A Gentleman in MoscowA Gentleman in Moscow
Score Modern
What it's about
In 1922, a Bolshevik tribunal declares Count Alexander Rostov an unrepentant aristocrat and sentences him to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Moved to an attic room, a man who has never worked a day in his life must make a world inside the hotel's walls, while decades of Russian history unfold outside.
Why it's worth reading
It spent more than 100 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists. Witty, warm and elegant, it's one of the most loved novels of the past decade.
You'll love it if you liked
All the Light We Cannot See
The Remains of the Day
A Man Called OveGood to know
It's gentle and leisurely rather than plot-driven, and it's full of charming characters. The last hundred pages pick up pace.
By the numbers
- Readers94 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller74 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #22 of the 116 historical novels we rank
- #106 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #209 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving
More by Amor Towles
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Quick answers
Is A Gentleman in Moscow worth reading?
Yes. It spent more than 100 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists. It ranks #209 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 83.4 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is A Gentleman in Moscow about?
In 1922, a Bolshevik tribunal declares Count Alexander Rostov an unrepentant aristocrat and sentences him to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Moved to an attic room, a man who has never worked a day in his life must make a world inside the hotel's walls, while decades of Russian history unfold outside.
How long does it take to read A Gentleman in Moscow?
About 12 hours (462 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after A Gentleman in Moscow?
If you liked it, try All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro or A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman.