A Gentleman in Moscow
A Gentleman in Moscow
By: Amor Towles
[Fulfilled ‘Book with chapter titles’ for Shelf Reflection’s 2023 Reading Challenge]
“At one time I had all the conveniences. But in the end, it has been the inconveniences that have mattered to me most.”
I was worried I would be bored with this book, but it was a very enjoyable read!
It was wise; it was mischievous, endearing, engaging; and it was meaningful.
It was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards in 2016 for Best Historical Fiction and rightly so.
Covering a span of many years, we are audience to the life of a man kept captive for more than half of his life in a hotel in Moscow. How does a man handle his house arrest and how does that man find purpose?
There is much to ponder and I think it would make a good book club discussion (see my questions at the end of the review).
Brief Summary
The Count (Alexander Rostov) has written a poem undermining the principles of the new Bolshevik government in Moscow after the revolution. He has been sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol Hotel. If he steps foot outside the hotel, he will be shot.
The Count comes from a wealthy family and under Bolshevik rule, the aristocrats are the enemy.
Moved from his luxurious apartment to a small attic space, Rostov must endure his punishment for many years.
Over the years we see him interact with hotel employees and guests and create relationships. We see the ups and downs of captivity. A near suicide attempt, loss, mischief, and merriment.
What I Loved
First of all, I love the cover. It is just so fitting. It is exactly how I picture the Count standing and observing the world outside. The hands clasped, the placement of his feet. He is the true picture of a gentleman in Moscow! Although I would have liked to view his moustaches.
The unique thing about this book is that there is no driving plot. Most historical fiction has some sort of mission or focuses on an aspect of a war or an event. There is a problem, a conflict, and a hero.
But A Gentleman in Moscow’s problem is quite simple: Rostov is under house arrest. What now? Of course the revolution is happening, WWII happens, and much political unrest. But Rostov is relatively untouched by it all in his isolation.
The book focuses on Rostov and his experiences. The question at play is: How does a man find purpose in such a predicament?
And so we see him forge friendships. We see him help others better themselves or achieve their dreams.
It almost reads like a TV series. We have a main character and a series of vignettes with somewhat separate themes. Characters come and go but the overarching storyline of the main character carries through.
Rostov is such a likable character! From the first you know he is a gentleman because he does not enter his captivity with bitterness, rage, or revenge. He accepts it and decides to make the most of it. He is wise, logical, practical. Mind over matter.
And in all he maintains wit, charm, and mischief.
My favorite character interaction he has is with the young girl Nina. They become partners in crime, exploring the hidden places of the hotel. Eavesdropping. Playing games.
She is bold and curious and thoughtful. She challenges the Count in many ways and he rises to the task. It is a sweet grandfatherly relationship and I love the verbal jousting they get into!
I also loved the message of the book. Or at least what I took to be the message. This book was about Rostov finding his purpose within his constraints. And we see that it involved other people. It became a somewhat selfless existence. There wasn’t much he could do for himself. But he invested in others.
As the quote I put at the top says- what ended up mattering to him most were ‘the inconveniences.’ And I think that is a profound and wise thing to say.
We have a plan of how we want our lives to go. We envision the trajectory of our lives, our goals. We ask- where do you see yourself in ten years? And of course as the years go, our plans feel fairly worthless or juvenile. There are ‘inconveniences’ that turn our lives around.
But when our perspective is outward focused instead of inward focused, we realize that people are important. And relationships with people, helping people, seeing people, investing in people. Those are highly meaningful things. ‘Inconveniences’ become the things most memorable or the things that most fully made us who we are.
Rostov’s punishment becomes enlightenment. He loses much to find he has gained much.
Purpose is people. Purpose is outward not inward. Purpose is limitless.
A Few Critiques
My first critique is that some of it was hard to follow. Because it covered such a large span of time, it was somewhat hard to keep the timeline in order. Some chapters began with a year marker, but especially if you read the book over a period of several days, it’s hard to remember what year you’re in and what has transpired.
There is also the Russian aspects— language and references— that complicate things. I’m sure I didn’t get all the meanings Towles was implying with the references. This seems like a book with many layers and because I’m not super familiar with Russian history/politics/economics/literature, I think I missed a lot of the symbolism or parallels. (And I haven’t seen Casablanca so that aspect was probably lost on me.)
Bonus Comments
Somehow it took me halfway through the book before I realized that all the chapter titles were words beginning with the letter ‘A.’ I’m not sure if there is significance to that but it was fun to notice.
In case you’re confused by the names, Sasha is short for Alexander and Mishka is a popular nickname for the name Mikhail.
At one point they note the temperature and it was in Fahrenheit. Shouldn’t it have been Celsius?
The game he played with Sofia in hiding the thimble I had to laugh at the rules being the counter counting to 200! When I play hide and seek with my kids I’m lucky if I get 20 seconds. 200 seconds is definitely too long of a window to hide a thimble in a tiny room.
A triumvirate is an ancient Roman term meaning: a group of three men holding power. And I love that Rostov calls his friendship with Emile and Andrey a triumvirate. So often it felt like the Count was a young boy in his own little adventure, imagination running wild in the midst of boredom!
I got extreme anxiety when they recount the incident of removing labels from thousands of bottles of wine. I just can’t imagine the insanity that would lead someone to do such a ridiculous thing. I don’t know why but every time I think about it, I get very upset. There’s probably something existential to consider there, but I can’t handle it so I’m just going to move on.
Conclusion
I definitely recommend this book. It is not going to be a fast-paced thriller or a complex plotted work of fiction, but it is very engaging and has a lot to ponder. The characters become our friends and it is a sad moment when we reach the end and realize we must say good-bye.
And if it encourages you to pick up the book at all, this is being released this year (2023) on Paramount+ and Showtime either as a movie or a limited series. Ewan McGregor is to play Alexander (which isn’t really who I picture… I think I picture someone more like Jude Law, Russell Crowe, or Michael Caine or whoever plays Hercule Poirot)
I’ll update with a comparison and review once I watch it. I’m excited to see the Metropol come to life!
Some Great Quotes
“The Count hadn’t the temperament for revenge; he hadn’t the imagination for epics; and he certainly hadn’t the fanciful ego to dream of empires restored. No. His model for mastering his circumstances would be a different sort of captive altogether” an Anglican washed ashore… the Count would maintain his resolve by committing to the business of practicalities.”
“Rather than being tools of self-discovery, mirrors tended to be tools of self-deceit.”
“A gentleman’s presence was best announced by his bearing, his remarks, and his manners. Not by the cut of his coat.”
“The only difference between everybody and nobody is all the shoes.”
“What can a first impression tell us about anyone? Why, no more than a chord can tell us about Beethoven, or a brushstroke about Botticelli. By their very nature, human beings are so capricious, so complex, so delightfully contradictory, that they deserve not only our consideration, but our reconsideration— and our unwavering determination to withhold our opinion until we have engaged with them in every possible setting at every possible hour.”
“Surely, the span of time between the placing of an order and the arrival of appetizers is one of the most perilous in all human interaction… What husband and wife have not found themselves suddenly unnerved by the fear that they might never have something urgent, impassioned, or surprising to say to each other again?”
“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.”
Book Club Discussion Questions
I think this book would make a great book club book. Here are some questions I came up with to help spur discussion:
What makes a gentleman?
What do you think the meaning of the book is?
What does it mean to be a person of purpose?
What do you think was the hardest part of house arrest for the Count?
If you were under house arrest for years of your life, where would you want to be held and how would you pass your time?
Which of Alexander’s character interactions was your favorite?
What were the differences between Nina and her daughter Sofia and how did those differences influence the trajectory of their lives?
What changes do you see in the Count from the beginning to the end?
Do you think it would have added to the story or taken away if Towles had chosen to include more of the WWII and political happenings in the book?
The Count left his belongings several times in this book— what of your possessions would be the hardest to leave behind indefinitely?
What do you think the Count’s political leanings were and why? (socialist, communist, democratic, etc)
Why do you think the Count did not harbor any bitterness at his situation, especially considering what led him to it?
Why do you think Alexander and Anna hit it off so well?
Why do you think Alexander returned to his estate at the end?
Was the ending satisfactory to you? What would you have done differently?
How did the Count find purpose? How do you find purpose?
The book covers a large time span— do you feel like the Count aged at all?
What was the significance of the movie Casablanca in the book?
The book quotes- ‘All poetry is a call to action’— have you ever been influenced to action by the written word? How so?
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