In 1922 at age 33, Count Alexander Rostov is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol Hotel in Moscow. He resides there for 30 years believing "if a man does not master his circumstances, then he is bound to be mastered by them." As an educated aristocrat, he uses his wit and charm, befriends employees and residents, and learns to survive within the hotel. Throughout his life, Rostov learns that "every period has its virtues, even a time of turmoil."
He experiences love from being a father to his adopted daughter and from a romance with Anna, a willowy movie actress. His longtime friend Mishka was loyal from college days to the end. Young Sofia said the Count was "a man inclined to see the best in all of us."
Author Amor Towles shows us Russian history and how people suffer, adapt, and survive. Hope and determination leads many of them to find contentment and happiness. "A Gentleman in Moscow" is captivating.
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