Amor Towles: A gentleman in Moscow

A perfect companion for an evening with a glass of red wine on the sofa

Count Alexander Rostov is the very embodiment of a gentleman: cultured, sophisticated, charming, with impeccable manners and exquisite taste.

It is just a pity that these virtues count for little in post-revolutionary Russia. As the scion of an old noble family with close ties to the Tsar, he is sentenced to lifelong house arrest at Moscow’s legendary Hotel Metropol. There he spends his days in a small servants’ room in the attic, strolling only in his mind along the elegant boulevards of the world. Yet his positive outlook on life remains undimmed by the confines of his circumstances. He is convinced that every action, however small, brings a little more order to the world. Whilst decades pass outside the doors of the Metropol, Alexander creates his very own universe beneath its roof.

For me, this is a wonderfully fulfilling book that elegantly combines historical fiction, picaresque and social novel. Sophisticated, humorous and densely told – an all-time favourite and the perfect companion for an evening with a glass of red wine on the sofa. Why? You’ll find out by page 183 at the latest.