A Gentleman in Moscow: A Novel Audiobook

Publisher Description

The book is like a salve. I think the world feels disordered right now. The counts refinement and genteel nature are exactly what were longing for. Ann Patchett How delightful that in an era as crude as ours this finely composed novel stretches out with old-World elegance. The Washington Post He cant leave his hotel. You wont want to. From the New York Times bestselling author of Rules of Civilitya transporting novel about a man who is ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel. In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotels doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery. Brimming with humor, a glittering cast of characters, and one beautifully rendered scene after another, this singular novel casts a spell as it relates the counts endeavor to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a man of purpose. Soon to be a major television series starring five-time Academy Award nominee Kenneth Branagh. And the intrigue! . . . [A Gentleman in Moscow] is laced with sparkling threads (they will tie up) and tokens (they will matter): special keys, secret compartments, gold coins, vials of coveted liquid, old-fashioned pistols, duels and scars, hidden assignations (discreet and smoky), stolen passports, a ruby necklace, mysterious letters on elegant hotel stationery . . . a luscious stage set, backdrop for a downright Casablanca-like drama. The San Francisco Chronicle Download and start listening now!

Quotes

An irresistible and astonishingly assured debut about working class-women and world-weary WASPs in 1930s New Yorkin the crisp, noirish prose of the era, Towles portrays complex relationships in a city that is at once melting pot and elitist enclave and a thoroughly modern heroine who fearlessly claims her place in it. – O, the Oprah Magazine With this snappy period piece, Towles resurrects the cinematic black-and-white Manhattan of the golden age[his] characters are youthful Americans in tricky times, trying to create authentic lives. – The New York Times Book Review This very good first novel about striving and surviving in Depression-era Manhattan deserves attentionThe great strength of Rules of Civility is in the sharp, sure-handed evocation of Manhattan in the late 30s. – Wall Street Journal Put on some Billie Holiday, pour a dry martini and immerse yourself in the eventful life of Katey Kontent[Towles] clearly knows the privileged world hes writing about, as well as the vivid, sometimes reckless characters who inhabit it. – People [A] wonderful debut novelTowles [plays] with some of the great themes of love and class, luck and fated encounters that animated Whartons novels. – The Chicago Tribune Glitteringfilled with snappy dialogue, sharp observations and an array of terrifically drawn charactersTowles writes with grace and verve about the mores and manners of a society on the cusp of radical change. – NPR.org Glamorous Gotham in one to relisha book that enchants on first reading and only improves on the second. – The Philadelphia Inquirer Who will save Rostov from the intrusions of state if not the seamstresses, chefs, bartenders and doormen? In the end, Towless greatest narrative effect is not the moments of wonder and synchronicity but the generous transformation of these peripheral workers, over the course of decades, into confidants, equals and, finally, friends. With them around, a life sentence in these gilded halls might make Rostov the luckiest man in Russia. – The New York Times Book Review This is an old fashioned sort of romance, filled with delicious detail. Save this precious book for times you really, really want to escape reality. – Louise Erdrich Towles gets good mileage from the considerable charm of his protagonist and the peculiar world he inhabits. – The New Yorker Irresistible . . . In his second elegant period piece, Towles continues to explore the question of how a person can lead an authentic life in a time when mere survival is a feat in itself . . . Towless tale, as lavishly filigreed as a Faberg egg, gleams with nostalgia for the golden age of Tolstoy and Turgenev. – O, The Oprah Magazine The Grand Budapest Hotel and Eloise meets all the Bond villains. The same gorgeous, layered richness that marked Towles debut, Rules of Civility, shapes [A Gentleman in Moscow]. – Entertainment Weekly This novel is astonishing, uplifting, and wise. Dont miss it. – Chris Cleave, author of Little Bee The book moves briskly from one crisp scene to the next, and ultimately casts a spell as encompassing as Rules of Civility, a book that inhales you into its seductively Gatsby-esque universe. – Town & Country In all ways a great novel, a nonstop pleasure brimming with charm, personal wisdom, and philosophic insight . . .This is a book in which the cruelties of the age can’t begin to erase the glories of real human connection and the memories it leaves behind. A masterly encapsulation of modern Russian history, this book more than fulfills the promise of Towles’ stylish debut, Rules of Civility. – Kirkus Reviews (starred) In his remarkable first novel, the bestselling Rules of Civility, Towles etched 1930s New York in crystalline relief . . . His latest polished literary foray into a bygone era is just as impressive . . . an imaginative and unforgettable historical portrait. – Booklist House arrest has never been so charming as in Towless second novel, an engaging 30-year saga set almost entirely inside the Metropol, Moscows most luxurious hotel. . .empathetic, and entertaining. – Publishers Weekly Marvelous. – Chicago Tribune The novel buzzes with the energy of numerous adventures, love affairs, twists of fate and silly antics. – The Wall Street Journal A winning, stylish novel. – NPR.org Enjoyable, elegant. – Seattle Times The perfect book to curl up with while the world goes by outside your window. – Refinery29 Nothing demonstrates the pleasures of audiobook listening better than a fine novel narrated with sensitivity and understandingA gifted narrator, Nicholas Guy Smith captures scene and character with expressive shadings of voice and tonea master performance that engages the listener from the start and illuminates Towles telling prose and subtle dialogue. In a season of outstanding novels, this one stands outWinner of the AudioFile Earphones Award. – AudioFile A book that inhales you into its seductively Gatsby-esque universe. – Town & Country Irresistible[an] elegant period pieceas lavishly filigreed as a Faberg egg. – O, The Oprah Magazine How delightful that in an era as crude as ours this finely composed novel stretches out with old-World elegance. – Washington Post In all ways a great novel, a nonstop pleasure brimming with charm, personal wisdom, and philosophic insight. – Kirkus Reviews (starred review) House arrest has never been so charming as in Towles second novel, an engaging thirty-year saga set almost entirely inside the Metropol, Moscows most luxurious hotel. – Publishers Weekly [A] beguiling portrait of a Russian count who lives large while under permanent house arrest in a Moscow hotel. – BookPage And the intrigue![A Gentleman in Moscow] is laced with sparkling threads (they will tie up) and tokens (they will matter): special keys, secret compartments, gold coins, vials of coveted liquid, old-fashioned pistols, duels and scars, hidden assignations (discreet and smoky), stolen passports, a ruby necklace, mysterious letters on elegant hotel stationerya luscious stage set, backdrop for a downright Casablanca-like drama. – San Francisco Chronicle