Yesterday was my first book club meeting ever!!

 Our book is, A Gentleman in Moscow, and I am excited to discuss it with you. 

What would you do if you, at 30 years old age you were sentenced to house arrest?

 At the beginning of the book, we find the main character, Count Alexander Rostov, sentenced to house arrest in a grand luxurious hotel, the Metropol. 

Even though we just read up until the first 100 pages of the book, I have loved this book so far. The Count feels like a real person as we accompany him in an epoch of his life’s journey.

He is irresistibly charming and effortlessly cool. He instantly pulls you into his classy and sophisticated mind and world. 

 If there’s a word to describe the feeling of the book until now, it’s nostalgia. Nostalgic to feel romance, not between lovers. But, the romance of life and ideas.  

We discussed how sentimental we felt as we observed the time passing in The Count’s life as he became a witness in his own life. It’s heartbreaking to see The Count’s life unfold. At only 30, everything in his life is already in the past tense. 

Lastly, we discussed quotes from the book that moved, inspired, and enlightened us—sharing some of these quotes with you too. Here goes-

“Adversity presents itself in many forms; and that if a master his man does not master his circumstances, then he’s bound to be mastered by them.”

“…Imagining what might happen if one’s circumstances were different was the only sure route to madness.”

” The count took pride in wearing a well-tailored jacket; but he took greater pride in knowing that a gentleman’s presence was best announced by his bearing, his remarks, and his manners.”

“…Perhaps a mirror will suddenly serve its truer purpose-revealing to a man not who he imagines himself to be, but who he has become.”

“A slouching posture tends to suggest a certain laziness of character, as well as a lack of interest in others. Whereas an upright posture can confirm a sense of self-possession and a quality of engagement.” 

“A sad but unavoidable fact of life…that as we age our social circles grow smaller. Whether from increased habit or diminished vigor, we suddenly find ourselves in the company of just a few familiar faces.”

 

Have you read it? Or would you like to? We are discussing it next Saturday (a week from now). Please comment below if you’re on board! We’d love to have you. 

 

xo

Yachna