A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Introducing the book, Mark
W explained that he initially had reservations about its length but was
pleasantly surprised that he not only really enjoyed it and had no problem with
the length. A great Christmas holiday read. He found the transformation into
cloak and dagger fifty pages from the end a bit of a shock and was not
completely convinced, but that didn’t really detract from overall enjoyment.
Of specific interest was the clash of cultures between the
aristocratic Count and the post-Revolution new Russia, finding sympathy with the
Count as a cultured gentlemen but also having sympathy with the socialist
ideals of the Revolution in a Russia where there was terrible poverty among the
peasants. Summed up in this quote from Osip:
‘The Bolsheviks are
not Visigoths, Alexander. We are not the barbarian hordes descending upon Rome
and destroying all that is fine out of ignorance or envy. It is the opposite.
In 1916, Russia was a barbarian state. It was the most illiterate nation in
Europe, with the majority of its population living in modified serfdom: tilling
the fields with wooden plows, beating their wives by candlelight, collapsing on
their benches drunk with vodka and then waking at dawn to humble themselves
before their icons……….Is it not possible that our reverence for all the statues
and cathedrals and ancient institutions was precisely what was holding us back.’
The book was also very moving in places, particularly in the
relationships between the Count and the two girls, an example being the
brilliant hospital chapter and the following chapter where the Count discovers
Sofia’s prowess with the piano and explains to her that her Mother used to
enjoy doing experiments in the same ballroom:
‘One day, I found her
here testing the principles of Galileo and Newton by dropping various objects
from the balcony and timing their descent with a sprinter’s watch’
‘Is that even
possible?’
‘It was for your
mother’
They were quiet for
another moment, then Sofia turned and kissed the Count on the cheek.’
In the discussion that followed it was clear that,
unusually, this book was universally enjoyed. It therefore had the potential of
being a rather boring discussion; the fact that it wasn’t was down to everyone
finding their own personal perspective, favourite anecdote or quote.
Steve really
enjoyed the book, finding it a ‘right rollicking read’, flagging occasionally
but with great turns of phrase. He also enjoyed the humour, although found the
Count almost too good to be true. He though the book was written so eloquently,
and bought into every twist and turn. It was a fantastic romance, Dr Zhivago
without the vistas.
Steve also showed us a photo on his phone of the real
Metropol Hotel and enlightened us with a bit of its history; the hotel was
indeed nationalised by the Bolsheviks post revolution, housing living quarters
and offices of the growing Soviet bureaucracy, but was reconverted back to a
hotel in the 1930s.
Steve’s only reservations were the number of Americanisms in
the dialogue (potential hazard where the author is American!) and the
feasibility of some of the plot. Favourite quote:
..when the closet door
opened and out popped the Count.
Andrey let out a gasp.
The Count drew in a
breath.
Emile dropped the cake.
And the evening might have
come to an end right then and there, but for Andrey’s instinctive inability to
let an object fall to the floor. With the lightest of steps and his fingers
outstretched, the onetime juggler caught the torte in midair.
Chris W found the
book enjoyable on many levels, including the underlying mischievous dry humour.
These were difficult periods of Russian history, but there was always
amusement, fun and entertainment in the hotel. Chris was also worried by the author
being American but noted that he had studied English and had had a European
education. He loved some of the scenes, for example the games with Sofia. He
found the ending interesting, particularly where the Count goes back to his
village and an interesting twist right at the end.
Willm found the
book whimsical and highly improbable, with the hero an uber-rich aristocrat who
was feckless and charming. However, he found it fantastic and captivating. It
was carefully constructed with a well plotted story containing 30 years of
Russian history. A bit of an animal farm transition where the new rulers taking
up that same privileges and behaviours as the previous rulers. As a minor
criticism he felt that it glossed over some of the nastier episodes of this period
of history, but conceded that it wouldn’t have been discussed much within the
confines of the hotel. Willm also appreciated the great relationships that the
Count had with both Nina and Sofia, but he felt a bit guilty identifying with
the privileged aristocrat. He also noted some of the parallels with the Empire
hotel in Bath, which was commandeered by the MoD during World War II. Overall he found the book
delightful, and, like Steve, a great romance. Favourite quote:
“Why, Manager Leplevsky, you look as if you’ve
never seen a beautiful woman step from a closet before."
"I haven’t “
sputtered the Bishop.
“Of course” she said
sympathetically.
Mark T thought it
was a lovely book and enjoyed reading it, finding the humour particularly
enjoyable. He loved the relationships between the Count and Nina and Sofia. He
enjoyed the precision of the writing, for example ‘leaning forward at 70
degrees’. He loved the character of the actress Anna Urbanova, particularly
after their first tryst:
‘As you go out can you
draw the curtains’
Other
favourite quotes:
“resting his forearm on his thighs and
leaning forward at an angle of 70 degrees” . “but fate would not have the
reputation if it simply did what it seemed it had to do.
Chris B felt it
was a book to curl up to and managed to read it in large chunks enjoying the
fact that the Count was totally positive about life despite the setbacks. He
enjoyed the Count as a character and the relationships with the girls and the
Soviet spy and the cook and the maître-d in the hotel. Chris also loved the
Count for being so cultured, but found it interesting that he only escaped the
firing squad because of a poem written
by his best friend and was basically living a lie. He felt that the author
could have done a bit more with the huge events going on in the outside world,
but basically enjoyed it and will always remember it. Favourite quote:
The first
was that if one did not master one’s circumstances, one was bound to be
mastered by them; and the second was Montaigne’s maxim that the surest sign of
wisdom is constant cheerfulness.
Andrew found the
book a comfortable read with a good combination of history and romance. For the
Count this was a voyage of self-discovery. It felt like a play with a small
cast and he found that he cared about most of the characters, in particular the
triumvirate and the four central women. The small world of the hotel grew while
he was learning about the world. There were a number of memorable scenes: the
geese in the corridor, Anna coming out of the wardrobe, the architect sketching
the chairs. He felt that the threads in the book were beautifully drawn
together, with the mounting tension towards the end. Although the book was not
as weighty as some but it was certainly a pleasure to read. One reservation was
that it felt as if the history might have been added on at the end. Favourite
quote:
“These are the greatest of conveniences, Anushka—and at one
time, I had them all. But in the end, it has been the inconveniences that have
mattered to me most.”
John, (from afar), found it a cheerful, life affirming
story. He finished it feeling rejuvenated and pleased that he had read it. He
found it a wonderful bit of storytelling, full of charm and humour, easy to
read and follow (despite the complexity of all the Russian names and characters).
It had the nostalgia and whimsy of Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel.He also found that it had a generosity of spirit that is all too rare in such aristo-based novels. The way that the hotel workers were transformed over the years into confidants and equals. Count Rostov, who had been charged with being a social parasite and was an unrepentant aristocrat, develops a wonderful circle of friends among the staff of the hotel. The real story seemed to be the Count’s relationships with such characters as: Chef Zhukovsky, Maitre d’Duras, Manager Leplevsky Anna, Sofia, Nina, et al.
If he had a caveat it would be the way the novel glossed over the awfulness of Stalin’s Russia, and all the pain and suffering of the time. But maybe it is the novelist’s prerogative to draw on the grotesque to give us new insights and hope…..
Richard, also from afar, enjoyed the book a great deal.
He found it a bit of a ‘slow burn’ but after a while started to really look
forward to reading it. He described it as a ‘tour de force’ as it sustained an
entire book set within the walls of one hotel (apart from the end, where it
moved out from the hotel), and focused almost entirely on one character; but he
thought the author brought it off extremely well.
Like some of the others, he thought that the end pages were not as
good, - once he left the Hotel, the writing was not as sharp – and he also
thought that, although there was one mention of Sophia having attended school,
it did seem as if she, too, was under house arrest with the Count. Favourite
quote:
For all the varied concerns attendant to the raising of a
child - over schoolwork, dress, and manners - in the end, a parent’s
responsibility could not be more simple: To bring a child safely into adulthood
so that she could have a chance to experience a life of purpose and, God
willing, contentment.”
In
summary, a book enjoyed by all, with some interesting things to say and
observations on life and history as well.
Scores on the doors:
John 7.5, Richard 8.5, Mark W 8.5, Steve 8.0, Chris W 8.8,
Willm 9.0, Mark T 8.2, Chris B 8.2, Andrew 8.5.
