Scan barcode
A review by katie_is_dreaming
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
4.0
4.5
This was really quite lovely. It's written quite whimsically, but with a real seriousness of intent behind it. It's also funny, but also very tender.
I've been trying to imagine how this idea came into being, and how Towles challenged himself with this particular story. Because what he's done is taken a story about a man stuck in a hotel for many years, but also, somehow, made it about all of Russia. How has he done this? He's done it by bringing Russia to the count. Each of the characters the count encounters, whether it's his old friend Mishka, the young idealist Nina, the pedantic waiter he calls the Bishop, the Party member who befriends him, or his American friend Richard tells us something about Russia as it changes into the Soviet Union. Even the count himself, a member of the aristocracy who's spared death because of a poem that bears his name, must deal with the changes his country is undergoing, must decide for himself how he's going to deal with the destruction of his old way of life.
It's fascinating to see how Towles has created Russia in microcosm. It's extraordinary how he's written a story where his lead character is confined to a hotel, and yet is part of the life and change of his country. Equally fascinating is the count's reaction to his world changing around him. Does he accept it or does he rebel? Now, I'm not going to spoil that :)
The count is a wonderful character. Watching how he adapts to his changed situation, and how he deals with his isolation, is very engaging. His life changes in many ways, very challenging ways, and he faces up to it all with bravery and quite a lot of patience.
The secondary characters - Mishka, Anna, Nina, Emile, Andrey, Sofia, and Richard - are also wonderful, and really make the story memorable. There are funny, sad, and sweetly tender moments with all of them.
If there's one thing I wish for, it would be more of an insight into some of the count's decisions towards the end. I do know why he did what he did, but I think those were moments where it would have been wonderful to be let into his head, instead of held at a distance, as we have been for the rest of the book. I think it's the nature of the way Towles chose to tell this story that we are on the outside looking in, but I just wish I'd gotten a bit closer to the count at times.
Still, this is an impressive feat of storytelling. I'm impressed with how Towles chose to tell such an expansive story in a limited space. That's a challenge for any writer, and that deserves to be acknowledged. And this is a story that deserves to be read.
This was really quite lovely. It's written quite whimsically, but with a real seriousness of intent behind it. It's also funny, but also very tender.
I've been trying to imagine how this idea came into being, and how Towles challenged himself with this particular story. Because what he's done is taken a story about a man stuck in a hotel for many years, but also, somehow, made it about all of Russia. How has he done this? He's done it by bringing Russia to the count. Each of the characters the count encounters, whether it's his old friend Mishka, the young idealist Nina, the pedantic waiter he calls the Bishop, the Party member who befriends him, or his American friend Richard tells us something about Russia as it changes into the Soviet Union. Even the count himself, a member of the aristocracy who's spared death because of a poem that bears his name, must deal with the changes his country is undergoing, must decide for himself how he's going to deal with the destruction of his old way of life.
It's fascinating to see how Towles has created Russia in microcosm. It's extraordinary how he's written a story where his lead character is confined to a hotel, and yet is part of the life and change of his country. Equally fascinating is the count's reaction to his world changing around him. Does he accept it or does he rebel? Now, I'm not going to spoil that :)
The count is a wonderful character. Watching how he adapts to his changed situation, and how he deals with his isolation, is very engaging. His life changes in many ways, very challenging ways, and he faces up to it all with bravery and quite a lot of patience.
The secondary characters - Mishka, Anna, Nina, Emile, Andrey, Sofia, and Richard - are also wonderful, and really make the story memorable. There are funny, sad, and sweetly tender moments with all of them.
If there's one thing I wish for, it would be more of an insight into some of the count's decisions towards the end. I do know why he did what he did, but I think those were moments where it would have been wonderful to be let into his head, instead of held at a distance, as we have been for the rest of the book. I think it's the nature of the way Towles chose to tell this story that we are on the outside looking in, but I just wish I'd gotten a bit closer to the count at times.
Still, this is an impressive feat of storytelling. I'm impressed with how Towles chose to tell such an expansive story in a limited space. That's a challenge for any writer, and that deserves to be acknowledged. And this is a story that deserves to be read.