Guest Blog Post: A Gentleman in Moscow
Hello 1000 Bookies,
Today we have our FIRST guest blogger for the Reading 1000 Books Blog. I am excited to announce that Marie Weisgerber join the blog as a frequent guest contributor. Marie is an avid reader when not spending time with her wonderful husband, children and grandchildren. Marie is a historian and a former history teacher. She is also my aunt and my godmother. Marie and I share a love of books and history and I look forward to her contributing many more blog posts.
For her first post, Marie will review A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. So without further ado:
A Gentleman in Moscow Review
by Marie Weisgerber
“…if a man does not master his circumstances then he is bound to be mastered by them…”
A Gentleman in Moscow was set in Russia in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution and is an interesting character study. The main character, Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, was sentenced to house arrest in the Hotel Metropol near Red Square in Moscow for a poem that the Bolsheviks deemed to be against their government. An Aristocrat prior to the Russian Revolution, Alexander had a complete reversal of his circumstances. Under house arrest in the hotel attic, he despaired and contemplated suicide in the early years of his confinement in the hotel. Through the intercession of a little girl, Nina, Alexander acquired new meaning in his life. Nina showed him spaces within the hotel and brought some interest and companionship back into his life. Nina’s parting gift to him was a master key to all the rooms and spaces in the hotel. This key proved to be an important part of the surprise ending. Other clues were scattered throughout the novel but all made sense in the end and contributed to a wonderful finish.
Today we have our FIRST guest blogger for the Reading 1000 Books Blog. I am excited to announce that Marie Weisgerber join the blog as a frequent guest contributor. Marie is an avid reader when not spending time with her wonderful husband, children and grandchildren. Marie is a historian and a former history teacher. She is also my aunt and my godmother. Marie and I share a love of books and history and I look forward to her contributing many more blog posts.
For her first post, Marie will review A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. So without further ado:
A Gentleman in Moscow Review
by Marie Weisgerber
“…if a man does not master his circumstances then he is bound to be mastered by them…”
A Gentleman in Moscow was set in Russia in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution and is an interesting character study. The main character, Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, was sentenced to house arrest in the Hotel Metropol near Red Square in Moscow for a poem that the Bolsheviks deemed to be against their government. An Aristocrat prior to the Russian Revolution, Alexander had a complete reversal of his circumstances. Under house arrest in the hotel attic, he despaired and contemplated suicide in the early years of his confinement in the hotel. Through the intercession of a little girl, Nina, Alexander acquired new meaning in his life. Nina showed him spaces within the hotel and brought some interest and companionship back into his life. Nina’s parting gift to him was a master key to all the rooms and spaces in the hotel. This key proved to be an important part of the surprise ending. Other clues were scattered throughout the novel but all made sense in the end and contributed to a wonderful finish.
Pick Up a copy of A Gentleman in Moscow this week, I know I will. Keep Reading My Friends!!
(Guest blogger Marie Weisgerber with Ashley Romano)
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