A Gentleman In Moscow by Amor Towles

F R I D A Y F A V O U R I T E

Most of my favourites are books that I’ve fallen in love with from the get go. A Gentleman in Moscow was a little different. It had been on my shelf for several months before I picked it up — just one of those ones I hadn’t quite got round to (I mean, what was I thinking?!) and once I did, I’ll be honest, it took me a bit of time to get into it. But, when I did, I was *all* in — hook, line and sinker!

This novel tells the story of Count Alexander Rostov who, in June 1922 after the Bolsheviks come to power, is sentenced to house arrest in Moscow’s Metropol Hotel, located opposite the Kremlin. 

Having been deemed an unrepentant aristocrat, the Count is to remain there indefinitely, whilst some of the most tumultuous events in Russia’s history are going on, just outside the hotel’s doors.

This book crosses so many genres; history, politics, historical fiction, romance. It’s one of those novels where, genuinely, there is something for everyone.

I laughed out loud in parts and oh my goodness, my tears at the end were almost embarrassing. I think the Count is one of my favourite characters in modern literature and that’s saying something! You will be so moved and I guarantee you’ll continue to think about it long after you put it down. It’s magic.

~ Sophie