Basic Information : Synopsis : Characters : Thoughts : Evaluation : Book Group : New Words : Book References : Good Quotes : Table of Contents : References
Basic Information:
Author: Amor Towles
Edition: eBook on the Nook
Publisher: Viking
ISBN: 0670026190 (ISBN13:
9780670026197)
Start Date: September 12, 2018
Read Date: September 27, 2018
462 pages
Genre: Fiction,
Fiction-History, Philosophy
Language Warning: None
Rated Overall: 4 ½ out of 5
History: 4 out of 5
Religion: Christianity-but
only in times of desperation.
Fiction-Tells a good story: 5
out of 5
Fiction-Character development:
5 out of 5
Synopsis (Caution: Spoiler Alert-Jump to Thoughts):
Count Rostov appears in a
court a few years after the Russian revolution. There is a line in a
poem published under his name which sounds insubordinate to the
Revolution. The Count is sentenced to house arrest at the Hotel
Metropol. If he ever leaves, he will be shot.
Upon return from court, he
first knows he is being moved out of his room, into a small room
upstairs airs. Most of his belongings are left behind.
As the years go by, he makes
friends with a precocious girl, maybe about 9. She asks questions
and gets him into places throughout the Hotel-she has somehow
obtained a pass key to the Hotel. They listen in on conventions, go
into the basement, into rooms, …. In so many ways his small world
becomes large.
He befriends an actress who
turns into a starlet. They become lovers. But as the years progresses
and her beauty matures, she gets less and less parts. But she
continues to be the Counts friend.
Nina comes into the Count’s
life in an unexpected way. She has a young child, her husband has
fallen in grace from the Revolution. He is exiled inside of Russia.
She follows him, but leaves the child with Rostov
We watch as the child grew up
into being a young woman. She is quiet, observes everything. But she
is also a gifted pianist. She grows to be a leading pianist and is
invited to Paris to play with the Russian national symphony.
It is revealed that his poet
friend is really the one who wrote the poem which Rostov originally
is in court for. This is after the poet has died. Rostov says that
the irony is the poem saved him from being shot as an aristocrat and
that his poet friend still got into trouble anyway.
This sets Rostov’s plan in
motion. He arranges for her to be granted asylum and details her
escape. But he is confined to the Hotel. As she is playing in Paris,
he times his escape, looking like he is going to Finland. Instead, he
goes back to his old estate and meets up with his long time
companion.
Cast of Characters:
- Count Rostov-main character. Arrested for a single line of poetry. Put under house arrest in a hotel where he spends the next 30 years of his life, before he makes his escape.
- Audrius- bartender, friend of the Count
- Emile-the cook, friend of the Count
- The Bishop-spy for the Russian government on the people in the Hotel
- Nina Kulikova-young child, who comes in and out of the Count’s life. She bears a child, Sofia
- Sofia-Nina’s child. Accomplished pianist, introspective, observer
- Mishka-poet friend who is an enemy of the people
- Anna Urbanova-actress, friend, lover
Thoughts:
What is the author trying to
tell us with all of the chapter titles starting with “A”? Or is
he just being cute?
But the titles and chapters
are meant to mark time. Going from fast to slower to slower, then
back to fast.
.
1922: An Ambassador
Much of this novel is about
saying goodbye to things which we remember stuff by. Towles points
out that from an early age, we say goodbye to friends and family,
whether we move away, or they from us, or they pass away. But can we
let our possessions go? In some ways our possessions are closer to us
than our friends. We spend more time with them and try to take them
everywhere. When something breaks or is stolen we feel part of us is
lost. How so?
An Anglican Ashore
Every period has its
virtues, even a time of turmoil.
Anyway
..that a new generation
owes a measure of thanks to every member of the previous generation.
Why?
Being someone, a princess in
this case, is due to the refinement
of manners. That in
its essence is that you respect someone enough that you will be
courteous around them. The more you can be courteous to others the
better person you are. In essence, you become a person.
Around and About
...pomp is a tenacious
force. Towles goes
on and talks about how even a person who is humble will eventually
succumb to the adoration of being famous and honored.
In Anna Karenina by Leo
Tolstoy, is quoted by Towles: "Happy
families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own
way."
Rostov establishes a hidden
study by breaking into an unused room next to his own. one
description Towles says is that it had
been furnished in a manner more essential to the spirit.
What a great thought. That you have a place in your life which
reflects your own spirit, that would be almost a sense of
fulfillment.
An Assembly
Carefully crafted things
that have outlived their usefulness… Here
Rostov was considering how some of his furniture. The furniture he
saw was his originally but taken over by someone else. The
ornateness, the craftsmanship, the skill would not be appreciated by
the Revolution until much later.
Advent
“It is a sad but
unavoidable fact of life,” he began, “that as we age our social
circles grow smaller.”
The he is Count Rostov. But does it? At this time, he was about 25-30
years old. He has not grown into old age, even though he is in
confinement. I will saw that my social circle today is larger than it
was 20 years ago. Before, it was work and my house church and family.
Now it includes, family, house church, two book groups, and a hiking
group. It probably depends on both what you and circumstances let
happen. Is my circle of friends closer to me than before? But this is
more of a warning. From this point out, death will start taking its
toll on those around me.
Book Two
1923: An Actress
A year has passed since his
confinement in the hotel. He meets a star, goes to bed with her and
is discarded.
When two dogs spy a cat, the
chase is on. Towles notes that to attain the upper hand in the field
of battle is measured only in an instant. In this case, the cat has
home turf and has the upper hand, giving him that instant. Humorous,
but also able to capture the need to understand one’s own position.
When the actress is talking
about her past and upbringing, the Count notes the virtue of
withholding judgment. That allows one to hear the person and
understand them better. It also does not cut the person off.
Not all the time is it good to
be ahead of everybody else. Sometimes, it is better to relax, observe
and be behind them.
1924: Anonymity
an educated man should
admire any course of study no matter how arcane, it it be pursued
with curiosity and devotion.
Sort of goes with the Chesterton thought that it is the romance of
his life in that he has not found anything or any person boring.
Towles points out that it is
our friends who should overestimate, not underestimate us. Nina, the
Count’s young friend, did exactly that. It was a homework
assignment now which the Count casually looked at and found that she
had made some numbers prime which were divisible by three. A minor
item, still something to open a teenagers eyes that there was more
there than what she was seeing.
Towles tells of a story where
the Bolsheviks had decided that all the labels should be peeled off
of the wine. Because why have unequal wines? Only reds and whites.
Much more equal without the label. The Count thinks about the wines
inside the bottles. Now that the labels are off, are they all the
same? Are they all equal inside the bottle? The contents are a result
of a complex interaction of grape, soil, filtration, fermentation,
weather, and handling. Isn’t that how we are?
Fashion turned people away
from the Russian church. But to what did they turn? Some of them
turn to science as a means to find answers, others to philosophy
like Nietzsche or Hegel. Both of these alternatives sound pretty cold
and lifeless. They may have some answers to the mystery of life, but
is there comfort in their answers? Rostov felt that weather had much
more influence on us than any of the above. We are much more included
to be influenced by our emotions which the weather changes.
1926-Adieu
Towles once again notes that
people change with the weather, So would it make sense that the
weather also affects human events?
It is pointed out that
countries exiled its citizens to other countries. While there is the
yearning to go back, there is the need to learn to live in the new
place. But Russia has figured out how to prolong the agony of exile.
That is to exile within Russia. Siberia is legendary as the place
where their internal dissidents are sent. So when you are exiled
internally, you are still in Russia, but cannot live in Russia as
someone who can experience it. Which is worse? This is what Rostov is
faced with. Each day he has the same circumstances without hope of
change.
Book Three
Arcachne’s Art
History is the business of
identifying momentous events from the comfort of a high-back chair.
Just an interesting thought and perspective.
The Nina character is
interesting. Meeting her when she was nine years old where she was
inquisitive. Enough so that she figured out how to go around the
hotel, into places which were hidden. When she re-enters Rostov life
it was as a teen-ager in school, she wanted to find prime numbers.
Then the next time she comes into the story, it is on her way to a
collective. There Towles says that she always
was and would be a serious soul in search of serious ideas to be
serious about. A
place for being serious, but wasn’t Nina lacking something, maybe
lover? Definitely she was lacking humor. Later on we will meet his
daughter Sofia. We shall see how same and how different she is.
Rostov notes when he talked to
his seamstress friend, Marina, of his concern for Nina. I
fear that the force of her convictions will interfere with the joys
of her youth. There
should be joy in our youth. But not only in youth but as we get old
should we have joy.
There is only a few places
which you sit up and go haaa? When he figures out he is late for an
appointment, he exclaims Great
Scott! Why would he
be referencing either an English poet or a Civil War general?
An Afternoon
… art is the most
unnatural minion of the state. Not only is it created by fanciful
people who tire of repetition even more quickly than they tire of
being told what to do, …
It would seem like the trueness
of this statement is that the state is all about governance. How to
make things better for all of the people. There is a certain amount
of make everybody the same. While art is more about individual
expression. So why would an artist want to get mixed up with the
state?
What is the outcome of a set
back? To overcome? to hide? to put on a false front? There are
ramifications to each way to confront when things happen in one's
life. In a lot of ways, this is the theme of the book. How does the
Count face his trails? How does his friends cope with their own set
backs?
An Alliance
So what is the difference
between being reconciled to a situation and being resigned? Don’t
the two look the same? But surely two different words. Of the two, I
think I would rather be reconciled, in most cases. But in some cases,
neither of the two words would describe what I would want.
Absinthe
Jazz must be an acquired
taste-the Count took awhile to enjoy it. I have only enjoyed it on a
limited basis.
Even in exile, there is a bit
of place where pleasure can be had. There is the Count’s actress
woman who comes by on occasion. But there is a place where the
physical meets the spiritual. A stew was created using several
ingredients, including absinthe. The reaction from the three who
participate was [the] feeling
that this moment, this hour, this universe could not be improved
upon. There are
those times which happen, but only rarely. Towles description is
really good.
What is inevitable?
To the Count it is that Nina will be full of life.
1938: An Arrival
Going through the Count’s
mind when Nina came along was if Nina is asking a favor, something
which does not come naturally, one does it. Not because Nina would
badger him, but because of the terms of the relationship. But
wouldn’t you ask what the favor is before accepting it? I probably
would, but this exhibits the kind of bonds Rostov felt he had with
Nina. It turns out the favor is to take care of Sofia, Nina’s
daughter, for a couple of months while she tends to her husband’s
exile in Siberia. This is a BIG favor. Later on, she never gets a
chance to return.
Adjustments
Count Rostov realizes that he
has become settled in his ways at the age of 48. But is that bad?
...a man should attend
closely to life, he should not attend too closely to the clock.
This is becomes we were not created to be time’s servant, rather
time was created by God to allow us to change.
Ascending: Alighting
A wise seamstress said to the
Count when he was trying to figure out child care for Sofia, If
you are ever in doubt, just remember that unlike adults, children
want to be happy.
There is a difference between wanting and desiring. Wanting is like a
child at Christmas time. They want a gift. While adults are more
interested in the utilitarian aspects of a gift.
Wonder if this is true: people
who pace will act impulsively.
Poetry
of silence This may
be the best phrase in the whole book. It conjures up the imagination
to have you think about how silence can have its own words. Towles
goes on and says that silence can be a form of protest. But it does
have its own meter and conventions.
1946
Sad thing when Towles observes
that the one thing which Russians learned from the Revolution was how
to stand in line. A line which was universal and infinite. Standing
in the line for everything. While the Russians stand in line to live,
we as Americans stand in line for pleasure-think of Disneyland. We
actually pay to stand in line.
Antics, Antitheses, an
Accident
Comment from the poet:
Russians are adept at destroying what they have created. I am
wondering how true that is? Can you say the same thing about the
Germans starting two World Wars? He does go on and talk about art,
cities and people. Maybe he has a point. He then goes on and says
this is not an abhorrent situation. Rather a strength. They are
willing to destroy their own because they truly believe in what they
do, there is power in the picture, poem, prayer or person.
Mishka notes that being
sentence for life in the Metropol made him the luckiest man in
Russia. It seems like Rostov has a ringside seat with a minimal
amount of the dangers which come with change. He is there out of
harm’s way. History comes to him.
Osip, the secret agent is
trying to figure out how to understand Americans. He does not
understand who authorizes films which show the gritty side of
America. He says that Hollywood is a dangerous force in class
struggle. Osip goes on and talks about how Hollywood made the
Depression pleasant, maybe calming the forces of class struggle. On
the other hand, there was jazz and skyscrapers. How do they fit into
that theory according to Rostov?
Sofia runs up the stairs,
slips and hits her head. Rostov ignores the injunction to not leave
the hotel and gets her to the hospital where she goes into
surgery-turns out by
the best surgeon in Moscow.
Rostov falls back on the only thing he can do: prayer. Why do we fall
back on this as the last resort? But he also says that what is a
parent’s responsibility? To
bring a child safely into adulthood so that she could have a chance
to experience a life of purpose, and God willing, contentment.
That sums it up right there.
And the other lesson learned
is that even you “enemy” can be your true friend. Osip who is to
make sure Rostov never leave the Metropol is the one who arranged for
the surgeon. He also arranges for a way to get Rostov back into the
Metropol without being
noticed.
Book Four
1952: America
This is why I seldom order an
appetizer-Townes says that it is the most perilous time in all human
interactions. What do you do? Sit there silent? Make small,
light-weight conversation? Get interrupted in the middle of a serious
conversation? Rostov and Sofia played a game called Zut. Zut is a
real French game, but they played something else. You come up with a
category. Then you take turns coming up with something which fits
the category.
Anna says that everybody in
Europe wants to go to America. Look at the conveniences shown in
their magazines and how little work you need to do. But Rostov points
out that him not being married, not having to attend functions, and
being able to sleep until noon are all great conveniences. But he
would rather have the inconveniences that matter to him. I think he
is talking about Sofia and Anna here. So true. Being unfettered lends
itself to freedom. But being able to love ties one down.
1953: Apostles and
Apostates
Time passes slowly when there
is nothing to do, That I would think may be the worst part of prison.
Or as WIlliam Gilbert says in Princess
Ida
Oh, don’t the days seem lank and longWhen all goes right and nothing goes wrong.And isn’t your life extremely flatWith nothing whatever to grumble at!
Here is the crux of the story.
Rostov’s poet friend, Mishka has died. His lover has come bringing
one last gift. Here it is revealed that the poem which put Rostov in
the hotel for life was not written by him, but by his friend. Rostov
said that he wrote it to save his friend as Mishka would have been
shot by prerevolutionary forces. So saving his friend’s life he
saved his own.
Mishka was the last of
Rostov’s ties to his old life. He was the last, he
remained to remember.
What does the term Bread
and Salt mean to a
Russian? Why is this important? From Wikipedia: a
welcome greeting ceremony in several Slavic and other European
cultures and in Middle Eastern cultures. … When important,
respected, or admired guests arrive, they are presented with a loaf
of bread (usually a korovai) placed on a rushnyk (embroidered ritual
cloth). A salt holder or a salt cellar is placed on top of the bread
loaf or secured in a hole on the top of the loaf. … There also is a
traditional Russian greeting "Khleb da sol!" (Хлеб да
соль! "Bread and salt!"). The phrase is to be uttered
by an arriving guest as an expression of good wish towards the host's
household.
The chapter and this book ends
with the big question, Does
it matter?
Book Five
1954: Applause and Acclaim
Rostov confesses to Sofia that
him taking care of her has not been altogether altruistic. While he
has felt a fatherly bound, he has also, because of his restraints,
has not been able to expose her to the wider world. There is more to
life than just the hotel. One cannot truly explore a piece of music
or a book, within the confines of your room.
What matters in life is not
whether we receive a round of applause; what matters is whether we
have the courage to venture forth despite the uncertainty of acclaim.
Achilles Agonistes
Sounds rather luxurious when
Towles describes Rostov’s life: the
Count had opted for the life of the purposefully unrushed.
Now does that mean that he purposely did not feel he needed to rush
or that he took on purposes which he would not be rushed by? But then
he goes on and elaborates that things which we rush for:
appointments, transportation, … can probably wait while we should
make sure we are their for a good cup of tea or time with friends.
Good points
Arrivederci
Interesting phrase: Men of
Intent. This is what Osip labels Rostov.
Adulthood
Life does not proceed by
leaps and bounds.
This was thought when Sofia’s dress was revealed to Rostov. She
grew up day by day. But sometimes, like a tree, we do not see it
until when we step back and take a look. Towles says that at the
moment she crossed the threshold [showing off her dress] she became
an adult.
An Announcement
The question gets asked in
Rostov’s mind, What
sort of Divinity? … The very same who rendered Beethoven deaf and
Monet blind?
Anecdotes
Rostov was governed by two
axioms:
-
if one did not master one’s circumstances, one was bound to be mastered by them
-
surest sign of wisdom is constant cheerfulness
Antagonists at Arms (and an
Abs…)
Fate does not take sides.
This is thought as Rostov enters a room to take a passport he needs.
He thinks that it looks at the likelihood of success and failure, but
does not so much favor the good or bad. He thinks that it will give
opportunity for a person to take.
Afterwards
Differences between probably,
plausible and possible. Something which we are all confounded by. We
think just because something is possible, that it is within the realm
of probable.
Casablanca theme-round
up the
usual suspects
And again, there is something
in both Casablanca and in Count Rostov-hope. The small actions being
performed will restore the world to a sense of order.
And Anon
Towles points out that you
cannot go back home; things will be different. This is what happens
with Rostov makes it back to his family home. It has been burnt to
the ground with only chimneys remaining. Rostov was not upset, but
more more marking it off as it was gone.
Nice ending, leaving things to
an imagination.
In a great many ways, this
book is about friendship. No matter how confined we are, as long as
there is a relationship available, a friendship is a possibility.
Towles
weaves this through his book effortlessly
taking you through friendships between Rostov and a poet-which lands
him confined in a hotel for life, a young girl who gets enough
confidence in him to leave her child, a bureaucrat who has Rostov
under surveillance, and a leading actress which goes from a one night
stand to a lifelong relationship. Towles expresses all of this richly
as the scene never changes, just the relationships grow and mature.
He expresses
the wisdom he has through his main character, Count Rostov. In some
cases, it is how come we should honor and listen to our elders to
living with one's
circumstances. And
other Rostov is the dispenser of wisdom. A
lot of it is “known” wisdom, but put together Rostov is a
character which is at a focal point of a lot of activities, few of
his making. He is not a character who dispenses wisdom by his words,
but by his person.
This is also a book where you
need to connect the dots. A few these points concern bread,
Casablanca, and sewing. Throughout the book Count Rostov picks up
something, which might be used twenty years down the line. It is our
job as readers to pick up what is important.
The books moves slowly, but
then wouldn’t time move slowly if you spent 30+ years in a hotel?
Still it is a read which you want to enjoy, spreading it out over
several nights in an easy chair by a fire.
Notes from my book group:
Both OSHER and Book Group
One of the first things which
Towles points out is that it is our possessions which we miss the
most. Sometimes it is the things which reminds us of people or
places. How does this wander through the story about losing
possessions and dealing with it?
What is manners and what makes
them so powerful?
..that a new generation
owes a measure of thanks to every member of the previous generation.
Why?
In his 1924:
Addendum chapter,
Rostov contemplates the bottles of wine where the labels have been
striped from the bottles. He ponders the wine in the bottle and
decides they are not identical. How does this realization cause him
to think about people? How does the Count realize his own place in
the passage of time? Does this help for us to understand ourselves?
Also in 1924:Addendum,
Rostov thinks that many of his generation left the Russian Orthodox
Church because that was the fashion of the elites. He points out that
they went to other refuges-science or philosophy. What is it about
human nature where we have to find a place of meaning? What does that
day about us as humans?
Rostov fears for his friend
Nina as she got older, I
fear that the force of her convictions will interfere with the joys
of her youth. How
do our convictions interfere with joy? Should it?
… art is the most
unnatural minion of the state. Not only is it created by fanciful
people who tire of repetition even more quickly than they tire of
being told what to do, …
If the state is about governance, why would an artist want to get
mixed up with the state? What tension does this tell about our own
desires for good governance but also freedom of expression?
Why does Rostov start working
at the hotel?
Rostov is talking to Sofia
about clocks. He says that his father had said that ...a
man should attend closely to life, he should not attend too closely
to the clock. What
does this statement mean and is it true? Is our lives governed by the
clock?
When Rostov is confronted with
Natasha’s child Sofia, the seamstress says to the Count, If
you are ever in doubt, just remember that unlike adults, children
want to be happy.
Is this true? In what ways? What is the difference between wanting
and desire?
While Rostov is tutoring Osip
in the ways of America, Rostov says that it
is a fundamental rule of academic study that whether a student has
read every word of a work matters less than whether he has
established a reasonable familiarity with its essential material.
But when Osip challenges Rostov on how much has he read, Rostov
admits only a small fraction of the book. What would a reasonable
familiarity with its essential material with
a text involve? How does one acquire this familiarity without reading
every word? Why would you want to read every word?
Towles places in the mouth of
the protest poet the words poetry
of silence .
He then goes on and says that silence can be both poetry and protest.
How so? When have you heard this?
In the chapter called Antics,
Antitheses, an Accident,
the poet Mishka notes that the reason why Russians destroy themselves
is because they understand that there is power in the picture, poem,
prayer and person. What in the book shows that? How do we view these
things? Where do we as Americans believe there is power?
Why was Rostov the luckiest
man in Russia, according to Mishka?
Why does Osip understand that
Hollywood is the
single most dangerous force in the history of class struggle?
In the 1952:
America chapter,
Anna and Rostov talk about the convencies which America
has-dishwashers, cars, vacuum cleaners, … But Rostov counters by
talking about a higher level of inconveniences, such as a wife, or
the gaiety of a function. How would you counter either thought?
What does the term Bread
and Salt mean to a
Russian? Why is this important?
Book Four ends with the big
question, Does it
matter? Does it?
Why do all the chapters start
with the letter “A”?
6. One of the pleasures of
writing fiction is discovering upon completion of a project that some
thread of imagery has run through the work without your complete
awareness–forming, in essence, an unintentional motif. While I was
very conscious of the recurrence of tolling bells, keys, and
concentric circles in the book, here are a few motifs that I only
recognized after the fact: Packages
wrapped in brown paper
such as the Maltese Falcon, Mishka’s book of quotations, the
Russian nesting dolls discovered in the Italians’ closet, and the
Count’s copy of Montaigne (in Paris). The
likeness of stars
such as the freckles on Anna’s back and the beacon on the top of
the Shukhov radio tower. Sailors
(often in peril)
such as Robinson Crusoe, Odysseus, Admiral Makarov, and Arion in the
myth of Delphinus. What role do any of these motifs play in the
thematic composition of the book? And if you see me in an airport,
can you explain them to me? From Amor
Towles site:
Time matters in this book. The
chapters tend to bounce ahead a few years, then a few months, then a
few days and then back to a few years again. How does this affect the
pacing of the story and how the story gets told?
10. This is a novel with a
somewhat fantastical premise set half a century ago in a country very
different from our own. Nonetheless, do you think the book is
relevant today? If so, in what way? From Amor
Towles site:
1. In the transcript at the
opening of A
Gentleman in Moscow,
the head of the tribunal and Count Rostov have the following
exchange:
Secretary Ignatov: I have no
doubt, Count Rostov, that some in the galley are surprised to find
you charming; but I am not surprised to find you so. History has
shown charm to be the last ambition of the leisure class. What I do
find surprising is that the author of the poem in question could have
become a man so obviously without purpose.
Rostov: I have lived under the
impression that a man’s purpose is known only to God.
Secretary Ignatov: Indeed. How
convenient that must have been for you.
To what extent is A
Gentleman in Moscow
a novel of purpose? How does the Count’s sense of purpose manifest
itself initially, and how does it evolve as the story unfolds?
2. Over the course of Book
Two, why does the
Count decide to throw himself from the roof of the Metropol? On the
verge of doing so, why does the encounter with the old handyman lead
him to change his plans?
3. The Count’s life under
house arrest is greatly influenced by his relationship with four
women: Nina, Marina, Anna, and Sofia. What is the nature of the
Count’s relationship with each of these women? How do those
relationships differ from his relationship with the members of the
Triumvirate—Andrey and Emile?
4. The majority of A
Gentleman in Moscow
is told in the third person from the Count’s point of view. There
is, however, an overarching narrator with a different perspective
than the Count’s. Initially, this narrator appears in footnotes,
then in the Addendums,
then in the historical introductions of 1930,
1938,
and 1946.
How would you characterize this narrator? How does he differ from the
Count in terms of his point of view and tone of voice? What is his
role in the narrative?
5. In the 1946
chapter, Mishka,
Osip, and Richard each share with the Count their perspective on the
meaning of the revolutionary era. What are these three perspectives?
Are you inclined to agree with one of them; or do you find there is
some merit to each?
6. One of the pleasures of
writing fiction is discovering upon completion of a project that some
thread of imagery has run through the work without your complete
awareness–forming, in essence, an unintentional motif. While I was
very conscious of the recurrence of tolling bells, keys, and
concentric circles in the book, here are a few motifs that I only
recognized after the fact: Packages
wrapped in brown paper
such as the Maltese Falcon, Mishka’s book of quotations, the
Russian nesting dolls discovered in the Italians’ closet, and the
Count’s copy of Montaigne (in Paris). The
likeness of stars
such as the freckles on Anna’s back and the beacon on the top of
the Shukhov radio tower. Sailors
(often in peril)
such as Robinson Crusoe, Odysseus, Admiral Makarov, and Arion in the
myth of Delphinus. What role do any of these motifs play in the
thematic composition of the book? And if you see me in an airport,
can you explain them to me?
7. How does the narrative
incorporate the passage of time, and does it do so effectively?
Thematically speaking, how does the Count’s experience of Time
change over the course of the novel and how does it relate to his
father’s views as embodied by the twice-tolling clock? What does
the novel suggest about the influence of individuals on history and
vice versa?
8. At the opening of Book
Five, the Count has
already decided to get Sofia out of Russia. What occurs over the
course of Book Four
to lead him to this decision? Why does he choose to remain behind?
9. Near the novel’s
conclusion, what is the significance of the toppled cocktail glass in
Casablanca?
10. This is a novel with a
somewhat fantastical premise set half a century ago in a country very
different from our own. Nonetheless, do you think the book is
relevant today? If so, in what way?
11. Bonus Question: Who
in the novel also appears in Rules
of Civility?
Quetions from LitLovers
1. Start with the Count. How
would you describe him? Do you find him an appealing, even memorable
character?
2. In what way does his gilded
cage, his "prison" for decades, transform Count Rostov? How
do you see him changing during the course of the novel? What
incidents have the most profound effect on him? Consider the incident
with the beehive and the honey.
3. The Metropol serves
literally and symbolically as a window on the world. What picture
does Amor Towles paint of the Soviet Union—the brutality, its
Kafka-esque bureaucracy, and the fear it inspires among its citizens?
What are the pressures, for instance, faced by those who both live in
and visit the Metropol? Does Towles's dark portrait overwhelm the
story's narrative?
4. Talk about Nina, who even
Towles considers the Eloise of the Metropol. Nina helps the Count
unlock the hotel (again, literally and symbolically), revealing a
much richer place than the it first seemed. What do we, along with
the Count, discover?
5. What might Casablanca be
the Count's favorite film? What does it suggest about his situation?
6. Talk about the other
characters, aside from Nina, who play an important part in this novel
the handyman, the actress, his friend Mishka, and even Osip
Glebnikov. Consider the incident with the honey.
7. The Count was imprisoned
for writing the poem, "where is it now?", which questioned
the purpose of the new Soviet Union. Care to make any comparisons now
with Russia under Putin, 70-some years later?
Many of these questions are
either from or adapted from LitLovers.
-
Why the title of Gentleman in Moscow?
-
Did the ending seem fitting? Satisfying? Predictable?
-
Which character was the most convincing? Least?
-
Which character did you identify with?
-
Which one did you dislike?
-
-
Every story has a world view. Were you able to identify this story’s world view? What was it? How did it affect the story?
-
In what context was religion talked about in this book?
-
Why do you think the author wrote this book?
-
Did you know that Towles started off as an investment banker?
-
-
What would you ask the author if you had a chance?
-
What “take aways” did you have from this book?
-
Describe the culture talked about in the book.
-
How is the culture described in this book different than where we live?
-
What economic or political situations are described?
-
-
How did this book affect your view of the world?
-
What questions did you ask yourself after reading this book?
-
-
Talk about specific passages that struck you as significant—or interesting, profound, amusing, illuminating, disturbing, sad...?
-
What was memorable?
-
New Words:
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tableaux (Around and About): a group of models or motionless figures representing a scene from a story or from history; a tableau vivant.
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Vronsky’s saddlebags (Around and About): She flew over the ditch as if without noticing it; she flew over like a bird; but just then Vronsky felt to his horror that, having failed to keep up with the horse’s movement, he, not knowing how himself, had made a wrong, an unforgivable movement as he lowered himself into the saddle. from Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, Part 2, Chp 25
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balustrade (Around and About): a railing supported by balusters, especially an ornamental parapet on a balcony, bridge, or terrace.
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dactyls (Archeologies): a metrical foot consisting of one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables or (in Greek and Latin) one long syllable followed by two short syllables.
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tropes (Archeologies): a figurative or metaphorical use of a word or expression.
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patronymics (Advent): a name derived from the name of a father or ancestor, typically by the addition of a prefix or suffix
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borzois (1923): Russian wolfhound
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marcato (1923): (especially as a direction) played with emphasis.
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raconteur (1926): a person who tells anecdotes in a skillful and amusing way.
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droshky (1926): a low four-wheeled open carriage of a kind formerly used in Russia.
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Arcachne’s Art (Arcachne’s Art): a talented mortal weaver who challenged Athena, goddess of wisdom and crafts, to a weaving contest; this hubris resulted in her being transformed into a spider.
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dithyramb (An Afternoon Assignation): a wild choral hymn of ancient Greece, especially one dedicated to Dionysus. a passionate or inflated speech, poem, or other writing.
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Absinthe (Absinthe): an anise-flavoured spirit derived from botanicals, including the flowers and leaves of Artemisia absinthium ("grand wormwood"), together with green anise, sweet fennel, and other medicinal and culinary herbs
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denouement (Ascending: Alighting): the final part of a play, movie, or narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved.
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kasha (Antics, Antitheses, an Accident): kasha is a term for the pseudocereal buckwheat. In Central and Eastern Europe, especially in Belarus, the Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine, kasha is a dish made of any kind of grains boiled in water or milk, i.e. a porridge.
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kotlety (1950: Adagio, Andante, Allego): a Polish variety of pork breaded cutlet coated with breadcrumbs similar to Viennese schnitzel, but made of pork tenderloin (with the bone or without), or with pork chop.
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duumvirate (1952: America): a coalition of two people having joint authority or influence.
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Aeneid by Virgil
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Odyssey by Homer
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War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
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Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
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Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
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Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville
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Call of the Wild by Jack London
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The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov
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The Seagull by Anton Chekhov
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The Brothers Karamozou by Fyodor Dostoevsky
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The Nose by Nikolai Gogol
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A Sportsman’s Sketches by Ivan Turgenev
Good Quotes:
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First Line: How well I remember When it came as a visitor on foot and dwelt a while amongst us A melody in the semblance of a mountain ca.
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Last Line: And there in the corner, at a table for two, her hair tinged with gray, the willowy woman waited.
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Every period has its virtues, even a time of turmoil. Chp An Anglican Ashore
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It is a sad but unavoidable fact of life, … that as we age our social circles grow smaller. Chp Advent
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an educated man should admire any course of study no matter how arcane, it it be pursued with curiosity and devotion. Chp 1924: Addendum
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History is the business of identifying momentous events from the comfort of a high-back chair. Chp Arcachne’s Art
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… art is the most unnatural minion of the state. Not only is it created by fanciful people who tire of repetition even more quickly than they tire of being told what to do, … chp An Afternoon Assignment
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...a man should attend closely to life, he should not attend too closely to the clock. chp Adjustments
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unlike adults, children want to be happy. chp Ascending: Alighting
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it is a fundamental rule of academic study that whether a student has read every word of a work matters less than whether he has established a reasonable familiarity with its essential material. chp Ascending: Alighting
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As a species we’re just no good at writing obituaries. chp Antics, Antitheses, an Accident
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The friends that one happens to make in those impressionable years? One will meet them forever after with a welling of affection. chp 1950: Adagio, Andante, Allego
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No matter how much time passes, those we have loved never slip away from us entirely. chp 1950: Adagio, Andante, Allego
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A room is the summation of all that has happened inside it. chp 1950: Adagio, Andante, Allego
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The tenure of friendship has never been governed by the passage of time. chp 1950: Adagio, Andante, Allego
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When life makes it impossible for a man to pursue his dreams, he will connive to pursue them anyway. chp 1950: Adagio, Andante, Allego
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What matters in life is not whether we receive a round of applause; what matters is whether we have the courage to venture forth despite the uncertainty of acclaim. chp 1954: Applause and Acclaim
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...there are people who play an essential role at every turn …. men and women who routinely appear at critical junctures in the progress of art, or commerce, or the evolution of ideas--as if Life itself has summoned them once again to help fulfill its purpose. chp Anecdotes
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What is an intention when compared to a plan? chp An Association
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The smallest of one’s actions one can restore some sense of order to the world. Chp Afterwards
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Epigraph
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Book One
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1922: An Ambassador
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An Anglican Ashore
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An Appointment
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An Acquaintanceship
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Anyway
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Around and About
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An Assembly
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Archeologies
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Advent
-
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Book Two
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1923: An Actress
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Addendum
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1924: Anonymity
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1926-Adieu
-
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Book Three
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1930:
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Arcachne’s Art
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An Afternoon
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An Alliance
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Absinthe
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Addendum
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1938: An Arrival
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Adjustments
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Ascending: Alighting
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1946
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Antics, Antitheses, an Accident
-
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Book Four
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1950: Adagio, Andante, Allego
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1952: America
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1953: Apostles and Apostates
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Book Five
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1954: Applause and Acclaim
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Achilles Agonistes
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Arrivederci
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Adulthood
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An Annoucement
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Anecdotes
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An Association
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Antagonists at Arms (and an Abs…)
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Apotheoses
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Afterwards
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Afterwards
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And Anon
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Author's Web Site
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Wikipedia-Author
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Amazon-Book
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Amazon-Author
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Barnes and Noble
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GoodReads-Book
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GoodReads-Author
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New York Times Review
-
Book Companion has a list of chapters with the characters in each chapter
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