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A review by richardrbecker
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
5.0
After the Bolshevik Revolution launch a nearly bloodless coup d'état against the provisional government of Alexander Kerensky (which was responsible for overthrowing the Russian monarchy), Count Alexander Rostov is not killed or driven into exile. This unique "former person" isn't even asked to conceal his identity (provided he forget his former social standing) but is instead sentenced to live out the rest of his life on "house arrest" in the Metropol hotel.
As the days turn into weeks and weeks into months, the count begins to lose his resolve despite being the finest hotel in Moscow with a barber, restaurant, and a clientele that consists of visiting dignitaries and new government officials. But when he meets and befriends a feisty 9-year-old girl named Nina, Rostov expands his world by exploring the more common areas of the hotel with her and works to become a master of his circumstances.
There is a sadness that seeps into these circumstances that go beyond relinquishing privileges or being forced to live in a 100-square-foot attic room. The real loss is seeing Russia's once gentile past slowly erased under the pressure of the new guard, traded in for cronyism more than an often idealized but never realized communist society. People are promoted because of their associations over skills. Ingredients in the restaurant become increasingly scarce and unvalued. Architecture around the city is transformed from elegant into cookie-cutter apartment complexes.
After surviving two decades of this existence, the count discovers another new spark in his life when his young friend Nina returns to the hotel along with her 5-year-old daughter Sofia. He agrees to watch the young girl for a few months, which eventually becomes a permanent arrangement. As his love for Sofia as a daughter grows, the count begins to worry about her future and does not want her life to be limited in Communist Russia.
The journey Rostov takes is two-fold. Readers not only experience the transformation of a man of great charm and character, but also the transformation of a country by those with weak character. By doing so, Amor Towles deftly explores imprisonment, freedom, purpose, adaptation, and the love of friends and family. And much like the main character, he does it all while maintaining a high road of civility in a memorable epic story but served up as an intimate novel.
As the days turn into weeks and weeks into months, the count begins to lose his resolve despite being the finest hotel in Moscow with a barber, restaurant, and a clientele that consists of visiting dignitaries and new government officials. But when he meets and befriends a feisty 9-year-old girl named Nina, Rostov expands his world by exploring the more common areas of the hotel with her and works to become a master of his circumstances.
There is a sadness that seeps into these circumstances that go beyond relinquishing privileges or being forced to live in a 100-square-foot attic room. The real loss is seeing Russia's once gentile past slowly erased under the pressure of the new guard, traded in for cronyism more than an often idealized but never realized communist society. People are promoted because of their associations over skills. Ingredients in the restaurant become increasingly scarce and unvalued. Architecture around the city is transformed from elegant into cookie-cutter apartment complexes.
After surviving two decades of this existence, the count discovers another new spark in his life when his young friend Nina returns to the hotel along with her 5-year-old daughter Sofia. He agrees to watch the young girl for a few months, which eventually becomes a permanent arrangement. As his love for Sofia as a daughter grows, the count begins to worry about her future and does not want her life to be limited in Communist Russia.
The journey Rostov takes is two-fold. Readers not only experience the transformation of a man of great charm and character, but also the transformation of a country by those with weak character. By doing so, Amor Towles deftly explores imprisonment, freedom, purpose, adaptation, and the love of friends and family. And much like the main character, he does it all while maintaining a high road of civility in a memorable epic story but served up as an intimate novel.