tell us about someone we’ve just met for a minute in the lobby of a hotel? For that matter, what can a first impression tell us about anyone? Why, no more than a chord can tell us about Beethoven, or a brushstroke about Botticelli. By their very nature, human beings are so capricious, so complex, so delightfully contradictory, that they deserve not only our consideration, but our reconsideration—and our unwavering determination to withhold our opinion until we have engaged with them in every possible setting at every possible hour.”
“...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.”
“He had said that our lives are steered by uncertainties, many of which are disruptive or even daunting; but that if we persevere and remain generous of heart, we may be granted a moment of lucidity—a moment in which all that has happened to us suddenly comes into focus as a necessary course of events, even as we find ourselves on the threshold of the life we had been meant to lead all along.”
“Alexander Rostov was neither scientist nor sage; but at the age of sixty-four he was wise enough to know that life does not proceed by leaps and bounds. It unfolds. At any given moment, it is the manifestation of a thousand transitions. Our faculties wax and wane, our experiences accumulate and our opinions evolve--if not glacially, then at least gradually. Such that the events of an average day are as likely to transform who we are as a pinch of pepper is to transform a stew.”
"History is the business of identifying momentous events from the comfort of a high-back chair. With the benefit of time, the historian looks back and points to a date in the manner of a gray-haired field marshal pointing to a bend in a river on a map: There it was, he says. The turning point. The decisive factor. The fateful day that fundamentally altered all that was to follow.”
“Silence can be a form of protest. It can be a means of survival. But it can also be a school of poetry—one with its own meter, tropes, and conventions. One that needn’t be written with pencils or pens; but that can be written in the soul with a revolver to the chest.”
“For here was Casablanca, a far-flung outpost in a time of war. And here at the heart of the city, right under the sweep of the searchlights, was Rick’s Café Américain, where the beleaguered could assemble for the moment to gamble and drink and listen to music; to conspire, console, and most importantly, hope. And at the center of this oasis was Rick. As the Count’s friend had observed, the saloonkeeper’s cool response to Ugarte’s arrest and his instruction for the band to play on could suggest a certain indifference to the fates of men. But in setting upright the cocktail glass in the aftermath of the commotion, didn’t he also exhibit an essential faith that by the smallest of one’s actions one can restore some sense of order to the world?"
However, I felt like the book kept the reader at a distance all throughout and I failed to make meaningful connections to the characters or the plot (maybe the longwinded overly descriptive narration and time jumps?).
Maybe try to read it again (paper copy?)
QUOTES:
"After all, what can a first impression tell us about someone we’ve just met for a minute in the lobby of a hotel? For that matter, what can a first impression tell us about anyone? Why, no more than a chord can tell us about Beethoven, or a brushstroke about Botticelli. By their very nature, human beings are so capricious, so complex, so delightfully contradictory, that they deserve not only our consideration, but our reconsideration—and our unwavering determination to withhold our opinion until we have engaged with them in every possible setting at every possible hour.”
“...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.”
“He had said that our lives are steered by uncertainties, many of which are disruptive or even daunting; but that if we persevere and remain generous of heart, we may be granted a moment of lucidity—a moment in which all that has happened to us suddenly comes into focus as a necessary course of events, even as we find ourselves on the threshold of the life we had been meant to lead all along.”
“Alexander Rostov was neither scientist nor sage; but at the age of sixty-four he was wise enough to know that life does not proceed by leaps and bounds. It unfolds. At any given moment, it is the manifestation of a thousand transitions. Our faculties wax and wane, our experiences accumulate and our opinions evolve--if not glacially, then at least gradually. Such that the events of an average day are as likely to transform who we are as a pinch of pepper is to transform a stew.”
"History is the business of identifying momentous events from the comfort of a high-back chair. With the benefit of time, the historian looks back and points to a date in the manner of a gray-haired field marshal pointing to a bend in a river on a map: There it was, he says. The turning point. The decisive factor. The fateful day that fundamentally altered all that was to follow.”
“Silence can be a form of protest. It can be a means of survival. But it can also be a school of poetry—one with its own meter, tropes, and conventions. One that needn’t be written with pencils or pens; but that can be written in the soul with a revolver to the chest.”
“For here was Casablanca, a far-flung outpost in a time of war. And here at the heart of the city, right under the sweep of the searchlights, was Rick’s Café Américain, where the beleaguered could assemble for the moment to gamble and drink and listen to music; to conspire, console, and most importantly, hope. And at the center of this oasis was Rick. As the Count’s friend had observed, the saloonkeeper’s cool response to Ugarte’s arrest and his instruction for the band to play on could suggest a certain indifference to the fates of men. But in setting upright the cocktail glass in the aftermath of the commotion, didn’t he also exhibit an essential faith that by the smallest of one’s actions one can restore some sense of order to the world?"
indolentfop's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
5.0
gordosaurusrex's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A really well written, eloquent book. The main character feels educated and interesting but not without flaws which is nice, and they are forced to face them at times throughout. The story is fun though often just about life in the Hotel in which the main character is under house arrest. Funny moments, comments, and turns of phrase throughout keep the mood light, and it feels based in the real period in history which is nice. I like the characters and they feel alive without being overly explained or hearing every element of their backstory. Haven't read a book like this before, and I really enjoyed it.
aclassi_k's review against another edition
5.0
I wasn't sure what to expect before getting into this book. I was wondering if it would be more philosophical or a story about a man relentlessly trying to escape his improsonment. It was so much more and so much better.
At first, it was hard to get in, it was slow and a bit confusing. Rostov met a great variety of people whose impact on the story was confusing and left a lot of unanswered questions. Despite this, the story slowly but surely embraced you and made you appreciate the details, the lovely descriptions and Rostov himself.
Although the hotel is one building, it became a whole journey and a fulfilling life for our main character. And the ending made my heart flutter. So beautiful, so ethereal, so comforting.
At first, it was hard to get in, it was slow and a bit confusing. Rostov met a great variety of people whose impact on the story was confusing and left a lot of unanswered questions. Despite this, the story slowly but surely embraced you and made you appreciate the details, the lovely descriptions and Rostov himself.
Although the hotel is one building, it became a whole journey and a fulfilling life for our main character. And the ending made my heart flutter. So beautiful, so ethereal, so comforting.
mcplank's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
relaxing
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
This is one of the most beautifully written novels I have ever read. It was perfect in every way for me.