Be thankful, grateful, patient, charitable, kind, and don’t forget to smile, as it is infectious. God Bless America and Protect Our President and Military
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles – In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution in the 1920’s, we follow Count Alexander Rostov, an unrepentant Russian aristocrat, who is sentenced by the Bolshevik government to lifelong house arrest in the opulent luxury of the Hotel Metropol. His one constraint is that if he steps outside the hotel, he will be executed.
He showed the ropes of the hotel by 9-year-old Nina Kulikova, a highly curious girl who befriends the count early on, giving him a passkey that unlocks the hotel’s hidden spaces and teaching him to see the world from a child’s perspective.
Years later, Nina (now a widow, sent to Siberia) leaves her young daughter, Sofia, in the Count’s care. Sofia becomes his adopted daughter, giving his confined life profound purpose.
In his stay, he meets Anna Urbanova, a glamorous actress who becomes the Count’s long-term lover and companion.
I laid the groundwork, hopefully piquing your interest in this wonderful story, that is, if you haven’t already read it. I saw the movie version, and it was done really well. However, when reading the story, I pictured the movie done in black and white with someone of the stature of Douglas Fairbanks Jr. or David Niven playing the role of Count Rustov. Shirley Temple as Sofia
What book surprised you and why?
Leave a comment