A Gentleman in Moscow / Amor Towles / 496 pgs

This is one of those books that I wouldn't have picked up if it wasn't my book club's selection for September. That said, I ended up really liking it. The book is a fictional account of an aristocrat in his late 20s who is imprisoned during the Bolshevik Revolution in a swanky hotel in Moscow. He stays there for over three decades and sees a lot of the changes in Soviet Russia from his hotel room.

That sounds a bit boring, doesn't it? However, the story of Count Rostov ended up being far more interesting that I would have thought. Throughout the book, he forms friendships with all sorts, young and old, learns a lot about himself and others, and ends up finding a way towards having a fulfilling life while unable to ever leave the confines of the hotel. The ending of the book really made reading the whole thing worthwhile, so please stick with it even if you think it's not your cup of tea.