A review by haphazardreads
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing slow-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

4.0

A Gentleman in Moscow is easily described as delightful, this is a novel that dwells on what is good and beautiful. It is a soothing and affirming read. I would say, however, it lacks gravitas and any political value whatsoever. I have seen so many people reviewing this book as an ode to those beauties of the past lost in the Russian Revolution. The book seems only mildly aware, and many reviewers seem entirely unaware, that the luxuries of the Russian aristocracy came at a grave cost to the Russian people and the destruction of the aristocracy was a necessity. This book should not be read as a lament for lost luxuries but as an appreciation of the labourers who worked to produce such luxuries. We should all be inspired by comrade Rostov’s achievement of class consciousness seen in his rejection of aristocracy in favour of a worker’s uniform, the white jacket of a waiter.