Rules of Civility: A Novel

Reviewing “Rules of Civility” is a pleasure. The novel resembles classic American literature, reminiscent of Hemingway's style. The storytelling is engaging, with exquisite language. The plot unfolds at a delightful pace, and the writing's depth and elegance are captivating. Unlike many modern American novels, this one doesn't seem tailored for film or TV adaptations. Reading it is refreshing, like a breath of fresh air. It was an absolute delight, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed reading this book. No I don't think Amor Towles is the next F. Scott, but I really enjoyed the language and metaphors that some people are blasting in the reviews. Unfortunately, the pacing fell off somewhere around the middle of the book and it just wandered around for a while and then decided to stop. The very ending made sense, but Tinker's desires and goals could have been woven better into the rest of the novel so that the ending would seem to the reader the only way it could or should have ended. Instead it just sort of quietly stopped after meandering around for a while. I felt the introduction of Tinker's brother and the role that character played was completely extraneous, and should have been edited out or fixed to be more effective. The author seemed to try to use the brother to justify Tinker's choices and I didn't buy it. I actually felt that way about a lot of the secondary characters. Their roles were elevated beyond their usefulness. A tighter focus on Tinker, Eve, Katie and Anne (oh, and what about Val? His cameos weren't even long enough to generate interest, and they should have been!) while getting rid of all the girlfriends and the Texan with the maitre d', and and and would have greatly improved this book. Some of the literary allusions fell flat, and the author didn't quite seem to be able to keep a little Mike Hammer or something from his voice, although it detracted only slightly. This review sounds uber-critical for someone who says she loved reading this book, but that is because I was really paying attention, which is the biggest complement I can pay to an author. Now for a few of the things I really liked: I loved the voice of the main character. Her imperfect self was imminently knowable and believable to me, although the intro and the ending had me kind of wondering if I still cared. I loved the description of the Russian club--this author really gets the truth of these Russians and described their emotional way of relating to things beautifully. I felt like I had been there. And my favorite part was the descriptive prose and imagery. On one of the first pages, this caught my eye: "In the 1950's, America had picked up the globe by the heels and shaken the change from its pockets. Europe had become a poor cousin--all crests and no table settings. And the indistinguishable countries of Africa, Asia, and South America had just begun skittering across our schoolroom walls like salamanders in the sun. True, the Communists were out there, somewhere, but with Joe McCarthy in the grave and no one on the Moon, for the time being the Russians just skulked across the pages of spy novels." What a beautifully succinct way to set the time and arrogantly optimistic American mindset for the book! So in spite of its shortcomings, this book is worth the time it takes to read it and I do recommend it although with the caveat that you will probably enjoy the first half and then cruise through the second without the full satisfaction that might have been...

With agility and sensuous prose, Amor Towles takes us from the final days of the Depression to the cusp of World War II. He educates the reader through flashbacks starting with New Year's Eve in Manhattan in 1937 and creates a smashing narrator in the character of Katey Kontent. She is an orphan of Russian immigrants, apparently statuesque, quite pretty and smart. Not only smart with repartee, but she is a working girl who, although working in a structured secretarial pool, is determined to be the best. It is hard to believe that she is street-smart, but she can handle herself in any situation, business meeting or hobnobbing with the Gatsbyesque crowd she easily infiltrates. Towles begins with the turning point in her life. Forward to 1966 when Katey and her husband are at a show at the Museum of Modern Art when she recognizes two photographs of Tinker (Theodore) Grey. Towles does not really return to that time until the very end of the novel. In between, from 1937 on, is the story of the smart social milieu of the rich, used-to-be-rich, wannabes and some talented, "civil" young people. Katey Kontent meets Evelyn (Eve) Ross in a boardinghouse. Eve comes from wealth but wants to be a free spirit. Towles depicts her flitting from hotspots to dinner parties with aplomb while she remains a mystery. She literally and figuratively moves away from best friend Katey but carries around her phone number as the emergency contact. Eve and Katey meet Tinker Grey on 12/31/37 and there is a subtle competition for his heart. Tinker is a secretive bon vivant. Along with other WASPy characters, Dicky, Bitsy, Wallace, Mason we get reminiscences of Fitzgerald and Wharton. The most individual character was Eve's father, a wealthy man, who loved his erratic daughter and wanted to protect her. He knew he could not restrain her but his graciousness and fatherly worry was decidedly apparent. He was quite real. Towles' dialogue is filled with snappy retorts, especially from the women. I felt that Katey possessed unusual self-confidence in this era when women were more conventional. Her secret benefactor also had panache. New York is seen in all its splendor and degradation of the period. The tight group of characters Towles developed as a pre-jet jetset, who are often estranged from their families, enjoy their liquor. Sloshing from scene to scene, no one much could get through a day without a drink or the offer of one. Nothing much has changed, it appears, in haute society. Towles does a remarkable job of modeling the plot with "real" aspirations often provoked by quick decisions. Towles is clever: is Gotham, a Conde Nast periodical, really The New Yorker? Do we have a few chances to grab onto the best course for our lives? Is integrity the winner despite the menacing prejudice of real "old" money? We all have the chance to be amazed and can create a new version of ourselves at any point.

The writing superb; the story rich. It made me long for this country at the turn of the century. Boy do we need rules of civility now!

I loved this book so much I reread it 4 months later. I think he’s an author of such charm and warmth. His skilful use of metaphors greatly enriches the writing, and they are incredibly witty and natural, never feel forced or jarring. A fabulous cast of characters where even the bit parts are fully fleshed out, believable people with human flaws. I particularly loved Eve, Anne and Wallace. He also draws perfectly the picture of late 30’s New York. The story of a year that, although pivotal for Katey as an individual, could have been a year in anyone’s life and yet was made so engaging and interesting through his writing techniques. A solid 5/5 from me, not because it’s perfect but because I don’t think I could have got greater enjoyment from it. One of my favourite extracts, Katey’s response to receiving a summons from Anne – ‘I tore the letter into a thousand pieces and hurled them at the spot on the wall where a fireplace should have been. Then I carefully considered what I should wear.’ Perfect!

This is an excellent book - very well written and very difficult to put down. The prose is very compelling too, and the writing is very witty as well.

There's not much I can say that other reviewers haven't already said. This book is gorgeous. The protagonist is wonderful, the writing style is the best I have encountered in a long time. This book meanders along and I enjoyed every minute of the journey. It is difficult to explain exactly why it is so good, the best I can come up with is to compare it to a classical music composition, it builds and shines and sweeps over you and you don't want it end and you can't stop thinking about it when it does.

The bohemians, immigrants and struggling artists who once leant so much flavor to New York city have long since left and been replaced by the wealthy, very wealthy and obscenely rich. Much to the satisfaction of his readers, Amor Towles has transported us to a New York of the late 1930s and a world that once was. Katey Kontent rents a room in a house where she shares space with Evelyn Ross. The two frequent jazz bars where they meet Tinker Grey. With his help, vistas are open to them and a life they would never have though possible. Unfortunately, even a life fulfilled beyond expectations can still bring with it disappointments. “Rules of Civility” celebrates a lifestyle long gone and with it a feeling of nostalgia for adventures provided by a city inhabited by the nouveau riche, the blue blood American aristocrat, the fresh off the boat immigrant, the struggling artist, the talented musician, and the idealistic writer. As our characters mature, so must New York and the reader is left with a nostalgia for lost youth and simpler times. If only by following rules such those of civility, everything in life would turn out okay. "Rules of Civility" is a terrific book that provides a nostalgic journey back to simpler and more dangerous times that some would love to relive and others forget.

Brillante, divertida, emotiva, original, dinámica y muy bien escrita. Me ha gustado tanto como Un caballero en moscú. Esta la leí en inglés, y la otra traducida al castellano. Ambas me han encantado. Espero su nuevo libro.