Looking back, the timing of reading, “A Gentleman In Moscow” by Amor Towles was surreal. When I started reading it, the weather was cold and snowy in Ohio, just like in Russia. I spent a lot of time at home staying warm with my nose in this book. The news outlets were just starting to report Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Now, almost 7 weeks later I am mortified by the devastation and lives lost. God Bless the people of Ukraine. Please don’t allow this to deter you from reading this book. Towles is an extraordinary American novelist.

I have a book hangover. If you aren’t familiar with the term, it’s when you get emotionally invested in a book, its characters, you can’t stop thinking about it, and not sure your next book will live up to what you just read. Case in point, I recently finished “A Gentleman In Moscow”, by Amor Towles.

The main character is aristocrat Count Alexander Rostov. In 1922 he is sentenced to life on house arrest in the Metropol Hotel in Moscow for writing a controversial poem. If he leaves the establishment, he will be killed. Towles wrote this fiction story based on true events, including the existence of the Metropol Hotel. 

The premise is simple but the events in Rostov’s life that take place for the next 30 years are remarkably interesting. The people he meets, his daily adventures, and how he manages to spend his days in the walls of this luxury hotel is extremely entertaining. 

Be prepared that Towles writes in vivid detail. In my view, the author writes Rostov’s exact thoughts in the book verbatim. I learned many things about Russian history and enjoyed looking up vocabulary words and pronunciations that were new to me. 

I’m very particular about keeping a copy of any book I read unblemished. My copy of “A Gentleman” is an exception. It became tattered. I confess I underlined names and passages in pencil and pen! The audacity, I know! It couldn’t be helped. There were lots of characters and passages I wanted to refer back to. I’m relieved I didn’t download this title on my e-reader because I flipped back through the book often.

I’m thinking the 462 pages kept me from picking this book up sooner. I enjoyed every word and was sorry to see it end. Count Rostov is a character that will stay with me for a while because of his engaging persona. It’s definitely a two-thumbs-up recommendation. You bet ya this won’t be the last book I read of his. Enjoy!