Summary-

"A Gentleman in Moscow" by Amor Towles is a historical novel about the life of Count Alexander Rostov, a Russian nobleman found guilty and punished with house arrest in the wealthy Metropol Hotel in Moscow by the Russian Revolution. The book discusses themes about imprisonment, adapting, and perseverance of the human spirit. The Count is stripped of his living space within the hotel, modifying his former grand lifestyle significantly. But as the years go by, he develops real relationships with a range of hotel staff and visitors, from the charming to the difficult. In spite of being trapped in one place, the intellectual and emotional development of the Count throughout the novel emphasizes the difference between outer restriction and inner liberty. Towles' prose is filled with historical anecdotes, humor, and philosophical musing, and the book becomes a deep exploration of how to live with integrity and meaning despite being deprived of privilege and authority. "A Gentleman in Moscow" creates a convincing portrait of a man, though physically confined, manages to establish a life of fulfillment and impact in the confines of his transient universe.