A Gentleman's Life

I certainly enjoyed hosting our gathering to review "A Gentleman in Moscow" by Amor Towles.  It was fun to plan what to serve as there were so many options to choose from.  And I really appreciate that all our potluck selections were so connected to the story as well.  Bravo everyone!  It was fun to be a bit fancy - even when it was 12 degrees outside.  I'm pleased that Judy B used this as an opportunity to wear her grandmother's jewelry so we could all enjoy it!

I found this book to be a pleasure and an indulgence to read.  Its characters became friends.  The author wrote with insight, humor and reflection on many themes, culminating in the ability to change our life as necessitated by life's uncertainties.  It also provided some basic insight on Russian history without being boring.  This book was well received by everyone and most of us shared quotes from the book that were meaningful to us.  While reflecting on this story, I found I had a better understanding of Ron's father's life in Hungary before the war.  I had always viewed things through my American-upbringing eyes and never fully realized other possibilities.

I spent some time reading Amor Towles' website after our meeting to see what motivated him to write this novel.  He stated that he loved Russian literature and used this knowledge to anchor the story over years of extensive research.  His great-great-grandfather died when he was a teenager, and Amor selected a piece of luggage - a traveler's hat box - as a memento from the estate.  It was covered with labels from hotels his great-great-grandfather had stayed while traveling for his work and Amor imagined the elegant journeys he had taken.  When Amor began traveling for his work for an investment firm, he realized his trips were nothing like what he thought his great-great grandfather's were.  While at a hotel in Geneva, Amor surveyed the other travelers around him and, instead of feeling transported by his ornate location, he felt trapped.  He began to wonder what it would be like to live in a hotel like this for the rest of his life, what it would take to live in such constrained circumstances.  That was his inspiration for this story.

About his writing, Amor says he views writing in musical terms.  "I think the closest cousin to the novel in the art realm is the symphony.  A novel has movements and leitmotifs.  It has moments of crescendo and diminuendo.  You feel a growing emotional force and then it backs off for reflection.  A work must feel cohesive and organic and the beginning and end inform each other in a way we can hold in our head."

We are looking forward to our next meeting which will be held Tuesday, March 5th, at Esther's home.  See you there!