Marvelous And Delightful - The Books of Amor Towles
When irresistible writing causes you to want more.
Jamie Mah @grahammah
As a writer it should come as no surprise that I love to read. Therefore, when I come across a fantastic author, one whom has captured me more than once, I feel a quick sense of excitement that their skill set and the works they’ve produced must be shared.
Case in point: Amor Towles.
As of yesterday, I finished reading Amor Towles second novel, ‘A Gentleman in Moscow.’ Much like his first book, ‘Rules of Civility’ (which I read a month ago), I was transfixed and entertained of the highest order. Both novels seized my imagination, my love of fantastically written prose and my insatiable desire for a wonderfully rich story. I couldn’t recommend them more.
As both books are predominantly set in the early 20th century, Towles ability to capture the style and grace of the era, harkens to his talent and fascination of a time when graciousness led with class. Reading both books, I was hooked at first glance.
Both novels are led by lead protagonists of the highest integrity, as Katey Kontent from Rules and Count Alexander Rostov from Gentleman deliver their lives as though their mother’s were watching their every move.
Thoughtful, charming and elegant.
In a world where our lives are often anything but, these two novels took me to a place where my reality was left sitting idle as my imagination led me to a world of splendor and wonder.
In ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’, Count Rostov loves fine wine, good food and a brandy or two before bed — something he never does after midnight. While in ‘Rules of Civility’, Kontent is apt to explore the possibilities of upper New York elites, but only on her terms.
Their stories are captured and explored through the prism of optimism, a longing for goodness and as breeders of authenticity.
I only wish we all were this way.
I was taken not only by the depth of Towles writing here but also in his way of making the most simple and mundane sound and feel so exciting. Good writing is hard to do (trust me, the struggle is real) and when done superbly, it can cause you to gasp and awe at how profound it truly can be.
“For his part, the Count had opted for the life of the purposefully unrushed. Not only was he disinclined to race toward some appointed hour — disdaining even to wear a watch — he took the greatest satisfaction when assuring a friend that a worldly matter could wait in favor of a leisurely lunch or stroll along the embankment. After all, did not wine improve with age? Was it not the passage of years that gave a piece of furniture its delightful patina? When all was said and done, the endeavors that most modern men saw as urgent (such as appointments with bankers and the catching of trains), probably could have waited, while those they deemed frivolous (such as cups of tea and friendly chats) had deserved their immediate attention.” — Gentleman in Moscow
This paragraph elicited a feeling within me of a time in my future where I hope to feel this way. When the struggles of expectations and the lure of what’s next are supplanted by the now and the joy of simplicity. A good book, a long lunch, a delicious glass of wine, a rich conversation — these are the delights of which Rostov and Kontent explore and it’s in their charm that they make each moment seem as alive as if I’d been there with them.
There’s a quote in ‘Rules of Civility’ which stirred me the moment I read it. It stopped me dead in my tracks as it made me think about my life, the choices I’d made and the one’s I’d yet to make and how each decision would and has affected who I’ve become.
Life for none of us is guaranteed. Tomorrow is a maybe and in that we must accept that what we do is finite. Great literature has a way of teaching us more about ourselves than the characters it aims to depict. Amor Towles has a gift in this realm and his first two books are beautiful examples of joyful writing. I strongly urge you to check them out.
“In our twenties, when there is still so much time ahead of us, time that seems ample for a hundred indecisions, for a hundred visions and revisions — we draw a card, and we must decide right then and there whether to keep that card and discard the next, or discard the first card and keep the second. And before we know it, the deck has been played out and the decisions we have just made will shape our lives for decades to come.” — Rules of Civility