May Reads: Revisiting a Beloved Classic

This past month I read some good books, but the book that truly transported me was actually a classic I haven’t read for years! I feel like A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles flew under the radar when it first came out, but it is truly a masterpiece that I wish had received more attention when it came out. With this book currently being turned into a show, I’m hoping more folks discover it soon!

A Gentleman in Moscow is the story of Alexander Rostov, who through a series of fortunate/unfortunate events, ends up living out his life under house arrest at the Hotel Metropol in Moscow during the 20th century. The story follows his life over 30 years against the backdrop of the hotel employees and Russian politics as a whole, but the heart of this book is his relationships with those around him and his gift for making people feel seen.

What I love most about this book is that it is unique, both in its pacing and its scope. The span of years this book covers can at times feel almost disorienting, but it also allows the pacing of the plot to be mellow, slow and subtle, as changes can occur over decades, and little moments will come up decades later in ways that feel like fun easter eggs. This book unspools a lifetime of relationships and emotions in a way that I have rarely seen, and wish more authors were able to do.

For next week, I’ve been thinking about what it means to read “summer” books, and I’ll have some fun lists, podcast and recommendations for different kinds of summer reading moods!