A Gentleman in Moscow

Fixed on Fiction met in August to discuss A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles-

When, in 1922, he is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, the count is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel’s doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him a doorway into a much larger world of emotional discovery.

-Summary courtesy of Goodreads.

A Gentleman in Moscow was unanimously well-received with 12 out of 12 participants giving it a thumbs up vote. Here are some of the initial comments readers made while discussing this month’s title:

• Interesting that he could build a whole life despite being restricted in this environment. I liked that an aristocrat was a head waiter serving other people.
• Very entertaining. It got a bid tedious at the end, although I understand Towles took his time to tie everything together.
• I loved all of the little vignettes…made it very charming.
• I was surprised that I loved it. Funny and touching. I thought it would be a really political book but I was happy it wasn’t. I laughed out loud a lot.
• A very satisfying read. I didn’t want to read anything else after I finished it. So pleasurable. And the pace of the book made you feel like the decades were passing. I was ready for it to end but I was sad to leave it.
• It took me a while to get through it but I didn’t mind at all. The count was just such a wonderful person.
• 10 out of 10! I’m leery of lauded bestsellers but I loved it. Amor is such a great writer. Extremely pleasing. The story was secondary to the writing. Highly enjoyable and well executed.
• I really loved it. If life gives you lemons kind of book. I liked the way he talked about possessions and how you can easily get rid of them.
• Beautifully written. So clever. He recreated his life and we wanted to be a part of it.
• An elegant read and an elegant man.

These are just a few comments made during our meeting. Feel free to share additional thoughts on A Gentleman in Moscow in the comments section below.