A Gentleman in Moscow Paperback – 26 March 2019

What do you say about a book that has received so much acclaim, praise, adulation, and applause? What do you say that hasn’t been said already? Just how do you put your experience of reading the book into words, that come from a deep-seated place of multiple emotions? I think I am one the people who were late to the Amor Towles party, but boy am I beyond myself that I attended it – better late than never.A Gentleman in Moscow to me is an experience. An experience and more so a lesson on kindness, compassion, elegance, and different ways to view the world. We all need perspective. We all need that much needed point of view, and Towles through this book presents plenty of them.The book is beyond a one on exile, of Count Alexander Rostov being exiled in the Metropole Hotel for writing a poem – this exile is from the year 1922 to 1954. Thirty-two years of a life – of so many losses and much more gains that Towles magnificently writes about in this masterpiece.Why do I call this book a masterpiece? Well, to me it covered the gamut of human emotions – there is love, anger, loss, helplessness, friendships that last a lifetime, and the grace to let go and forge new relationships. I could go on about the writing – the book opens like nesting dolls – Matryoshka dolls – one inside the other, a plot that opens up, a character that enters and takes your heart away, and something that you overlooked suddenly comes to light. Towles’ writing is beyond superlative, and how do I begin to count the number of times I have highlighted in the entire book – a sentence there, a passage here, a line that reminds me of my life, of a friendship that doesn’t exist, of a love that got away, or of a time when things were simple and kind.Time is of such an important factor in the book – everything historical that takes place – the Cultural Revolution in the Soviet Union, the rise of Stalin, Gulag, and how everyday humans are caught in it all. Time centres on nostalgia, on what happens, on how it passes, on the everyday living – of books, movies, music, food, and people whose memories are attached to it all, with the Count at its center. Whether it is with a precocious twelve-year-old Nina to then the relationship he shares with the actress Anna, and more, time passes. Sometimes with great significance and at other times – the passage of time is enough to acknowledge the beauty and tragedy of life that Towles puts in so many words so masterfully.A Gentleman in Moscow is almost like a poem that speaks to one and all, if you have the patience, and intention to pick it up. A Gentleman in Moscow is the kind of book that stays. You might perhaps forget about it after a couple of days, but some parts will come back as you are going about your life – there will be that connect to life, dreams, imagination, and how we relate to one another as humans. Of how we are all connected somehow, and what it takes to understand that. A magnificent read. A read that will make you feel small in the larger scheme of life, universe, and everything.

I'd been circling this book for a long time, worried that I wouldn't enjoy the slower pace, so I waited until I was ready.Count Alexander is sentenced to house arrest in June 1922. He's a resident of the Metropol Hotel. The plot revolves around his life being confined to this location. If he leaves the hotel, he'll be killed on the spot. Slowly, he gets to know people and becomes acquainted with them, as well as with his new way of life. Knowing what history has in store for humanity, specifically the Russian nobility, it doesn't appear to be a bad life.But it's not a complete life, being cut off from everything one grew up with. There is no noblesse, elegance, civility, or art in any form. Not one of his best-selling books was within reach. It's a story about hidden cruelty and not being respected in all aspects of life. The arrival of a young girl and her nanny marks the beginning of the nobleman's acceptance and love of his new life, as well as the beginning of a new storyline.I honestly expected A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW to be a bit dull and uninteresting. I'm glad I gave it a chance. I found the Count to be amusing, sarcastic, protective, smart, and a gentleman.There's no denying that the writing was beautiful from the start, but the first 100 pages were a struggle. The story had meandered for the sake of meandering, so the introduction of Nina was a turning point for me, where it felt like a proper story had finally begun.But, as the cliché goes, this book is a journey, not a destination, and the more I read it, the more I liked it.The pace was a little slower than I'm used to, and yes, the Count's way of speaking felt a little pompous at first; but somewhere along the way, I got caught up in the story and began looking forward to my time with this book.I also liked the snippets of Russian history that he sprinkled throughout his story.In short, A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW may require some patience, but it will reward you with a memorable reading experience.