A Gentleman in Moscow Book Reviews

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a 13 year old girl’s opinion nobody asked for. Three stars. Why, you may ask? Oh I’ll tell you why, plain and simple. Boring. Yes, it is boring, well written? Yes, the vocabulary and the dialogue is all great, but there simply is no action. The man is always just cruising around the hotel and always doing the same thing over and over again. I read the synopsis and thought it would be an eventful, action filled book. What we are essentially looking at is a man who is restricted from exiting a hotel located in Moscow. This brings for a very anticlimactic plot because the man and the readers only get to know what is going on inside the building. I almost considered returning it because I have so many other books to read, but yeah, this definitely wasn’t my favorite book. If you are looking for good historical fiction, check out Ruta Sepetys, she is an excellent historical fiction author! And of course they are loads more to discover too!

A Gentleman of Moscow. So good! No more to say.

Never been to Moscow but…. This delightfully told story of a “Former Person” in transitory USSR in the early 20th century painted a lovely picture of Muscovian life, albeit from House Arrest in the grand Metropol Hotel. As a sort of coming of age story we are taken through the series of attitude shifts that necessitate making peace with one’s fortunes.

A Masterpiece. Marvelous. One of those books which will never be forgotten.

Magical story for all. Spies, secrets and being under arrest. What else could you ask for from a spy novel in Russia. Russia and spies do a romantic dance of sorts and it will draw you in and not let you out of Mother Russias grip.

A charming aristocrat thrives. In the most unexpected of environments. A brilliant, funny and delightful character study.

Immersive. A captivating story with compelling characters, lots of history, and just enough dry humor. Develops at a leisurely pace and then accelerates to a striking conclusion.Could not put it down.

Slow, but well written. The book was very slow, but well written. I had to stop and think often before proceeding to the next chapter.

Best Book of 2020 for me. Love the character development and life lessons throughout.

Kept my interest. The main character’s charm kept my interest from page one.

Enchanting!. Wasn’t sure what to think when I started this book, but it kept me enthralled. Loved it!

What an amazing read.. This book took me a while to finish, but every time I return to it, I was captivated and could not set it down. This is story that will change the way you approach most things in life. With so much going on, and so much to remember it is hard not to fall in love with each character as they come into the life of The Count. You will have such a great time reading this book, I could not recommend it more.

Verbose. Great story,but very long with much artful ,creative dialogue that was unnecessary.

Amazing. The writing, the history, the storyline I didn’t want it to end 💕

Wow. I stumbled upon this book trying to find something to escape with on vacation. It was simply one of the best written reads I have ever experienced. I’ll have to come back and enjoy this again.

A Gentleman in Moscow. Excellent read. Draws you in and begs you to stay awhile. A visit to an old world and engaging characters.

Boring. Our hero leads a mundane life while under house arrest at a hotel in Moscow for decades. The reader gets to read about every trivial thing that he does or reminisces about from his past. It’s a laborious read.

A gem. Perhaps the most thorough;y satisfying book I’ve read in my 84 years.

A new favorite.. One of those books that is so well written. Characters with distinct personalities and humor that is both clever and subtle. I savored every paragraph.

Loved this one!. Great read with a view into an amazing time of change for Russian society and the world.

So very well written. That it kept one waiting for more. Rich in flowing detail, almost as if an old Russian classic , A Gentleman set a standard for life and shows that the desire for freedom and adventure endure, regardless of time passing. My first Towles book but now I’m onto the next!

A Gentleman in Moscow. Brilliant!

Very fun read. Beautiful writing through a whimsical yet engaging plot, surrounded by lovable characters

Beautiful. Wonderful, intelligent, and yet sweet.

A gentleman in Moscow. Delightful

A Gentleman in Moscow. I had a little trouble in the beginning staying engaged with the writing style. This turned out to be one of my favorite books. How one man could make the best of his circumstances. A great lesson in the age of Covid. Beautiful book

Ok story. I finished this book but that is no small miracle as I found the story dull and somewhat repetitive. If you care about food this book is for you. Not much else interesting in this book.

A gentleman worth spending time with. This book is a delight! Narrated in the almost-tongue-in-cheek tone of Downton Abbey, it is the story of an old world gentleman who finds himself in a challenging circumstance: under house arrest in the wake of the Russian Revolution. He is challenged to maintain standards of decorum and to sustain a positive outlook on life. The story of how he does so is told with Russian culture and Soviet history as the backdrop. At its core, A Gentleman in Moscow is a story about the triumph of the human spirit. I can’t recommend it more highly.

Time and Place. Amor Towles’ “A Gentleman in Moscow” resembles a well crafted impressionist snapshot of a changing culture and people. I can’t speak for how accurate the representations maybe but dense scope and descriptive style certainly put us in what feels like many decades of Russia past. In those various times and places we are taken through an exploration of class differences and how spaces along with language define them. That journey through time and place is Towles’ master stroke of writing. Because he goes beyond historical fiction and delves deeper into a philosophical treatise on the changing zeitgeist over time from the perspective of one man. A gentleman at that, whose constancy pushes back against the tide and is moved by the crashing waves of change at every turn. The clever and well placed time jumps show us as much about what changes with age as they do by omitting years of events. The anchor that is our protagonist, Alexander, reminds us that all things change in a dynamic environment, your effort to remain what you are is what limits you. So watching how he does and does not adapt to his changing environment is a joy in itself. However, this book is no short read and is slow in some passages making it can be an effort to get through. The payoff in the second half of the book is worth it. No spoilers from me, but watch for the ruse.

Tremendous. What a wonderful story. I was transported.

Lovely book but incredibly tedious.. Lovely book but incredibly tedious. The pace is frustrating with burst of explicit and delicious descriptions. Still a good read.

A must read. Loved the book from start to finish, rich characters, beautiful writing and a good story! Just completed second reading and enjoyed just as much, sometimes leftovers are better the second day, so is this book.

Fantastic!!!!. A truly beautiful story.

Immensely readable. Fascinating characters, a wonderful story, and an attitude of persistent hope.

Beautiful. Beautifully written. A little slow in the beginning while I was getting used to the Author’s style. Some lines were so good that I re-read them multiple times. This should be part of school curriculum for kids to read in high school. Highly recommend.

Lovely read. I very much enjoyed this wonderful book. The vivid descriptions and great story invite you in to get lost in Moscow a lifetime ago. It is a great escape from modern day accompanied with historical context to learn just how Moscow used to be. I especially appreciated the pleasant positive ending that differed from the more popular tragic endings nowadays.

Yoo. This tight

Like it so much. I like it so much I’ve read it months ago and it really was great and feels so real (that I thought it was real too)I’m waiting now the release of “Lincoln highway” and expect the same perfection!( this review is from a fan of Russian literature and the word “ Moscow” was the first reason of my reading and it didn’t let me down).

Read this book. Loved this book. The characters were sympathetic, well-developed, the story was poignant and thought provoking. The story had twists and turns that kept me reading onward. The count will stay with me for a long time.

Mi amour Amor. Another beautifully written story by Amor Towles. Having already read “Rules of Civility” I eagerly await his next novel.

Boring. Irrelevant. Well-written but empty.. In the hundreds of historical fiction novels I’ve read, most have a captivating story where characters are placed in the middle of great historical events. This book is the antithesis of that. Our protagonist is seemingly shielded from a period of time in Russia when there is so much happening. While the Revolution, the purges, WW2, the Cold War are all happening we are trapped with an out of touch man doing unimportant things in an unimportant place with unimportant people. If your interest is how to be a good waiter in 1930’s USSR then this book is for you. If you’d like a story that means something, I’d look elsewhere.

Really Enjoyable Historical Read!. A rather enjoyable book that follows much of the life of a man in one location, while the world changes around him. A lovely, touching read. Have recommended to others.

Slow start!. Started it then put it down. I should have given it a bit more time. On my second try, I was hooked by page 45...so well written. It’s a great story with wonderfully developed characters.

A life well lived. I do not write reviews often, but this is a special book. I have been looking for it for two years. It might be called a feel good classic, but it goes far beyond that. There is plenty of pain—things not to feel good about—but one man rises above it and touches the lives of many others along the way. A delicately woven story of love and loss told by a master story teller, A Gentleman In Moscow will not disappoint the seeker of a few hours escape from the reality of our complicated times or a reminder that other times were also complicated.

Lovely. A lovely tale superbly told.

Delightfully entertaining.. An enjoyable fiction laced with historical notes.

5 Stars. Exceptional.

Skip this book. Well written, but there is not much left to say. Long, uneventful, dull, and slow. Skip this one unless you have nothing else to read.

Great Character. What an amazing character! Finely observed. A unique, very individual experience of a period of Russian history.

Took a while, but worth it.. It took me a while to get into the story. But it is worth sticking it out for a bit. The character development and the collection of “family” is well done. I took A LOT of Russian history in college, so I was extremely interested in how the Count’s life, and the world around him, changed in those 40 momentous years.

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Life under Lockdown. ‘Showing a sense of restraint that was almost out of character, the count had restricted himself to two succinct pieces of advise. 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 constant maxim that the surest sign of wisdom is constant cheerfulness” ; equal part wisdom literature, mystery,intrigue and a beautiful love story with historical underpinnings. A perfect book to read during the restrictions of a pandemic.

A Gentleman in Moscow. Beautifully written, with such attention to detail, it transports you into the author’s world, rich with history, culture, and the human story.

Gentleman from Moscow. A wonderful read with a story that is so relevant to us all!

Beautifully written. A book of grace. It is an honour to spend time with the principal characters

Delightful!. A delightful read, well written, full of wonderful characters, hopeful, sad, humorous.

A rich and charming story. This is the best novel I’ve read in a long time - a sweeping, historical story filled with interesting characters and ideas, yet predominantly set in just one location, the Metropol Hotel in Moscow. The novel is a love-letter to the civility & elegance which was lost during the Bolshevik Revolution, and while the history of ‘Old Europe’ certainly has its darker aspects, I couldn’t help but be charmed by Count Rostov and his astute observations and appreciation of the finer things. Just a wonderful book!