Amor Towles, an American novelist, best known for his bestselling novels Rules of Civility (2011) and A Gentleman in Moscow (2016), the latter of which made him a finalist for the 2016 Kirkus Prize.
A Gentleman in Moscow, an amazing book was recommended by a friend of mine, as the story resembles the current scenario of the lockdown due #COVID19. Count Rostov, is placed under house arrest during the time of revolution in The Metropol Hotel, Moscow, Russia. He is also shifted from his current extravagant suite to a small attic in fifth floor. Count Rostov, a perfect gentleman, is a man who prefer to be a master of his circumstances, rather than the circumstances mastering him.
And yes, he adeptly masters his current circumstances with less chaos and ease. He encounters with Nina, as a child who grows up to be a women who carries herself with certain poise and is highly intellectual. He learns a lot through her eyes and brings in a liveliness to his otherwise mundane life. The story talks about the various incidences that happen to him during his house arrest in the hotel.
What we have today in our lives in our lives is shaped by past. It has the power to shape our future. Although we are familiar with such a notion, and take great pride and comfort in that, we are still pushed into a vast sea of anonymity that is a realm of unknow and uncertainty –
– Amor Towles, A Gentleman in Moscow
Count Rostov strongly believes that a change in a weather/climate, reshapes the destiny of person, his destiny does change too unexpectedly. He encounters with Nina who gives him the responsibility of her daughter Sofia who grows up to be a women of substance and an amazing musician with a bright future. Sofia and Count Rostov share a warm relationship filled with love, care, witnessing a bitterness in joy and sweetness of despair, and their lives get interwoven with each other more beautifully. As a reader, I fell in love with the relationship both Sofia and Count Rostov shared with each other, and is moved by the unexpected ending of the story.
An Individual is shaped by the events of history. The course of history can be shaped by an individual. It is true and very applicable, as not only both change the course of history, but also changes the course of lives for both of them individually.
Sophia and Rostov are two amazing characters who have been intricately and beautifully developed over the course of the story. The author has done an amazing job and justice to the development of characters who create humongous impact on the readers. A Gentleman in Moscow is a book, I would recommend to all the avid readers and is a must read.
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