Count Alexander Rostov is convicted of being an unrepentant aristocrat at the beginning of the Bolshevik Revolution in 1922. He is sentenced to house arrest at the Metropol Hotel in Moscow where he is to remain for the rest of his life. For 27 years he looks out the hotel windows at the ever-changing landscape of Rusia and sees the leading figures of the age come in and out of the revolving doors of the hotel. During that time his station changes from wealthy heir to hired help, but he never lets go of the principles that make him a true gentleman. Even within the confining walls of the hotel, fate brings love and grief, joy and fullfillment and a host of interesting companions that become his family.
So, this audiobook is 18 hrs long, and the book description sounds like it could be dead boring, but it was recommended to me by a friend and so I decided to give it a try. It turned out to be just lovely. It is slow moving, and kind of gentle, but there is so much humanity,
wisdom and humor in the story. Towles charactarizations are masterful and the dialog is so intelligent. It also has a really unique view of Rusian politics during the transition from Bolshevik idealism to the harsh reality of Stallin's reign. I enjoyed it very much and I will be recommending it to all my historical fiction loving friends. (480 p. 2016)
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