COMMENTARY: A Gentleman in Moscow (2016)
The following are thoughts and reactions I had while reading A Gentleman in Moscow (2016) by Amor Towles. They do not reflect my overall post-reading opinion of the work.
⚠️ SPOILER ALERTS AHEAD ⚠️
- pg 130. Wait so this is a love story between Anna and Alexander? She doesn’t show up until the 25% mark. Which I mean, makes sense structurally… but what was all that with Nina? Just to establish the world for a hundred pages? I seriously thought this was a “quiet novel” given the first hundred pages.
- wait, and he’s turning invisible now? Like literally in a magical realism way or metaphorically?
- pg. 149 - theory. Anna is pregnant with Alexander’s child and for some reason he has to raise her in the hotel.
- pg. 232 - well. It wasn’t Anna’s child he’s burdened with, but Nina. Interesting.
- pg. 379 - from page 274 onwards, it is like a season of This is Us (2016-2022). Just so many memorable scenes. Whimsical ones, sad ones, joyful ones. But like Friends (1994-2004) rarely anything super tragic or dark, very low stakes, and just a nice quiet novel filled with sweet drama.