Rules of Civility: A Novel

Amor Towles’ debut novel turned me inside out. It was hands down my pick for best novel of 2011. I fell in love with it for so many reasons. The atmosphere that the author creates is lush and beautiful, even though it evokes a grimy and cutthroat city. The characters feel both real and relatable, yet totally unattainable. You look up to them without losing faith in them. The prose is crisp, clear, and smart. There are so many lines from this novel that have stuck with me. “Old times… if you’re not careful they’ll gut you like a fish” has been quoted on numerous occasions. But above all else this is a love letter to New York City. As a New Yorker who recently moved to the suburbs this novel made me homesick, even though I never lived in the 1930s (the era of this novel). But it captures the timeless nature of New York – all the yearning and striving, glittering and glowing. You feel your feet on the sidewalk when you listen to this book.

Sometimes it is hard to follow an audiobook with a lot of different characters, but not this time. The interesting mixture of people springs to life, without the accents being overly done. The characters develop in unexpected directions, but maintain their integrity. It starts as a poor working girl falls in love with rich boy story, but it is actually a much more complex tale of human emotions. The different layers of plot keep you guessing to the very end. Well worth the read!

This book conveys tone, character and mood in ways that call to mind The Great Gatsby, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Catcher in the Rye and The Bell Jar. It is great fun. But deep. And an anthem to New York City in 1938. I predict that this tale of young Katy Kontent will become a best seller and a classic.
The last novel I felt this way about was "The Help".

This is a book lovers book! Listen and you will appreciate what I mean. While the narration is excellent-the writing is superb. I hope this is only the first of many to come just like it from Mr. Towles. I suspect in my listening that I got a sense of New York in mid -dpression as it really was. Thanks to Amor and Rebecca for making me fall for Gotham and for its darling Katie!

I did not expect a gripping story after reading the synopsis. It surprised me with more action than I've expected. The focus of the book is still an internal life of a smart, gentle young woman and her coming of age in NYC in late 1930s.
It is beautifully written, the characters are nicely developed. You feel like you are reading one of the great classics the main heroine admires so much, but with a very modern twist to it.
If you like Jane Austin and Charles Dickens, this is a book for you.

Narrator monotoned - characters unlikeable - command of languae and ability to create imagery and interesting methaphors admirable but not enough to make story or characters enjoyable.

Although book has good concept, I got bored. The writing is like someone who got an A in a college writing course and then uses every single technique in the first 10 pages. The writing is overwrought with too much emphasis on "clever" and "descriptive" use of language. Very annoying. Also the narrator's style emphasized words so much it got more annoying. Too "precious" too "madcap". The theme begins on an interesting note (late 1930's NYC) but then just seems like a private privileged (meaningless) world. This book did not meet my expectations. Sorry.

this is one of those transporting books that you wish would never end. The beauty of the prose is stunning - the characters fully formed and sympathetic, and there's a winner of a tale told as well. The best part of this book for me were the descriptions of New York in a time so distinctly different from our own. The narrator is pitch perfect, I'm going to seek her out again too!

I enjoyed the story very much. It is a debut novel and I generally enjoy them. It is a bit overdone with clever choices of words, but it did not distract from the story. I also enjoyed the narrator; she became Kathryn Kontent. (what a wonderful name) The only disappointment was the end, but will say no more as to not spoil. I could have seen a sequel – different story with some of the same characters.

I enjoyed the story very much. It is a debut novel and I generally enjoy them. It is a bit overdone with clever choices of words, but it did not distract from the story. I also enjoyed the narrator; she became Kathryn Kontent. (what a wonderful name) The only disappointment was the end, but will say no more as to not spoil. I could have seen a sequel ??? different story with some of the same characters.