A Gentleman in Moscow

Author: Amor Towles

One-sentence summary: A Russian aristocrat is sentenced to confinement in the Metropol Hotel in Moscow during the Bolshevik Revolution for the rest of his life.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 6

Our favorite thing about it: The beautifully crafted writing.

Our least favorite thing about it: Not as much story as we were expecting. Not a big story arc.

Main Topics of Discussion: Bolshevik Revolution, Russia, Classes in Society, Change, Etiquette and Courtesy, Human Nature

Our favorite quote: “It is of interest of times to change, Mr. Helecki. And it is the business of gentlemen to change with them.”

Notes: Most of us liked this book well enough but thought that it didn’t have enough of a story to hold our attention. Things happened, but there was not a driving plot that kept us wanting to come back to find out what happened next. Aside from that, the book was enjoyable. And it had some of the best writing and beautifully crafted sentences. Other things we noted/discussed:

1. There were cliffhangers surrounding Nina and her outcome. We were slightly bothered by not knowing what had happened to her after she dropped Sophia off at the hotel. We recognize that this was just part of the times in Russia and it served to illustrate how tenuous thing were, but it also just bugged us.

2. We thought the political discussions, thoughts, ideologies, and tensions were fascinating. Whether it was Mishka, Osip, or the Bishop, the author used these people to illustrate what was going on in the country and in the minds of those who were setting up Russia for its communist years. And the Count’s thoughts and experiences of Tsarist Russia were interesting as well.

3. The theme of community at the expense of individuality was one aspect of the political landscape we discussed and found fascinating. Especially as it foils the polar opposite track of America where individualism reigns supreme, sometimes to the detriment of community. The issues of loss of identity also came into play here and brought up questions about erasing identity for the common good…and is that actually good at all?

4. It’s interesting that this author’s other book is called The Rules of Civility, because we found the Count’s own rules of civility to serve him quite well and we saw how the loss of that civility and courtesy can erode relationships and also a nation especially when it is not valued by leadership.

5. We loved the time period and were glad to read a book about Russia during this time – we did not thing we had read another book occurring during this time period so it was nice for a change and interesting to dive into.

6. The theme of Change was a big one and explored at length through all the changes (big and little) that occurred in Russia, the hotel, and in the Count’s life. This could almost be called the main theme of the book and watching how the aristocratic lifestyle was dismantled from the perspective of the Count was wonderful (albeit sad in places) and insightful.

7. The ending was not surprising to us, but it was interesting to note how much the Count had to have changed (mostly because of Sophia) to leave his beloved Russia after putting up with so much thus far. He came back DURING a revolution and stayed despite being in danger, but decided to leave for her sake in the end. We found this both believable and a satisfying end to his tale.

Memorable Meeting Moments: We met at Rachel’s house and made our own dinner…personal pizzas.

What We Ate: Cheese and crackers with wine, Pizza, and Peanut Butter Pie