2024 the best books all time review

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The mega-bestseller with more than 2 million readers, soon to be a Showtime/Paramount series starring Ewan McGregor as Count Alexander Rostov

From the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Lincoln Highway and Rules of Civility, a beautifully transporting novel about a man who is ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel

In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel’s doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery.

Brimming with humor, a glittering cast of characters, and one beautifully rendered scene after another, this singular novel casts a spell as it relates the count’s endeavor to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a man of purpose.

Reviewer: M.J.Lawicki
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Irresistible Historical Fiction....A Modern Literary Masterpiece
Review: A Gentleman in Moscow is a beautifully written transportive novel about a Russian aristocrat sentenced to life imprisonment within a luxury hotel. The tale begins in 1922 when Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov faces a Bolshevik tribunal in the aftermath of the Russian Civil War to determine his fate. Although the Count chose not to participate in the war, the Commissariat nevertheless finds him guilty of being an ‘unrepentant aristocrat.’ An unusual slight of circumstance in Count Rostov’s past spares him the ignominious fate of a firing squad. He is instead sentenced to spend the rest of his life within Moscow’s Hotel Metropol! The author wastes no time ushering readers into the Count’s decades-long journey of trials, tribulations, and occasional triumphs. Although many doors of possibility remain closed to the Count because of his imprisonment, many others remain open-particularly those relating to emotional discovery and personal growth. I immediately found the narrative engrossing. As it slowly unfolded and evolved it became in equal measure endearing and inspirational. This book is a modern masterpiece of literature and truly a delight to read.The most appealing aspect of this story for me is the Count himself. He is a nobleman, but more importantly he is a NOBLE MAN. Count Rostov is a likeable person who masters his oft-volatile circumstances the best way he knows how: with grace, poise, dignity, and impeccable taste. The Count rallies courageously against his misfortunes through the years, which in the end prompts him to utter my favorite quote of the novel, “A life without luxury can be the richest of all.” There are many themes in this book, but my favorite overarching one relates to the triumph of the will over misfortune.Many facets of this novel make it a delight to read. The Count is surrounded with a rich community of believable characters whose burgeoning friendships seem palpably authentic. I appreciated that there were so many strong, intelligent, and three dimensional female characters within the Counts interpersonal orbit. Chief among them is his clandestine lover, actress Anna Urbanova. I would be remiss without mentioning what a pleasure it is to read so many artfully detailed passages about food and wine. I have epicurean sensibilities, and found multiple passages about food-wine pairing fascinating, tantalizing, and educational.The tapestry of A Gentleman in Moscow is brilliantly weaved with luminous prose threads in this remarkably imaginative story. I’ve highlighted many quote worthy sentences, paragraphs, and phrases-more so than in any other work of fiction I’ve read in my lifetime. This book will give most every reader several important take-aways, and this is a hallmark of good fiction in my opinion. The Count’s fictional godfather Grand Duke Demidov best sums up one of the more important themes of the novel when he states, “Either master your circumstances, or they will master you.” Count Rostov proves to have ample stores of fortitude and masters his circumstances with verve. A Gentleman in Moscow is witty, charming, and engaging—much like the Count himself. I cannot recommend this book highly enough for readers who enjoy historical fiction.

Reviewer: Melissa Dinwiddie
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: a tour de force
Review: I hated history in school, because it was taught through textbooks. It was reduced to dates and names and battles. This glorious gem of a novel brings Russian history alive through the life of one man, and the people he touches, all from inside the walls of a hotel! It’s a brilliant conceit, and like a Faberge egg, it shines and entrances with detail and depth, layers and lusciousness.With exquisite prose that evokes the aristocratic upbringing of our protagonist, Towles weaves a story that somehow manages to reveal decades of cultural upheaval, but do it through intimate personal stories, with obstreperous bad guys, romance, delight, tragedy, and suspense. I didn’t want it to end! And I learned more about Russia than I ever did in those boring history classes, to boot. Bravo!

Reviewer: RSW Kindle Customer
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: 4 Stars
Review: A beautifully written novel based in Russia in the aftermath of the revolution. During this time, a small number of the members of Russian nobility who had done nothing illegal or particularly offensive and/or may have been seen as slightly sympathetic toward the Bolshevik cause were placed under house arrest and forced to stay confined to their homes indefinitely.With this phenomenon in mind, Amor Towles created Count Alexander Rostov, a 'Former Person' who was placed under house arrest in 1922, ordered to spend the rest of his life in his current residence, the Metropole Hotel. He was told if he ever set foot outside the hotel, he would be shot. Although he wasn't thrilled about losing his freedom, the Count felt fairly lucky to be able to stay in his luxury suite in one of the city's finest hotels. When he was escorted back to the hotel, he found his posh suite was no longer to be his home; the government arranged a barely furnished small attic storage room in the hotel to be his new accommodations. And that was just the beginning of the changes he was to experience.This truly lovely novel follows the Count through over 30 year of personal challenges and growth as he observes the changes in Russia as almost an outsider.WHAT I LOVED:A fascinating look at life inside a high end hotel during a time when Russian was supposed to be classless, yet it was just as divided as ever. The pecking order became very clear at events attended by the leaders of the communist party. While much of the working class went without the luxury of 3 solid meals a day, the well positioned government officials were enjoying top notch meals along with an impressive wine list.I loved watching the Count grow from being a fairly self involved young man to a wise man who understood difficult circumstances. *Note: he was never a bad person, he was just used to people arranging their schedules around his whims and waiting on him but the person who he became, once the privilege became less of a factor, was a much more thoughtful and considerate person.The Count was funny, witty and never missed a beat. It was entertaining to see the world, particularly the world of that time and place, through his eyes.This was a truly beautifully written story. It could even be considered a 'piece of literature. 'Loved having a different perspective into the events following the revolution, how the ideals of communism were overruled by human nature.The writing style was almost 'campy' in places. Lines like; "so was our friend, the Count, right to be concerned..." It felt like watching a movie from the early 1960's with a narrator walking you through a montage.WHAT I DIDN'T LOVE:Although it was very well-written, it was not exactly my style of book. A huge portion of it was the Court's thoughts, observations and musings. There wasn't a lot of action. I am sure it was the authors intent to show the slow passage of time, but for me personally, not super entertaining.OVERALL:Great book, just expect a lot of reflection versus action.

Reviewer: Jimena
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Una clase de elegancia y modales. Una lección del lenguaje inglés y una novela interesantísima. Léelo con un kindle o un diccionario a la mano para sacarle más jugo.

Reviewer: Nilanjana
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This I must say is a masterpiece.The author speaks of a count who is charged at a Bolshevik tribunal. He is spared the death sentence and sentenced to house arrest for life, instead inside Hotel Metropol in Central Moscow.The eloquent writing of the author is one of the best I have ever come across. The character sketch of the Count is wonderful and the author does brilliantly to describe his uprightness in the story. One comes to recognise what it means to be a true gentleman. The nitty gritty details of the Count’s life inside the hotel room are described very well. Every feeling and thought that one in such a house arrest could go through are explained. The story includes the relations the Count develops while inside the hotel, one of which is a little girl. There is humour at many places in the novel many of which did make me laugh. I was struck by both the eloquence and simplicity of the language used. I never thought that I would come to love a story confined within the four walls of a hotel so very much.I truly thank the author for this beautiful piece. I recommend it to all. There are many historical references made here and there in the book I must add, which were equally beautiful.

Reviewer: Glen Hodgson
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: What an amazing book

Reviewer: Pilar
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Suele ser sl revés; uno lee la novela y luego ve la película. A mí me llegó al revés. La película me fascinó. Una historia maravillosa, inteligente, divertida, tierna, ingeniosa… de esas historias que te dejan huella.Ver la serie fue toda una experiencia; pero nunca superada por una deliciosa lectura. La imaginación es siempre mucho más poderosa.

Reviewer: Client d'Amazon
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Très bonne lecture