Amor Towles – Page 5 – Cannonball Read 17

A reflection on a gentleman

A Gentleman In Moscow by Amor Towles

August 2, 2019 by lowercasesee Leave a Comment

I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book with such a localized setting. With the exception of one scene and a very few pages at the end, A Gentleman In Moscow takes place in a single building – the Metropol Hotel in Moscow. In the early 1920s in Russia, Alexander is a young relic, an aristocrat who survived the Bolshevik Revolution. The state wants to punish him but not kill him and thus he is placed under house arrest in the attic rooms of this luxury […]

This was a lovely and well-written story that I REALLY didn’t like.

May 13, 2018 by scootsa1000 Leave a Comment

This book was everywhere last year. Everyone I knew was reading it for book clubs and raving about it. One of my book clubs finally chose it for our April pick, and I’m just finishing up (its long!). The verdict in my book club: Most did not finish. One finished and hated it. One finished and put it in her top 5 books of all time. And what about me? I was just annoyed. This is a nice story for the most part. Amor Towles […]

15: A Gentleman in Moscow

April 1, 2018 by bonnie Leave a Comment

The great thing about being in two different book clubs is that I get exposed to a variety of books I normally would not pick up otherwise. The bad thing about being in two different book clubs is that I have to read a book that I don’t like occasionally. And sometimes, it’s a mixed bag. I try to force myself to read the book, once I’ve committed, because I want people to read the book I choose. And I found myself somewhat hot and […]

This book is a delight.

August 22, 2017 by Fiat.Luxury Leave a Comment

I picked this up because it was on everyone’s to-read lists. I thought it was probably about Cold War spies, maybe something along the lines of John le Carré. This is not a book about Cold War spies. This is the story of Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, who has been sentenced to house arrest in the Hotel Metropole, where he is in fact already a resident, for writing a poem. (It could have been worse–it could have been a bullet to the head.) Rostov is […]

Listen to the Heavens

February 7, 2017 by Gracey the Giant Leave a Comment

Rules of Civility takes place in post-Depression, pre-WWI Manhattan, among New York’s elite, those who wish to be New York’s elite and the clubs, parties and restaurants they frequented. The majority of the novel takes place in 1938 and is told from the point of view of Katey (born Katya) Kontent, described by her friend, Eve, as “the hottest bookworm you’ll ever meet.” Katey is the well-read, orphaned daughter of Russian emigrants, Eve (born Evelyn) is the naturally blonde, (naturally?) ambitious transplant from Indiana, and Tinker […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

Help Our Mission