Book Review: A Gentleman in Moscow

In light of the current situation we all find ourselves living in, I don’t think there’s a better book I could feature for the site’s first book review.

One of the very best books I’ve read in the last few years, ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ exceeded all my expectations. Ostensibly a book about a man who lives in a hotel; it is so much more than that. It’s the story of Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov “member of the Jockey Club, Master of the Hunt”. He is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat and sentenced to life imprisonment in the luxury Metropol hotel in Moscow by the Bolsheviks who swept into power after the Russian revolution. He is threatened with execution should he ever step foot out of the hotel.

Set against the tumultuous (and terrifying) political climate of 20th-century Russia: dictators, diplomats, and spies all waltz through the ever-revolving doors of the Metropol. We read as Count Rostov goes about his daily life adjusting to his newfound lack of freedom and the relationships that he forges with the guests and staff of the hotel.

It’s not an easy feat to maintain interest over almost 500-pages with a novel set mostly in one place but Amor Towles creates a magnificent world within the walls the Metropol and populates it with a gloriously eccentric cast of characters.

In many ways a poignant book, it recounts the life of the Count as he reaches his autumnal years: as aches and pains begin to creep in, his reflections on his life, his youth, his lack of liberty and his realisation that this hotel really is his prison for life. Towles’ prose is sparkling and he writes with great verve. He sometimes veers into language that is overly flowery but I could forgive him those indulgences; with ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ the author has crafted a novel of the highest order.

The biggest strength of this book is not the setting or the cast of characters that come and go but his leading man- Count Rostov. You may have read my previous post about what I think constitutes a 21st-century gentleman. The author has written a character that is the definitive example of a 20th-century gentleman.

Count Rostov is a man we should all aspire to be. A man of principle armed with a quick-wit and an indomitable spirit. The characterisation of the Count is what has stayed with me long after finishing this book. In this quite superlative novel, Amor Towles has created one of modern fiction’s most endearing characters. A truly unforgettable gentleman and a story not soon forgotten. I’m already looking forward to getting reacquainted with him.

Thanks for reading,
Terry