Comments (222)

What did you think about this title?
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Feb 07, 2024jillputz rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A little slow, but well developed and endearing story
Dec 28, 2023DanielW_334 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
From the start, the novel intrigued me. The premise is quite unique: a former noble, caught up in the vitriol of the Soviet reign, sentenced to house arrest in one of Moscow’s most renowned hotels, the Metropol. It’s quite remarkable how…
Nov 27, 2023728_emily rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I didn't know much about this book when I started it, and I was concerned at first because the main character seemed kind of arrogant and obnoxious. However, he quickly grew on me, and I loved seeing how other characters influenced him for…
Oct 03, 2023rclane rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
There seems to be a sense of joy in the wordcraft, which reinforces the count's stylistic elegance and refinement. Great delight in the relationships between characters.
Sep 28, 2023ryner rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
In 1922, following the overthrow of Russia's aristocracy, Count Alexander Rostov has become a Former Person living under house arrest at a fancy Moscow hotel, with the threat of execution should he ever leave the premises. Alexander…
Sep 25, 2023TexJo rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A thoroughly charming, well-written and well-ended tale. Something to read when you want a stellar storyteller to transport you to another place and time altogether.
Sep 20, 2023EdiW rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A truly magnificent book and a story that leaves your soul changed for the better.
Sep 19, 2023FloraWest rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
What an engaging, page-turning, literate, charming, smart book. The topics a heavy one but there is a lot of lightness throughout. I don't want to go into any details as the reveals large and small are part of the pleasure here. Gets my…
Aug 26, 2023Zarasm0mmy rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
One of my all-time favorite stories.
Apr 27, 2023CMatisse rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Very well written, great story about a man suffering, with grace, through radical changes to his world.
Apr 27, 2023Herrickdl_Matthew rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Amor Towles masterful use of language shines through in this clever, funny, and heartfelt book that touches on themes of solitude and family.
Apr 23, 2023Rohin_V rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I honestly enjoyed this book a lot. Many people say here that nothing much happens, but this is not your traditional fiction novel. If you are looking for a book with a concrete plot, this is not for you! Like life, this book slowly…
Apr 17, 2023pharmamom55 rated this title 0.5 out of 5 stars
I did not like this book. Nothing happens. I finished it only because I am, as someone noted about me, a "completionist". I would never recommend this book to anyone. Boring.
Apr 15, 2023nat_cyr0 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
This book was recommended to me by a family member, and I really enjoyed it, a a few twists and turns, that the reader may not expect but I enjoyed the characters, the location and what a page turner.
Mar 03, 2023SCL_BookClubs rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
This book was well-loved by many participants in our book club! Those who love it enjoyed the author's use of rich and evocative language and sly sense of humour that pokes fun at Russian politics. Most of us thought that the main…
Mar 03, 2023DesertAddie rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Entertaining, informative, amusing, reflective.
Feb 05, 2023jasnadzinic rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
I really, really wanted to love this but it took everything in me to stay awake while reading. Some parts of this book I truly enjoyed but most were just oh so boring.
Jan 30, 2023HelenD99 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A really enjoyable read. Well written with lots of great characters.
Jan 28, 2023mjguerard rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This book is superb. While it is long, and the reader may at times suspect it will never end, on every second or third page there appears another unique turn of phrase or moment of wry wit or glance into the human spirit. It is full of…
Dec 05, 2022Bookworm1136 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
4 - 4 1/2 stars. Count Alexander Rostov is a member of the aristocracy in Russia and had never worked a day in his life and in 1922, he was exiled to the Hotel Metropole to live out his life withing its confines. He was saved from…
Nov 03, 2022amccannel rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I LOVED this book. It's beautifully written, and has a wonderful story. And the ending ties together so many clues dropped throughout the book. My only complaint is that so many events and people become significant in the end, but they are…
Oct 15, 2022hollygadow rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
It's an easy & joyful read, although the book looks a little intimidating. I did not want to end. Count Rostov is my new favorite fictional character. A man of men, an example to us all.
Oct 14, 2022semitech45 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book and many of my friends did too. However, it is a sentimental gloss on the real brutality of life under Soviet Communism. In the real world our hero would have been sent to a labor camp of the Soviet GULAG, and not…
Sep 29, 2022williedb rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Re reading this, and it's still just wonderful.
Sep 27, 2022JulieIs rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This novel has a twinkle in its eye. It is sly and wise and beautiful. Amor Towles has a gift for building a world and a rich life for a character who lives within the four walls of a single hotel for decades. A marvel!