One Drink Book Club | A Gentleman In Moscow by Amor Towles

In this episode of the One Drink Book Club, Jamey and guest Jason Barnaby discuss A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. In the book, a Russian aristocrat is forced into house arrest by the Bolsheviks in 1922. He is spared the firing squad, but must spend the rest of his life in the Metropol Hotel in Moscow. The story follows Count Alexander Rostov for the next 32 years as he lives his life in the hotel finding friendships, love, purpose, and family. In this episode, Jason was inspired to make a bourbon and coke and Jamey makes a Paper Plane or Brick Wall depending on what name you choose. The recipes can be found at www.OneDrinkBookClub.com.

[@wags1956]

hot sauce??? bring it on. as great great great aas the book is, listening to it was fantastic, and not to be missed!

[@aislingbooks]

Five stars for one of the most beautifully written novels of our time that personally takes me back to one of Russia's better years, the year I was an exchange professor at Moscow State University. This was Boris Yeltsin's last year, and one of failing health that was aggravated by the hardships of the country's devastating economic crisis. Yet these were also part of the golden years of post-Glasnost progressiveness. And I had a wonderfully heartfelt hope then for the Russian spirit as it entered into this new age of networking with its neighbouring countries in a more positive light awhile shucking off its 'spy versus spy' mentality. Alas In 'A Gentleman in Moscow', Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov (circa 1920s-1940s) was a member of the Russian aristocracy and raised on an estate in Nizhny Novgorod. Yet, during the book's telling, the Count resided at the Metropol Hotel in Moscow where he amused himself via creative excursions that made light of the fact that he was currently under house arrest in the famously grand hotel. To date the Metropol is a breathtakingly beautiful hotel that I got to visit, myself, during my teaching year at MSU (Moscow State University) as an exchange professor from CU-Denver. There I dined, partook of the spa and swimming pool facilities, as well as an incredible massage before attending an opera at the Bolshoi when my more well-to-do brother came to town and stayed there on holiday. But of course it's vodka you must be drinking during this podcast, gentleman. And did you know that in Russian 'voda' means water? The '-ka' ending is a diminuitive that's mostly used in nicknaming children. So, adding the -ka to voda means that vodka is little water? Drink up then. Na Zdorovie! 🤣

[@user-kh5ee4jg7t]

If you spent a year in Russia and it happened in most dramatic times, it's quite selfish to believe in your knowledge of real Russia, and it is more selfish to consider this book as a hystorian one about Russia. Sorry for such unpleasant truth for you from Russian teacher of English and French in Moscow. I teach American, British and French literature through reading books written by authors of these countries.

[@aislingbooks]

You do have a bee up your bonnet, Elena. To me this is a lovely fiction, as the writer never once proclaimed it an historical fact. The Metropol, on the other hand, is a lovely hotel. And this lovely, yes, fantasy that was mostly set in this hotel is juxtaposed against harsher times .. a sort of 'Master and Margarita' chaos of values ... which I thought well-done and highly entertaining.

[@user-kh5ee4jg7t]

​@@aislingbooksMaster and Margaret I'd like to notice, is written by Russian writer Bulgakov who knew our live from first hands!!! This makes the great difference, doesn't it?

[@user-kh5ee4jg7t]

Nowadays I'm reading this book living in Moscow, and I can say that only Russian writers really know how to describe Russian live truthfully. This book is adventurous but so little real Russia in it, especially Russia in 1922! Read Russian writers to know real Russia as we're reading American writers to know America better. So, do not name or attribute this book as a hystoric novel: there are only Russian names there - that's all! The adventure and fiction! No Russian hystory! Sorry for this unpleasant truth for Americans who got used to thinking proudly that they know everything about other countries' hystory.

[@aislingbooks]

The complexity of a society is hardly depicted by just one work of fiction. I base my own opinion on personal experience as well as on the variety of authors I've read while living/working in Moscow, as well as before and afterwards. Even after reading a lot of Russian authors, I assume that I can't be an expert on Russia. Yet, I get the general picture as you probably do about America. So, there might be a flaw in the generalisation of the information that I've taken in. Still, the multitude of cultural aspects is hardly to be captured with reading a selection of works in which we are all left with the essence of what we read. So correct me if I'm wrong.