'A Gentleman in Moscow' by Amor Towles

A Gentleman in Moscow immerses us in another elegantly drawn era with the story of Count Alexander Rostov. 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.

Brimming with humour, a glittering cast of characters, and one beautifully rendered scene after another, this singular novel casts a spell as it relates the count’s endeavour to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a man of purpose.

MY THOUGHTS: 

One person whose horror about the sudden visitation of Covid 19 on the world may have been mixed with a smidgen of timeliness is Amor Towles. I was late on board to read his excellent novel, and surprised to see the publication date as far back as 2016. It's about a man consigned to house arrest for the remainder of his natural life, who immediately sets about tweaking his attitude to grin and bear the loss of freedom. If that's not an ideal story to ponder in time for general global lockdown, I don't know what is.

In 1922, 32-year-old Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov is arrested by the Bolshevik regime for the crime of being born an aristocrat. They would have executed him outright, but he escapes with his life because a poem attributed to him expresses sympathy to the populace. Even so, the Count is warned that if he so much as pokes his nose out of the Grand Metropol Hotel in Moscow, where he currently lives, he'll be shot. A posh hotel becomes a prison in the blink of an eye.

Alexander has no choice but to make the best of the harsh verdict, even when he's evicted from his luxury apartment and assigned a poky room high in the attic. He starts by deciding this might be the ideal chance to read all the volumes from his father's extensive library, which he's been putting off because he hasn't had time. For the young man is already wise enough to realise that if you don't master your own circumstances, they'll master you. 

Anything that might possibly help him eke out the days is woven into his new outlook. He always aims to transform mere coping skills to genuine joy and contentment. He studies and appreciates the mastery of the artisans, chefs, waiters and other professionals in his vicinity more than ever before. And his courteousness to pigeons and cats naturally extends to children. Nine-year-old Nina, the daughter of a foreign ambassador, considers the Count a great friend, and he learns to cherish her friendship in return. For Alexander, the next three decades bring proof that unexpected surprises may still occur in confinement, and that sometimes the most humble appearing people or events may prove to be the most meaningful.

The Christmas chapter at the end of Part One is now among my favourite festive reads. Count Rostov gives young Nina a present from his own family belongings, helps a young man and his girlfriend through the perils of wine and food pairing, then treats one of his other best friends to a bowl of quality vanilla ice-cream which he curiously allows to melt first. The recipient turns out to be none other than the one-eyed cat. It's awesome enough to read each December, packed with excellent, implicit lessons. For example, it's more blessed to give than receive. A small gesture on your behalf may have disproportionately great results. And you never know when an apparently frivolous talent may be just what's required in any given moment. Now I even want to sample the amazing Latvian stew that gets featured here. 

The further we read, the more the title gains greater significance. For only a true gentleman could probably go the distance, and that quality penetrates way deeper than the veneer of compliance and blameless behaviour. Great character has everything to do with generosity, never missing a humorous beat, and recognising all that's truly good. Alexander is a legend. He's able to take on wise snippets he reads in books for his own personal formation. Indeed, the fact that he doesn't crack at the seams is owing to many of his favourite fictional characters. He's unflappable, penetrating and discerning. He never fobs off even the most mundane question. Any conversation he takes part in is well worth dropping in on. And he knows how to draw on memories to lighten not only his own heavy moments, but those of others, including us readers. 

I bought Amor Towles next book, The Lincoln Highway, sight unseen, because based on this novel, I have great faith in the uplifting quality of anything he may write. 

Here's one of Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov's well earned lessons to finish off with.

'When all was said and done, the endeavors that most modern men saw as urgent (such as appointments with bankers and catching of trains) probably could have waited while those they deemed highly frivolous (such as cups of tea and friendly chats) had deserved their immediate attention.'

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟