A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

A photo of "A Gentleman in Moscow" by Amor Towles, leaning against a whit ecat with brown and black markings on his head and back. The cat's name is Ralph. He looks annoyed.
A photo of "A Gentleman in Moscow" by Amor Towles, leaning against a whit ecat with brown and black markings on his head and back. The cat's name is Ralph. He looks annoyed.

(Originally posted to Instagram on June 6, 2024)

This was a recommendation from a friend that’s been on my tbr for quite a while. The premise is, the main character Count Rostov is sentenced by the new communist government to house arrest inside the prestigious Metropol Hotel in Moscow in 1922. If he sets foot outside the hotel, he’ll be shot.

I’ll be the first to admit my knowledge of 20th century Russian history is pretty sparse. I’m not entirely clear on how we got from Tsar to Lenin to Stalin. I know some of the broad strokes, but nowhere near all of them, and none of the particulars. I mention this because if you feel intimidated by the history, don’t be. I don’t know my Romanovs from my Rachmaninoffs, and I loved every letter of this book.

It does several things well, some of which I can’t discuss because it’ll spoil, and I don’t want to spoil anything even a little bit. But one thing is the Count himself. Many times in literature, charming people are described as charming, but they’re really not that different from the other characters in the book. I.e., they “smile disarmingly” instead of just smiling. But the count is well and truly charming to the reader, not just to the other characters. He’s very caring, very loyal, very attentive to other people’s needs, and he does his best to do what’s right, even when it’s dangerous. He’s clever, witty, and just a joy to read.

It also shows the passage of time very well. The count’s calisthenics routine slowly shrinks as he gets older, his temperament changes subtly, he gets razzed by his compatriots for his olde timey attitudes. But he endures tragedy, comforts those who need it, and finds love where he can, thriving under the most difficult of circumstances. The villain “the bishop” is also just fantastic, but I can’t talk about him without spoiling things.

It has its flaws. The Russian lit tendency for every character to have several names takes some getting used to. It’s a little overly nostalgic for the aristocracy. Rostov does sometimes get lucky the way only protagonists can. But none of that really matters. It’s amazing. Go read it asap. It’s a finely balanced banquet of a book. Will probably be one of my top five for the year. Definitely recommended

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