A Gentleman in Moscow was such a beautifully written book. It has renewed a desire in me for Russian Literature. I am currently browsing through Russian Art books, poetry books and Russian fairy tales. It is all so beautiful and lyrical. It is meaty, wordy literature to read and I absolutely love it.
The Count in the main story of A Gentleman in Moscow was a character I feel in love with. The women in his life all made his life much more full and I think taught him a kind of love he would never have experienced had he not been imprisoned in a hotel for decades, all for writing a poem. The food and culture mentioned and the inner workings of how a grand hotel function was a lot of fun to read about and explore. It’s something I don’t personally think about while staying in a hotel usually. However, since I did stay in a hotel while reading this I did ponder what it would actually be like as I ate my delicious breakfast looking over a city I love…… I could imagine it!
My two favorite quotes from the book:
“Life does not proceed by leaps and bounds. It unfolds. At any given moment it is the manifestation of a thousand transitions. Our faculties wax and wane, our experiences accumulate, and our opinions evolve. If not glacially then at least gradually. Such that the events of an average day are as likely to transform who we are as a pinch of pepper is to transform stew.”
&
“There was only one time when my life needed me to be in a particular place and a particular time and that was when your mother brought you to the lobby of The Metropol.”
Both of these quotes had me in tears. Such a beautiful section of words strewn together to make and incredible story even better.
I highly recommend reading this book!
Peace.
