Book Review: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

I’m finding this book very hard to review. I loved our protagonist, Count Rostov; I loved each individual story or happening that takes place; I loved the supporting characters, nearly all of which were gems; and I loved the history. Unfortunately, despite all of that, I didn’t love the experience of actually reading the book. 

This story takes place over the course of Count Rostov’s life after he is confined under house arrest at the Metropol Hotel in Moscow after the Russian Revolution made his existence as an aristocrat dangerous to the interests of the communist society. The book is a blend of Count Rostov’s inner life in the Hotel and his external viewpoint of what was happening in the Russia he wasn’t allowed to enter. 

There is very little of a central plot, so the book almost reads more like a collection of stories and philosophical musings that just happen to occur chronologically for the Count. So while I loved each part of the collection, I felt like the book was a bit aimless at times and seemed to drag on. It wasn’t gripping like I had hoped, so it took me half a month to read. I will say that I found that the second half of the book sailed along quicker than the first half. 

The prose was as clever and witty as Count Rostov, and I liked how detailed Towles explored character mannerisms and how he built them up for character depth. I underlined and annotated quite a lot of the book. I am very glad that I read the book—I definitely don’t regret it—but it didn’t leave me in an euphoric state.