A Gentleman in Moscow

It is 1922 and Count Alexander Rostov is sentenced to house arrest at the Hotel Metropol where he lives. However instead of returning to his large apartment he is relegated to a small room on the sixth floor. For the next thirty plus years the Count readjusts his life to the changing circumstances, not just personal changes but also evolving changes in Russian politics.

In A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles we observe the Count's interaction with the hotel staff and some of the guests. As the hotel is opposite the Kremlin we also encounter through hearsay, if not in person, some of the movers and shakers of the time. But it is the Count's observations about life in Russia that hold our attention. The Count also forms special friendships with other guests and staff, particularly nine year old Nina who becomes a special friend. 

Amor Towles, in this work of historical fiction, has created a memorial character in the Count as he adjusts to the many changes occurring in Russia during the first half of the twentieth century.