"Yes, thought the Count, the world does spin. In fact, it spins on its axis even as it revolves around the sun. And the galaxy turns as well, a wheel within a greater wheel producing a chime of an entirely different nature than that of a tiny hammer in a clock. And when the celestial chime sounds, perhaps a mirror will suddenly serve its truer purpose---revealing to a man not who imagines himself to be, but who he has become."
-from the novel
One of our members suggested this book in November for our first book of the new year. I am very glad because it was quite unique and memorable. It took a while to get through its near-500 pages but I enjoyed the journey.
Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov is a Russian aristocrat in 1922, a very bad time to be labelled as such.
He is put under house arrest by the Bolsheviks but his "prison" is the very elegant Metropol Hotel across the street from the Kremlin. He had been living in a lovely suite in the hotel for 4 years but is banished to a tiny, humble attic space. His life sentence ends up being more blessing than curse, it seems to me, as he meets and befriends many fascinating characters including a beautiful actress, a precocious little girl, a former colonel of the Red Army and officer of the Party, an American who wants to recruit Rostov as a spy and various members of the hotel staff. All are very interesting characters, especially Rostov himself, who is quite charming. Rostov's outlook on the world ends up being enhanced by living in its microcosm, the Metropol.
I had recently visited St. Petersburg in Russia and wished it had been more prominent in the story. Only mentions that Rostov, called Alex, and Mishka, his friend, had attended university there. At one point in the story nesting dolls, a souvenir I purchased for my granddaughter, was used as a hiding place.
Towles has a sophisticated writing style, both philosophizing (e.g. the quote above) and educating the reader in a not-so-pretty period of Russian history while using humor to weave an engaging tale. I rated this one a 4, almost a 5.
I look forward to hearing the group's reactions to the book this week.
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Page Turners met today, our first meeting in a restaurant. It was very enjoyable although we were not able to discuss the book as much as we normally do. The group average was 3.7 with 17 of 22 votes being 4 or 5. Many of us found the Count to be an appealing, memorable character although at least one person found him to be rather unbelievable noting that he was just a little too perfect or a little too lucky. We could pretty much agree that the Count's banishment changed his personality as he was affected by the people he met and the incidents that occurred.
Some of us were curious about the movie "Casablanca," the Count's favorite film and one he shared with Osip. What was it about the film that resonated with the Count? I wonder how many of us will find and watch the movie.
The group agreed that there was much humor in the story, even some laugh-out-loud parts like when he ripped his trousers numerous times as he ran around the hotel trying to eavesdrop with 9-year-old Nina and a description of the ideal duel (page 47).
Turns out A Gentleman in Moscow was a good selection with which to begin 2019.
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