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jessinthelib's review against another edition
4.0
I absolutely adored Rules of Civility so was incredibly happy to get a chance to read an ARC of Towles' new book. It took a little effort for me to get into this new time period and location, but once I was able to settle into it, I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and had a bit of an education to boot.
Count Rostov is of the Russian aristocracy at a time when that is no longer acceptable. He is sentenced to exile inside the Metropol Hotel in Moscow (before exiling in Siberia was in fashion), which had been his home for a couple of years. In the subsequent 30 or so years, we see Count Rostov's conditions change, but not his gentlemanly nature. We are introduced to a wonderful cast of characters, watch Russia change through those characters, and still, always, have empathy and admiration for the Count.
My minor gripes with the story are that it leaps forward in time often without warning which can feel jolting and left me a bit confused, and that the politics and the larger picture of those politics are somewhat downplayed until the end. Perhaps that's what the book is going for - a sort of subtlety and softness in keeping with the Count's nature...In the end I did find this book subtly brilliant.
Count Rostov is of the Russian aristocracy at a time when that is no longer acceptable. He is sentenced to exile inside the Metropol Hotel in Moscow (before exiling in Siberia was in fashion), which had been his home for a couple of years. In the subsequent 30 or so years, we see Count Rostov's conditions change, but not his gentlemanly nature. We are introduced to a wonderful cast of characters, watch Russia change through those characters, and still, always, have empathy and admiration for the Count.
My minor gripes with the story are that it leaps forward in time often without warning which can feel jolting and left me a bit confused, and that the politics and the larger picture of those politics are somewhat downplayed until the end. Perhaps that's what the book is going for - a sort of subtlety and softness in keeping with the Count's nature...In the end I did find this book subtly brilliant.
writegeist's review against another edition
5.0
A wonderful, intimate, sometimes claustrophobic view of Russia after the Revolution up until the '50's through the eyes of Count Rostov, exiled for life to the grand Metropol Hotel in Moscow. Filled with quirky people, Rostov deals with life to its fullest even though his sphere has greatly decreased.
alongapath's review against another edition
5.0
Before there was Google, there were gentlemen.
Instead of doing a wikipedia search, you could simply ask Alexi.
Without the aid of an encyclopedia, he could regale you with details about the inner workings of a grandfather clock or the secret to making the perfect stew. He could entertain your child for hours, pair your meal with the perfect wine and remember the gown you wore last time you dined together.
Count Alexander Rostov is sentenced to house arrest in post WW1 Russia for being a poet/intellectual. At that time, he was living in a suite in the Hotel Metropol so his arrest confines him to the interior of the hotel and his living quarters change to an abandoned attic for the next 30+ years.
Somehow he manages to keep himself entertained, intellectually stimulated and optimistic throughout the myriad changes that Russia went through during those years. Friends would come and then vanish. Staff would spy and report on each other. Lovers come and go. The Red Army attempts to remove the luxurious aspects of the hotel but through it all Alexi remains the most gentlemanly gentleman.
Towles ability to tell a story is second to none. He makes you so interested in the stairwells of the Interpol and the way that a desk was held level by a copy of Anna Karenina. He made those 30 years fly by and still had me in the dark about the ultimate ending. I didn't care about the ending, the resolution, the finale because I just wanted to immerse myself in more of his beautiful writing.
I listened to the perfect audio rendition of this book and highly recommend it. I savoured this book for so long that my audio version was sucked back into the library system on the due date, forcing me to wait another 3 months for a renewal. Worth it.
Instead of doing a wikipedia search, you could simply ask Alexi.
Without the aid of an encyclopedia, he could regale you with details about the inner workings of a grandfather clock or the secret to making the perfect stew. He could entertain your child for hours, pair your meal with the perfect wine and remember the gown you wore last time you dined together.
Count Alexander Rostov is sentenced to house arrest in post WW1 Russia for being a poet/intellectual. At that time, he was living in a suite in the Hotel Metropol so his arrest confines him to the interior of the hotel and his living quarters change to an abandoned attic for the next 30+ years.
Somehow he manages to keep himself entertained, intellectually stimulated and optimistic throughout the myriad changes that Russia went through during those years. Friends would come and then vanish. Staff would spy and report on each other. Lovers come and go. The Red Army attempts to remove the luxurious aspects of the hotel but through it all Alexi remains the most gentlemanly gentleman.
Towles ability to tell a story is second to none. He makes you so interested in the stairwells of the Interpol and the way that a desk was held level by a copy of Anna Karenina. He made those 30 years fly by and still had me in the dark about the ultimate ending. I didn't care about the ending, the resolution, the finale because I just wanted to immerse myself in more of his beautiful writing.
I listened to the perfect audio rendition of this book and highly recommend it. I savoured this book for so long that my audio version was sucked back into the library system on the due date, forcing me to wait another 3 months for a renewal. Worth it.
gbweeks's review against another edition
4.0
This is quite a whimsical novel. You accept the pretty implausible premise and enjoy the ride. You accept that the horrors of the Stalinist years don’t encroach on this particular place, where people such as the count were accepted—even honored--one minute and executed the next. Actually, the turning point of the narrative takes place after Stalin was gone.
Certainly, the writing is wonderful and evocative. An underlying theme is about what we consider “home” or “family.” The Count comes from an aristocratic background, but makes the Metropol a very real home, with a family, and his decisions center on them.
Toward the end the pace picks up and the Count talks quite a bit about Casablanca. The ending itself is unexpected and rather thought-provoking. I am not actually yet sure if I liked it or not.
Certainly, the writing is wonderful and evocative. An underlying theme is about what we consider “home” or “family.” The Count comes from an aristocratic background, but makes the Metropol a very real home, with a family, and his decisions center on them.
Toward the end the pace picks up and the Count talks quite a bit about Casablanca. The ending itself is unexpected and rather thought-provoking. I am not actually yet sure if I liked it or not.
katiedechant's review against another edition
5.0
Easily one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. It’s rare that a book can float to the highest peaks of joyousness only to tumble into a pit of despair and fear a few pages later. The Metropol Hotel will be stuck forever in my mind as a magical other world, utterly immersive and full of living characters. I will definitely be reading more from Mr. Towles.
clairepeep's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful prose. A bit slow in some places, but I can imagine that spending decades of your life in the same hotel might feel much the same—dragging days punctuated by the occasional appearance of a troubled childhood friend or fabulous (if fading) celebrity. Towles takes care to develop his characters—both their inner and outer selves—and the reader reaps the rewards.