Russian Spies??

                When A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles was nominated for reading by a member of the book club I’m in I was promised Russian spies and intrigue.  It sort of got there, but it took a while.  This book has a really slow burn.  It is full of beautiful descriptions, tasty food and wine pairings, and references to old movies like Casablanca but for the first two thirds or so that’s pretty much all we get.  The book begins in Russia in 1922 and the main character, Count Alexander Rustov, has been placed on house arrest in the beautiful Metropol hotel for writing a poem and for being an aristocrat.  The contents of the poem are not discussed until later in the book.  He lives a modest life in two small rooms in the attic of the hotel where he is eventually given the position of head waiter.  The book revolves around the people who come in and out of the hotel and Rustov’s everyday life. 

                The characters in the novel are very well written with remarkable depth and personality.  The Count’s friends are all rendered with great detail but in a way that isn’t a burden to read.  Their back stories and individuality are fleshed out a little at a time and by the end of the book the reader has been able to allow them to simmer together like the delicious food Rustov is always talking about.  My appreciation for the characters (and my commitment to my book club!) is what kept me going when I wanted to give up on this book. 

                If I were reading this book on my own I probably would have put it down after the first section.  As beautifully written as it is, there really wasn’t a whole lot going on until the very end and it was hard to keep my attention on it.  I understand the main character is limited to the boundary of the hotel, but he interacts with people from the outside world quite frequently and, instead of focusing on those interactions, the author spends more time detailing the food he eats and the wine he chooses to pair it with.  I suppose if you’re a foodie this may be interesting, but I found it to be a bit boring.  The last third or so of the book almost makes up for it.  I don’t want to get into detail and spoil things, but the action picks up and things get more interesting.  Personally, I don’t know that it was worth making myself read the first two thirds to get to the interesting part.  Most of my book club was also a little conflicted about how they felt about the book, though there was one member who loved it.  The person who recommended A Gentleman in Moscow said that Towles’ other book Rules of Civility is much better.  I like his prose, and his character building so I’m going to add that to my to be read pile to see if I like it more. 

                As a side note, if you are from the D.C. area and are interested in meeting the author he is going to be at the National Book Festival being held at the Washington Convention Center on Saturday, September 2^nd.  He has other stops on his A Gentleman in Moscow book tour listed on his website at http://www.amortowles.com/events/
                I've decided to go ahead and post weekly on this blog.  I finished The Old Man and the Sea as well as The Maze Runner so be sure to check back for those reviews on Sunday!