Musings on A Gentleman in Moscow
up to page 300...no spoilers beyond that
Good morning,
I hope you are all having a delightful Saturday morning with your books, thoughts, and other cozy things. This newsletter is being written while looking at my Christmas lights, listening to this Advent playlist, and drinking a hot cup of coffee.
All of which sounds very cozy (and it is), but to add a little more of a real picture to a real mom Saturday morning…the Christmas lights are lovely, but I can only count 9 “advent” ornaments on my tree because the one year old has been systematically removing them and then stepping on them (they said shatterproof, not unbreakable apparently). My cup of coffee has been reheated a minimum of 3 times. My older kids are watching cartoons and eating cereal, while my little ones are running around at my feet spilling cereal all over the floor. It is lovely, but as always a little less picture perfect than imagined.
The reading and intellectual life is worth pursuing even when you have to spend a lot of time sweeping and vacuuming after (or whatever other the chaotic aftermath needs to be literally or figuratively cleaned). I hope this offers some encouragement to any of you ladies with a less than perfect pursuit of the literary life we all desire!
I hope you are all enjoying your reading experience of A Gentleman in Moscow. I am loving it even more than I remembered (which was admittedly a lot since it made it on our reading list). I enjoyed it thoroughly the first time and thought it was a modern novel worthy of our time, but being a little over halfway through my reread I am enjoying and admiring it immensely. I am a firm believer in rereading good books and if a book is still good (or better) on a reread I think that says something about the value of the book. I am tempted to say that this is a book that gets better on a second read and that knowing the plot is enhancing my appreciation for Towles writing. I am seeing so many threads weaving through the book. I hope some of these thoughts, quotes, and links help to deepen your reading experience.
Things I Couldn’t Help But Notice (and want to draw your attention to)
The reference to Robinson Crusoe on page 29 about waiting for a rescue and then the arrival of Nina who literally gives him the key to the Metropol.
The repetition of the Count waiting for the chime of noon and midnight…this gets explained on page 244 more fully.
The counts humanizing routine that is described in 1930 and then gets thrown off by the arrival of Sophia. This feels very relatable as a mom. But also he establishes a new routine that does involve her.
I love the description of Anna’s fall from and resurgence to fame (pages 191-199)
The funny quip about Gogol’s story, The Nose, on page 265 (which you will remember if you read A Swim in a Pond in the Rain with us this past September.
The explanation of why Mishka uses the word “we” so much is so interesting. Also a fellow reader pointed out that there is a shift in the book where the word “we” also starts being used around page 200. Is this supposed to prepare us for Sophia’s arrival?
The quip from Osip about Humphrey Bogart on page 295 sounds a lot like the Count and seems like some foreshadowing. Even the phrase Man of Intent sounds a lot like the Count referring to himself as a Man of Purpose throughout the book.
“You notice how in the first act he always seems so removed and indifferent; but once his indignation is roused, Alexander, there is no one more willing to do what is necessary - to act clear-eyed, quick, and without compunction. Here truly is a Man of Intent.”
Notice the structure of time (I do not claim this as my own observation, Towles talks about it in almost every interview I’ve listened to or read). Time has a chiastic structure in the book. We have 1922, 1923, 1924, 1930, 1938, 1946, 1950, 1952, 1953, and 1954 (and I am pretty sure the days and days. double and half at the beginning and end as well…but need to investigate further)
Some Favorite Passages
“If patienence wasn’t so easily tested then it would hardly be a virtue…”
-Remark of the Countess Rostova (141)
“It is a fact of human life that one must eventually choose a philosophy…Whether through careful consideration spawned by books and spirited debate over coffee at two in the morning, or simply from a natural proclivity, we must all eventually adopt a fundamental framework, some reasonably coherent system of causes and effects that will help us make sense not simply of momentous events, but of all the little actions and interactions that constitute our daily lives…”
-The Count’s thoughts (146)
“History is the business of identifying momentous events from the comfort of a high-back chair. With the benefit of time…”
-Narrator (173)
“…victory on the field of battles begins with the shine on a boot…(life at the Boyarsky was) a battle that must be waged with exacting precision while giving the impression of effortlessness.”
-The Count’s thoughts (203)
“…unlike adults, children want to be happy.”
-Marina (253)
“Did he remember those days when his children were almost certainly six? When there was a pitter-pat in the hallways an hour before dawn? When every object smaller than an apple was nowhere to be found, until it was right underfoot? When books went unread, letters unanswered, and every train of thought was left incomplete? He remembered them as if they were yesterday.”
-Osip’s thoughts (262)
“Who would have imagined…when you were sentenced to life in the Metropol all those years ago, that you had just become the luckiest man in all of Russia.”
- Mishka (292)
Some More Interviews with Amor Towles
Don’t Forget to Listen to the Podcasts
(if you have time after reading)
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
What Else I’m Reading this Week
Some of my morning “spiritual” reading time has been spent with The Book of Waking Up by Seth Haines. I initially picked it up from the library because I enjoy listening to Seth on A Drink with a Friend Podcast and wanted to hear more of his story with addiction and enjoy his writing. But I am very much benefitting from his wisdom on attachments for “earthly stuff” that can distract us from love for God. He paints a picture that even if we are not “addicts,” we may need to examine our attachments and order our loves more toward divine love.
I would love to hear what other people are reading this week, especially if it is especially enjoyable or educational! Comment below so that we can all benefit from each other’s never ending reading lists.
Other Bookish Things I’m Enjoying on the Internet
I am growing to really appreciate Dixie Dillon Lane and in this article, Reads of the year for the HIP (Harried Intellectual Parent), she gives us an interesting list of books. End of the year reading lists may be my favorite thing about the end of the calendar year! Also, can we all appreciate the acronym? I also have a rule that I will only read a book once it gets 3 recommendations from other bookish people I know and as of the reading the article I now need to go read The Dean’s Watch (which I’ve actually had on my shelf for years so maybe it’s gotten 6 recommendations and I don’t remember the first 3). If anyone wants to join me, it is set during Advent so I am planning to pick it up after I finish A Gentleman in Moscow
This week Close reads had a 1920’s Book Draft and listening to it was (possibly) the most fun and nerdy thing that I did this week. You can also go over the the Close Reads Substack to see who won!
This delightful essay that is definitely enabling for anyone with a book buying or hoarding “problem”….in For the Love of Books Nadya Williams talks about their own home library and why it matters for your children especially. The story at the end is exactly what I want for my grown children.
“But the problem that Lane and Miller point out is one that harkens back to childhood. Put simply, children who grow up in homes that are filled with books and a love of reading are likely to not be able to imagine another kind of life. Children who grow up in homes that do not delight in the written word, on the other hand, must discover such a love for themselves, on their own, perhaps later on. This is possible but is always harder to do. We replicate our upbringing subconsciously, good and bad alike.”
This daily art and music list for Advent from Tsh to accompany her book Shadow and Light
I hope you enjoy finishing up the book this week for our meetings this week and early next week. As always I am looking forward to discussing the book with many of you. The in person discussion always leads me to deeper thoughts and encouragement. Thanks for reading with us!
A Few Reminders
Next up in January is Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
What I’m reading for Advent: Shadow and Light by Tsh Oxenreider (and if you are reading or need some art and music in your life here is a link for all the art and music from Tsh)
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 are 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)
As always, some of the links are affiliate links. The few cents earned if you buy anything with those links (at no extra cost to you) go into the time and effort it takes to keep Literature Book Club running and I appreciate it!