Review: A Gentleman in Moscow

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"For what matters most in life is not whether we receive a round of applause; what matters is whether we have the courage to venture forth despite the uncertainty of acclaim." (p. 387)

Towles weaves Soviet history into the story of one man sentenced to live out his life within the confines of the Metropol Hotel, a grand hotel in Moscow.
Like Eloise's Plaza Hotel this one is full of interesting people and ripe with opportunities for adventure. I really enjoyed this novel as it was full of clever turns of phrase, interesting historical notes and focused on a wonderful complex character. This novel made me wish I had a better grasp of Russian history so I could tell exactly where the history and the story diverged.