A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

BOOK REVIEW

We all know about the assassination of Tsar Nicolas II and his family and the story of the fabled Duchess Anastasia who supposedly escaped and was immortalised by Disney.

When Amor Towles published A Gentleman in Moscow the blurb read like something straight out of the Romanov story.

This is a masterful work of historical fiction that immerses readers in the life of Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, a Russian aristocrat sentenced to house arrest in the luxurious Metropol Hotel after the Bolshevik Revolution.

The richly detailed and elegantly written novel spans several decades, capturing the profound changes in Russian society through the microcosm of the hotel.

The story begins in 1922, with Count Rostov being spared from execution due to a revolutionary poem he wrote years earlier.

Instead, he is confined to a small attic room in the Metropol, a far cry from his previous opulent lifestyle.

Despite this, the Count remains unflappable, maintaining his dignity and charm as he navigates his constrained existence.

Towles’ portrayal of Rostov shows him as a character of immense wit, wisdom and resilience, whose personal growth and adaptability are central to the story’s appeal.

The prose is elegant and evocative, capturing the grandeur of the Metropol and the rich tapestry of life within its walls.

The hotel itself becomes a character, a sanctuary where the Count encounters a diverse array of guests and staff, each bringing their own stories and perspectives.

They include Nina, the precocious young girl who introduces the Count to the hotel’s hidden secrets and Sofia, the orphaned girl who becomes like a daughter to him.

These relationships deepen the novel’s emotional resonance.

A Gentleman in Moscow paints a vivid picture of the political and social upheavals in Russia, yet these broader events are always filtered through the lens of the Count’s personal experiences.

This approach allows readers to grasp the impact of historical changes on individuals’ lives, making the narrative both expansive and deeply personal.

The novel is also imbued with a sense of timelessness and a celebration of the enduring qualities of human nature – kindness, integrity and resilience.

The Count’s refined manners and philosophical outlook stand in stark contrast to the brutal realities of the new Soviet regime, highlighting themes of adaptation and survival without losing one’s essence.

Some readers might find the novel’s pace leisurely and its focus on the Count’s internal world rather than external action a bit slow, but I would ask them to reread.

The narrative’s charm lies in its detailed observations and the slow unfolding of events, which might not appeal to those seeking fast-paced drama.

It is heaven for those who appreciate character-driven stories and finely crafted prose; these qualities are precisely what make the novel so compelling.

This novel is a testament to the power of resilience and the enduring spirit of elegance, making it a delightful and enriching read.

It is not often I recommend a TV or movie based on a book, but Amazon Prime’s series starring Ewan McGregor is definitely worth a watch.

Julie Chessman