A Revolution, A Hotel, and A Gentleman

Whoever would have thought that the entirety of a revolution could be experienced within a hotel?

I nominated A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles for my work book club because I thought it would be a nice change of pace from our usual sci-fi/fantasy reads. When the book was released I was working in a bookstore, and I witnessed the buzz around the tale and how book clubs absolutely adored the writing and the story. "Why not?" I thought to myself. "Let us see how my coworkers respond."

A Gentleman in Moscow

Have I ever mentioned that I love Russian Literature? During my time studying in Nottingham, England, I took a Russian history course, and was able to write an essay on how authors such as Tolstoy, Bulgakov, Chekov and Bunin wrote about Russian peasants. In fact, that was my first exposure to the influence of literature on society, and what we might gain from reading such novels; it was also the beginning of my obsession with Russian culture.

In my humble opinion, Amor Towles perfectly embodied the tone of Russian literature without the confusion of all the names (I love Tolstoy, but his books require a keen eye in order to keep up with the story). Count Alexander Rostov is sentenced to house arrest by a Bolshevik tribunal for a poem he is thought to have written, but from within the Metropol Hotel, he is able to witness all the changes that a communist revolution brought to the society he once knew.

One of the criticisms from my book club was that the whole story takes place within the hotel, something I can understand as an obstacle to reading this book given that we usually read stories of epic adventures. However, in my mind this was an epic adventure, even though we never experience the Russian landscape. As Russia changes, so too does the hotel, and I find that it is a remarkable accomplishment for Towles to have been able to tell such a story in this way. Four stars from me!

Reading A Gentleman in Moscow has given me a craving to reread Tolstoy...but I will turn to other stories now, for the sake of this blog. As always, I am your Opinionated Bookworm. If you have any comments, questions or review requests, please comment below, email me (theopinionatedbookworm@gmail.com) or follow me on Instagram (@theopinionatedbookworm1).

Comments

Kamila Knows Best

One of the biggest regrets I had during 2021 was that I let my blog slip through the cracks...which is a pity, because I like to blog. Therefore, I have decided to write once more (hopefully more than once), because I want to talk about Kamila Knows Best by Farah Heron. You may recognize Heron's name from her previous works: The Chai Factor and Accidentally Engaged. Both of these novels were well written, humorous, and heartwarming, but I loved them all the more because they are set in Canada and written by a Canadian. Kamila Knows Best stays true to all of these points. Set in Toronto, this adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma was faithful to the original while adding twists and turns that are accurate for a modern retelling. Kamila is an accountant who loves her father, friends, dog and career deeply, but all of these things means she is too busy for a serious relationship -- or so she claims. Kamila also fancies herself a matchmaker, and takes pride in the fact th...

Arc of a Scythe

The end of a trilogy can either be a very frustrating event, or a very melancholy feeling. If the ending is not what you hoped, it can feel disappointing to have invested so much time. However, if the ending is satisfying, as was the case for The Toll by Neal Shusterman, then leaving a series behind can be a concoction of emotions. The Toll The Arc of a Scythe trilogy came to a dramatic, thrilling, wonderful close in the final installment, and while I can say that I enjoyed it, I find it interesting how my interests seemed to change from the story of Citra and Rowan, to Greyson's story. I loved how complex the world got, and the ending was perfectly written, even though I still wanted more. 4 stars from this Bookworm! The only reason it was not a five is because I loved the second one. Second books are great because there is still a build up of tension, fantastic characters, and an ending that does not conclude the whole series and make me wish I could start all over again... Oh w...

The End of the Reading Rut

This reading rut I was in was a painful experience that unexpectedly came to an end when I picked up Seven Days in June by Tia Williams. I was taken on an unexpected journey, torn open while reading about the love story of Eva and Shane. Now that the story is over, I wish it had never ended. 7 days to fall in love, 15 to forget Fifteen years after Eva and Shane first fell in love, they meet again during a writers panel hosted by a mutual friend. Although they had not spoken to each other since their love ended, they were forever in each other's thoughts when writing their respective novels, a fact that only they were aware of. Even after so many years, their feelings are still electrifying, but one question remains, can they overcome the events of the past? Sometimes, reading a romance novel can seem formulaic, but this story broke every formula I have ever experienced in my literary adventures. Each chapter told me something about Eva and Shane that I genuinely did not expect. On...

The Literary Adventures of an Opinionated Bookworm

Search This Blog