Count Rostov is a man of class. He drinks expensive bottles of wine, goes to lavish balls, has connections with half of Russia and as of recently, is a criminal. It is 1918 and Russia is a global powerhouse. Nothing can stop them, especially not an eccentric count who publicly speaks out about Russia’s crimes against humanity. So off to house arrest Count Rostov goes, (it should be added, that he is quite excited) for when you’re a count and live in one of the most extravagant hotels in all of Russia, one hardly has to step outside at all, even if they aren’t in house arrest.

 Two years pass, and everything is splendid. The Count drinks his wine, reads his books and goes to dinner with friends when they visit. Everything is as it should be. That is until a little girl ventures onto his radar. With the snap of a finger, Count Rostov’s peaceful life is turned into one of adventure and excitement. The two become the best of friends. Rostov watches the girl grow up; she watches the Count develop into a man one would be proud to know. 

Years pass, and the little girl has grown and has a family of her own. Rostov grows old and tires of his wine and parties and misses having someone to mentor and laugh with. He longs for the purpose that he felt when being alongside the little girl. A year later, a great opportunity arises… Count Rostov cannot leave, and quite frankly, you won’t want to.

There are some books out there that when reading, feel like a long exhale after holding a breath, or the perfect note to end a great song. Some books just feel right, Amor Towles especially. He has a talent that is unmatched, his writing ebbs and flows and the words dance on the page. A Gentleman in Moscow is a book of surprises. It’s sweet, yet ominous; the reader often finds themself alarmed at some parts and grinning ear to ear in others. Every person had a “rightness” to them. Each character had their quirks that made them undeniably unique, yet one finds themself seeing bits and pieces of said character in everyday life- at school or work. There is a sureness about them all that gives the reader such a strong connection to the people in the book, that it truly feels as if the cliche is real: as if one really was transported into a book. A Gentleman in Moscow is a ballad. It is an anthem, a sonnet to both those lost and found. If you are picking this book up for the first time or the fifth (because the beginning is rather slow) it is stressed heavily that you try to pick it up again. This book, like most things, deserves not just our consideration but our reconsideration. There are some books where it is obvious the author has poured their heart and soul into their work, and sometimes it takes a while to realize it, but either way, it is deserving of every praise and (re)consideration.