Book review: A Gentleman in Moscow

Why This Book?

I don’t review books often, but sometimes a book is so good it deserves a praise worthy of the attention, detail, and uniqueness the author manages to bring to life.

A Gentleman in Moscow is one such book, it made me gain a wider appreciation for the old school manners, charms, etiquette that comes with aristocratic societies.

Background

Count Alexandar Rostov was born into nobility and through his years, gained a lot of experience paying attention to what seems banal to most folks.

The manner of addressing people, noticing what is in place as well as what isn’t, this attention to finer and somewhat trivial details eludes a lot of what is going on and how to best approach a situation.

The Count, travels across Europe and at the ripe moment of the Russian Revolution, returns to his homeland only to be tried in court and sentenced to life imprisonment in the beloved Metropol Hotel in Moscow.

Painting A Colorful Picture

From the turn of nature and it’s different seasons, as well as how moods turn over time. Amor paints a vividly colorful picture of Soviet Russia from post revolution to post world war.

Slowing down where it matters, and skipping years ahead when things have changed significantly.

The Count is both charming and tries to make the best of his situation, always witty but never a prisoner to his circumstance.

He befriends all the local staff, learning about their journeys, making witty conversation, and later takes the helm of head waiter at the Boyarsky.

Reading The Room or Person

Often with technology it’s easy to ignore and disconnect from the human aspect in all the noise. How you convey a greeting tells the listener a lot of what is going on in their world.

From how and when they decide to initiate small talk, leads the listener to understand what’s bothering them, and Count uses his vast experience in the social circles to makes them feel that they can tackle any circumstance.

Their affinity for certain words, conveys how they like thinking about ideas, events, and opens a window to better understand the nature of the person.

A lot of this is often ignored or just not visible with people across sharing photos, reels, ideas, but detached, and without all the context that makes us tick in unison.

Long Term Residents at Hotels

We usually think of hotels as place of rest during a trip, vacation, visiting foreign lands or places of interest. Amor takes inspiration from Hotels in Geneva where residents stay there in a semi-permanent capacity and enjoy the nature, people, and scenery without the rush of meeting deadlines.

Soviet Russia during and after the revolution was famous for its house imprisonment terms that it would grant to the lenient aristocracy and beheadings for the unfortunate.

Combining both these ideas in a really fascinating way, tells the story of Metropol Hotel, a symbol of elegance in times past, but also a place where everyone can rub shoulders and conduct their business in the heart of Moscow.

Amor paints a charming picture, and paid a lot of attention to what makes a Hotel unique, what gives it character, and often grew on me, as I wanted to see the world as Count Rostov did.

Conclusion

Count Rostov, a charming and witty character that grows as the hotel does, learns to adapt to his situation, but never a prisoner to the sentence he was served.

I learnt and often admired the way Amor paid close attention to the finer and little things, making me appreciate how they affect all around us.

While etiquette and manners have a negative connotation for being too strict, pedantic, and created to serve the aristocracy. Amor highlights the human side where they open a window in the present and focusing on what should be given the utmost importance.