A Gentleman in Moscow

A Novel

By: Amor Towles

Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith

Length: 17 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

The mega-bestseller with more than 2 million readers, soon to be a Showtime/Paramount series starring Ewan McGregor as Count Alexander Rostov

From the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Lincoln Highway and Rules of Civility, a beautifully transporting novel about a man who is ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel

In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel’s doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery.

Brimming with humor, a glittering cast of characters, and one beautifully rendered scene after another, this singular novel casts a spell as it relates the count’s endeavor to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a man of purpose.

©2016 Amor Towles (P)2016 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"The novel buzzes with the energy of numerous adventures, love affairs, [and] twists of fate."—The Wall Street Journal

"If you're looking for a summer novel, this is it. Beautifully written, a story of a Russian aristocrat trapped in Moscow during the tumult of the 1930s. It brims with intelligence, erudition, and insight, an old-fashioned novel in the best sense of the term."—Fareed Zakaria, "Global Public Square," CNN

"Fun, clever, and surprisingly upbeat . . . A Gentleman in Moscow is an amazing story because it manages to be a little bit of everything. There’s fantastical romance, politics, espionage, parenthood and poetry. The book is technically historical fiction, but you would be just as accurate calling it a thriller or a love story.”—Bill Gates

Awesome Book and Narration- Highly Recommended

I am not fan of fiction, but I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It was well written and beautifully narrated. The book traces a fictional Russian Aristocrat, Count Alexander Ilych Rostov who fled Russia before the outbreak of World War I and returned to Russia following the execution of the last Czar- only to be arrested four years later (1922) by the Bolsheviks and sentenced to lifetime house arrest in the Metropole Hotel in Moscow (near the Kremlin). The novel chronicles his 22 years of imprisonment in that hotel and through his eyes the listener enjoys a front row seat in watching Russian history unfold during the Stalinist period (including the Collectivization Farm Project, the Purges, a little bit of World War II and the beginning of the post-Stalinist period). While the count remains locked in the Metropole (and the world he has created for himself therein) the listener is given the opportunity to see how his world stays the same while all of Russia changes and the changes are exemplified through the people with whom the count comes into contact with- including his longtime friend from university, Mischa (a poet), a Soviet era actress (with whom he has a love affair), a little girl whose father was a Ukrainian bureaucrat, and then several years her daughter. The book was extremely well written and narrated that I finished listening to it in less than 3 days (which I normally never do). Some of the quotes from the count in reaction to the change in his circumstances are really profound and worth remembering. Admittedly there are some historical inaccuracies in the book but these in no way infringed on my enjoyment of the book.

Ignoring Reality is Only Drawback

A beautifully written book about how one views the world. It is as large or as small as we choose to make it and for the Count, who spends 30+ years a prisoner inside one hotel, the world is very large. He may be the single most optimistic character in any book I've ever read, making Mary Poppins seem like a downer. Nevertheless, it shines.

It is clear that Amor Towles loves words. And while he often takes 40 words to say what could be said in 10, I can't begrudge him the excess because each word is so perfectly curated and placed. Also, the narration of those words was spot on. Beautifully read.

Unfortunately, while I have the imagination to accept that a prisoner could carve such a remarkable life out of two rooms in the attic of a grand hotel and the friends he makes through the years, it is harder to accept this premise when we know that going on outside the hotel is a country ruled with an iron fist by Stalin, a series of unsuccessful five year plans, starvation, overcrowding, the disappearance of friends and family through deportation, imprisonment or death. Oh, and World War II. No matter how grand the hotel is, it could not have been fully insulated from the despair surrounding it. This made the book ring untrue to me and kept it from being close to perfect.

Amazing - I will miss Count Rostov

If you could sum up A Gentleman in Moscow in three words, what would they be?

This book was lovely. No violence, no horror with a slower pace for life. Count Rostov and all of the characters left an indelible mark in my heart. Story takes place during a tumultuous change in Russia resulting from the backlash of the unrepentant, greedy aristocrats. Although Count Rostov is part of this era, he is the better part. The story reveals the Count's gracefully transition from an elegant life to house arrest at the Metropol Hotel. The characters are priceless and clearly show the pettiness of comunism (who reminded me of busy now-it-alls).

The narration was so very very good. This book does a wonderful job of transporting you into another realm!

What did you like best about this story?

The characters. I also liked how a chapter would start with information that did not come together until the end of that section. At first it frustrated me, but after several times I became excited to learn the outcome. BTW, the end did surprise me.

Have you listened to any of Nicholas Guy Smith’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No never read to Smith's other books. I did sampled several other books he narrated, but the story line of those books were not interesting to me.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes. It was charming in an anticipated fashion. It made me sad to finish the book and made it tough to find another book to read. It took over one week to find an equivalent because both the story and the narrator had big shoes to fill.

Any additional comments?

I sampled Towles other book, Rules of Civility and I think it was a very big mistake to use Rebecca Lowman, her voice did not transport me. This may be the reason for the 4.2 vs 4.6 rating. I will give it a try reading it on my Kindle.

A delight from beginning to end

This sweeping saga of the life of a Russian ex-Count confined to house arrest set against the background of the Russian revolution is one of the most enjoyable books I have read (listened to). The writing is elegant, witty, and includes many literary and musical references which are subtly integrated. The narration by Nicholas Guy Smith is perfectly nuanced. I cannot recommend this book more highly.

, BEAUTIFUL STORY!

Best book I have read/listened to this year. My sincere thanks to the author.

My favorite book of 2016

The story was amazing. I loved everything from the concept through to the last word. I learned so much Russian history and gained insight into the lives of those who lived in Russia in the years following the revolution. The detail that Towles has woven into the storyline is fantastic. The narration was flawless. Smith defined each character perfectly. I can't recommend A Gentleman more highly!

New Fave Book

Any additional comments?

I loved this book! You definitely have to pay attention because he strays from the story line but worth it. I never write reviews and I had to for this book. Love it!

A wonderful saga filled with great characters

The outstanding reading of this book brings the characters to life. The writing is superb. Such skilled use of the English language puts the reader right in the middle of the Metropol Hotel in Moscow as if one is part of the action.

The best book of the year

Great story, great reading great book!
I couldn't stop listening and couldn't wait to continue. Definitely a five star book.

This is Literature

This is an delightful yet deep book. The writing is superb, with well fleshed, realistic characters. No perfect characters, but believable human beings. What an amazing concept as the world of Russia sweeps in and out the Hotel. The author pulls in explanations of the world that was Russia that adds to the color of the story versus distracts; with surprising twists and turns along the way. I did not guess the ending and was in suspense to the very end to know if this will be a tragedy or otherwise. The author made the ending seem right.

I listened to this book on audible and found it 5 star as well. This man is a storyteller. While he uses some accents and inflections, he does not over act the voices which for some narrators become just a distraction. And his voice quality is such that I could listen to him all day! Oh, yeah, I did!

Not a light read, but a truly delightful one.