You know what?
Unexpectedly, I thoroughly enjoyed ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’.
The Count’s sophisticated charm and manner were incredibly endearing. At first, I was sceptical as I wasn’t sure how gripping a 500-page book could be about a man under “house arrest” in a hotel.
But, it turns out I am not an author for a reason.
Amor Towles perfectly wove the past and the present into a beautiful narrative about a thoughtful, engaging and surprisingly adventurous man whose life behind the elegant doors of The Metropol Hotel takes more than a few surprising twists and turns. But, it turns out I am not an author for a reason. And, despite not personally hailing from the lofty heights of the early 20th-century Russian upper class, I have found myself saying ‘on the contrary’, ‘one’s’ and ‘snifter’ significantly more.
Go forth and read, my good man.
“For what matters in life is not whether we receive a round of applause; what matters is whether we have the courage to venture forth despite the uncertainty of acclaim.”
― Amor Towles, A Gentleman in Moscow
Photo – Penguin