|
The book A Gentleman in Moscow was on a list on Parkdale United
Church book-club. I was very impressed and decided to write a
review rather than just discuss.
Here I summarize my personal opinion: "Surprising
and unbelievable! So original, so inquiring! I am very, very
impressed. Just the fact that the author, a completely
successful American writer, and before that a businessman,
suddenly for some reason wanted to understand a distant and
mysterious country, with a crazy history, complex language and a
bad reputation in North America"
After reading
more carefully, I may add:
- American
writer very conditionally imagines Russian society in all
periods of its existence. It seems that it is about Russia, but
some very strange one. There are a lot of mistakes in history
facts and in a different kind of information; in
custom descriptions, in terminology, etc.
However, there is something mesmerizing about this text. I must
admit that those mistakes did not prevent the author from
understanding the main things in Russian history and in the
character of the Russian people. Actually, the author wants to
tell the reader the main idea: "Real gentlemen will never be a
former gentlemen". Count Rostov must remain a
gentleman, adapting and surviving in the new, sometimes terrible
conditions of reality. Hotel Metropole,
Russian characters and events of this period of Russian history
are just kind of background and motive for different discussions
about values and problems of all people.
What I liked the most is that through the lips of his heroes
Amor Towles says that every nation has its own dark and light
periods. It is impossible to focus the attention of the world
community for some countries only on their bright periods, and
for others - only on their dark periods.
Also: it is intriguing that described characters are visible in
spite of the fact I understand that they are not real. Like in
Alice in Wonderland.
One more: the notes section is very interesting. This is
actually another character, with his knowledge of the realities
and horrors of the new Soviet world.
If American reader is not interested in this deep details they
are not visible for him.
The book
is very popular in North America now.
At the library it is a huge line to get it. I would be happy if
people won't be disappointed reading those 462 pages. According
to comments of the North American readers they are very
impressed by a book. I also liked it very much, but I am not
quite understand why the same readers often are bored reading
philosophical discussions in the novels of Russian authors like
Dostoyevsky. Maybe, because Amor Towles shows discussions on
today's problems? But, if a being a gentleman at any
circumstances is more today's problem that crime and following
punishment? It would be interesting for me discuss it.
The story of count Rostov is an attractive fiction. Those
aristocrats which did not emigrate and were not killed lived in
much worse life conditions and, of course, they did not have
material values left, and the stories about 5000 golden coins,
which count managed to save, and his ability to speak with
anybody unsupervised are just funny.
Amor Towles understood this, but it was not his goal to show the
horrors that would happen to a man who proudly declared that he
had never worked. By the way real aristocrats - gentlemen would
never do it. But, any way, I and many Russians very grateful the
author for finding a way of attracting attention of
North-Americans to Russia and Russians in а good way.
Thank you, Elise, for asking about my ancestors (including
parents).
Reach people who did not give away their material values
voluntarily were to be killed. My mother was from the family of
reach merchant.
Timofey Zubkov, my maternal grandfather, moved with family to
Crimea, wanting to emigrate abroad. He and his son were killed.
Anna and Lidia, my aunts, got married to specialists, accepted
by Bolsheviks, and then lived a decent life working for the
country the
same way as others did (with poverty, civil and WW2 wars,
repressions, etc.) Actually, they did not have a choice, but in
anyway, they remained ladies and gentlemen.
|