A Gentleman in Moscow By: Amor Towles

Time spent reading: 19 Hours

“A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amoor Toles was a finalist for the 2016 Kirkus Prize in Fiction & Literature. The book was also an International Dublin Literary Award Nominee"

Short Summary

The book is the story of Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov. Born into a privileged family in Russia Alexander lead a cocooned life. His parents passed away when he was just 11 leaving him and his younger sister in the capable hands of their God Father the Grand Duke Demidov. Growing on a plush estate called ‘IdleHour’ under the supervision of his GrandMother Alexander had the world at his feet. Alexander did what all noble men were expected to do “Be Noble” he studied art, literature, the art of conversation, chivalry. He went to the best colleges on the world and in general kept his affairs clean and developed a name as an upstanding friend and a Gentleman.

Some circumstances arose and Alexander had to leave his beloved Russia and go to Paris, leaving behind a heart broken sister who he loved with all his heart and his grandmother. He returned just after the Bolshevik revolution to get his grandmother out of Russia and to salvage whatever he could from their home ‘IdleHour’. He himself however did not run out of Russia but stayed back at the luxury Hotel Metropol converting a luxurious room into his residence and decorating it with the things that he has saved from his home ‘Idele Hour’. This Hotel was to be his home for the next 30 odd years when he was placed there under house arrest for life.

My Review

“I am a gentleman; I do not have an occupation” was what Alexander told the Bolshevik Tribunal when the stood in front of them as they were ready to sentence his for writing a revolutionary poem attributed to him. The book is a coming of age story of both ‘Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov’ and ‘Russia’. This is a masterpiece in the soft attributes of manners, education (art and sophistication), wit and charm something that I feel is neglected in today’s education system but is vital to ones success.

The book starts a bit slowly but by the second chapter, once you check into the Hotel Metropol, you never check out. The book in written in 38 short chapters and is easy to read and follow. The pace of the book is excellent it is like riding on the small trains at Matheran, you keep chugging along at a comfortable pace while you enjoy the pleasant sights and sounds flying past. The writing is detailed without being verbose you feel like you are transported to the soviet-era luxury hotel and put right in the middle of this hustling and bustling center of Russia.

The story is filled with interesting anecdotes and stories which partake a lot of wisdom on the reader. The progression of the story in linear with reference to the past and flash back at certain points, I however never found them to be non intrusive to the reading or found myself turning the pages back and forth to go back to a certain point in the book. The characters are all well written and each one has rich backstory and unique character. Count Alexander Rostov - recipient of the Order of Saint Andrew, member of the Jockey Club, Master of the Hunt had been reduced to the four walls of a tiny servants quarters in the grand “Hotel Mertropol”. The Count cultivated a social circle made of friends from his youth as well as selected residents, staff, and customers of the Hotel and its restaurants. These include a one-eyed cat, a young girl, a seamstress, a French chef, a maître d'hotel and former circus juggler, a poet, a proud actress, an underemployed architect, an orchestra conductor, a prince, a former Red Army colonel, and an aide-de-camp of an American general, who became his friends and confidants.

The interplay between the relationship that the Alexander shares with the Hotel staff as he transforms from their guest to their collegue and friend is heartwarming. This book is like a warm glass of milk on a rainy afternoon, it is calm, soothing and will unwittingly put a smile on you face.

The book has a stunning climax rivaling the likes of Jason Bourne.