Reviewed by Louise Beer (CA)
“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.”
Born and raised in the Boston area, Amor Towles graduated from Yale College and received an MA in English from Stanford University. His first novel, Rules of Civility, published in 2011, was a New York Times bestseller and was named by the Wall Street Journal as one of the best books of the year.
A Gentleman in Moscow was published 5 years later and was on the New York Times bestseller list for over a year in hardcover. It was named one of the best books of 2016 by the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the San Francisco Chronicle, and NPR. The book has been translated into over thirty languages including Russian.
Spread across four decades, it shares the intriguing story of Count Rostov who was under house arrest at the Hotel Metropol in Moscow for nearly 30 years. We get to know the insides of the hotel, the suites, the smaller staff rooms, the lobby, kitchen, restaurant, wine cellar — and every detail about its many secrets. The reader is also introduced to the hotel staff and clients alike.
The story could have been set anywhere — but it is wonderful that Arthur Towles choose this particular setting. As he recounts, “when I visited Moscow for the first time in 1998, I wandered into the historic Metropol Hotel as a curious tourist simply to ogle the giant painted glass ceiling, that hangs over the grand restaurant off the lobby. It was the memory of that short visit that prompted me some years later to set A Gentleman in Moscow in the hotel.”
For me personally, it reminded me of my past experience, many years ago while I was doing an internship in the 5-star Algarve Hotel in Portugal, where every day, I would witness the same guests coming in for a coffee or a drink. One woman, in particular, came with her daughter trying to marry her off to a foreign guest. When I returned a few years later, many of the same people including this same mother and daughter were still regulars.
The cast of characters in the unfolding and intriguing story are delightful and so real. There is Mikhaïl Fyodorsvick Mindich (Misha), his best friend from school who comes to visit him all the time at the hotel. Anna Urbanova, a film actress and the Count’s lover who is at the height of her career when they meet.
Central to the story is Nina Kulikova, one of Count’s first friendships made during his imprisonment. At the start of the novel, she is 9 years old when she shows him around the “back of the house” with the special passkey that she managed to steal. I loved her character so much and it could have been an Eloise at The Plaza if the setting had been different. Of course, it would be difficult in today’s world to get away with as much as she did.
Sofia, the daughter of Nina appears later on in the book when her husband is arrested and sent to Siberia. Sofia is only 5 years old but by the end of the novel, she becomes a talented pianist. The Count becomes a doting father and parent to Sofia which gives him a great sense of purpose.
Then there is Bishop who starts working in the least elegant restaurant, the Piazza, before rising through the ranks to a position in The Boyarsky, the hotel’s main restaurant. After years serving as assistant manager, he eventually becomes hotel manager. He is incapable in so many ways and due to his lack of tact, the Count takes an immediate dislike to him — and the feeling is mutual. The worst of his debacles and a very funny incident is when the Count arrives at dinner one evening and all the wine bottles have had their labels removed to “equalize the bottles “.
A thoroughly enjoyable read as one can really imagine yourself living right there. At the same time, it is hard to believe that the Count spent 30 years in house arrest because he is so busy and lives with such purpose and intention.
Needless to say, I was delighted this was chosen for the IWAP Friday Book Club. The big disappointment was that I could not be in Prague but did find myself there in spirit while sitting that second Friday morning of the month in the lobby of a beautiful hotel in Dubai. At the same time, grateful for others who enjoyed the book as well and could step in and lead the discussion — thanks so much Thelma.
Click HERE for a link to an expressive video summary of the book which invites the listener in to read this fascinating tale – a story that will transport you to another time and place – one of elegance, good manners, and old world charm. I can also imagine that this would be wonderful in audio form.
For a more extensive very interesting 12-minute, click interview with Amor Towles.
