A Gentleman in Moscow
December's Literature Book Club
For December we are going to read A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. This is a delightfully contemplative page turner. We open the book in 1922 with the trial of a Russian aristocrat during the Bolshevik Revolution. He receives the “merciful” sentence of being put under a lifetime of house arrest at the Metropol Hotel (a very fancy hotel in Moscow where he had been living before). The rest of the book chronicles the next 32 years of his life stuck in the hotel and the relationships he develops and how he grows. It is a beautiful story.
“These are the greatest of conveniences…and at one time, I had them all. But in the end, it has been the inconveniences that have mattered to me most.”
- Count Rostov
I intentionally picked this book for December because of the tone of the novel. It does not read like a Russian novel (Amor Towles is an American), and personally I find this a feature, not a bug (especially during the Advent/Christmas season). I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did on my first read. I am very much looking forward to reading it again!
I have not personally listened to the audio version, but I have heard good things!
An Interview
Here is an interview with Amor Towles about A Gentleman in Moscow. It does include a few spoilers so you may prefer to read the whole interview after you’ve finished the book. I will post another link at a later date, but I wanted to share a few quotes to peak your interest.
“I generally like to mix glimpses of history with flights of fancy until the reader isn’t exactly sure of what’s real and what isn’t.”
-Amor Towles
“In crafting a novel, I do not have an essential message I am trying to communicate. Rather, I hope to create a work of art that, while being satisfyingly cohesive, contains such a richness of images, ideas, and personalities that it can prompt varied responses from reader to reader, and from reading to reading.
-Amor Towles
Can you tell us a little about the Metropol Hotel?
The Metropol is a real hotel which was built in the center of Moscow in 1905 and which is still welcoming guests today. Contrary to what you might expect, the hotel was a genuine oasis of liberty and luxury during the Soviet era despite being around the corner from the Kremlin and a few blocks from the head quarters of the secret police.
Because the Metropol was one of the few fine hotels in Moscow at the time, almost anyone famous who visited the city either drank at, dined at, or slept at the Metropol. As a result, we have an array of firsthand accounts of life in the hotel from prominent Americans including John Steinbeck, e. e. cummings, and Lillian Hellman. You can survey these accounts and read a short history of the hotel at The Metropol section of this web site.
-Amor Towles
A Podcast Series
There is a Close Reads Podcast series from last year that, as always, I found very enjoyable and informative as I read and I plan to listen again after I’ve read.
Book One, first half (pages 1-53)
Book One, second half (pages 54-105)
Book Two (pages 109-167)
Book Three, first half (pages 171-247)
Book Three, second half (pages 248-317)
Book Four (pages 322-375)
Book Five and Afterward (pages 379-462)
Q & A Episode
Forthcoming TV series
In other news, it looks like there is a TV mini series that is supposed to be released this December (which I did not realize when making the booklist)! I will update you if it actually releases and where to watch it.
I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving break full of family time and hopefully some good reading! I will post some wrap up thoughts on Rebecca soon, I just wanted to get out some information on the next book so that people can get a head start on reading over the holidays. Happy reading!
A Few Reminders
Next up in January is Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
If you found your way here and are not part of an in person book club, welcome! We would love you to read along with us. But, in person literary community is a beautiful thing. So please contact me if you’d like to join or start a group!
If you are part of a group, but you’re not on our Slack page, please contact me. That is where people share thoughts and logistics for each in person group.
And here all all the old lists (if you need to ask for any books for Christmas or need some good books to read over the holiday breaks coming up)
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