In other words...
In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov has never worked a day in his life, and must give up his luxury sweet and belongings to live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel’s doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery.
The first half of the book creates a thorough and gorgeous visual of the hotel and it's occupants. We are being immersed fully into this setting. Nothing is without purpose. Each moment and person is leading somewhere.
Full of humor and philosophical wisdom, this book has a glittering cast of characters, and one beautifully rendered scene after another. I have tagged all the things I wish to remember and there are many. Here are a few of my favorites.
"If patience wasn't so easily tested, then it would hardly be a virtue."
"When fate hands something down to posterity, it does so behind it's back."
"Some might wonder that the two men should consider themselves to be old friends, having only known each other for four years.; but the tenure of friendship has never been governed by the passage of time."
And finally "What matters in life is not whether we receive a round of applause; what matters is whether we have the courage to venture forth despite the uncertainty of acclaim."
This is a revelation of a life well lived. It's a smart book about a wise man. It starts slow but builds delightfully. do not put it down.
Trust me, he can’t leave his hotel. You won’t want to.
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