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By: CHCH 058
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2025-06-30 10:03:46 |
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We enjoyed this book and felt the formal style and involved descriptions were quite delightful ( though one found it a little TOO wordy). It was very long, but very worthwhile. |
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By: CHCH 557
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2025-06-25 20:27:57 |
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Though many of us didn’t finish it in time, Amor Towles’ elegant, witty prose and the Count’s quiet charm really drew us in. A book to linger over, not rush through. Those of us who did not finish it, plan to return to it. |
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By: BLENH 031
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2025-06-18 20:50:44 |
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This was a book we all enjoyed. It took us back in time to the geo-political environment of the times. We enjoyed the life, thoughts and experiences of the 'aristocrat' and the characters that he engaged with on the way. |
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By: PALMN 023
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2025-05-12 10:35:19 |
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Enjoyed immensely by all. |
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By: AUCK 471
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2024-10-09 11:49:01 |
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Those who read this in the group really enjoyed it. The story was great and was different to where we thought it would go, which was great. The book was clearly written with a lot of emphasis on every line written, so was very wordy in parts where it didn't need to be. But overall, the characters were great, the story was enjoyable and led to a great discussion. |
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By: WESTO 001
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2024-03-19 16:07:02 |
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Only half our group finished this book but those that did loved it. The story and the language were beautifully written. One member described it as a rewarding read. |
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By: QUEEN 017
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2024-03-07 12:24:37 |
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People loved and hated it for the same reasons. It's a very rich book. We had a great discussion about politics, history and philosophy. |
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By: HAMIL 031
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2024-02-28 14:34:54 |
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Beautifully written but long. But worth the read. |
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By: NELS 056
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2023-12-13 14:56:23 |
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Only half the group finished the book - those that did, enjoyed it. A book to get into when you have plenty of time to savour it - not one to dip into. However it is poetic, with deeply descriptive language, interesting characters, and the ability to weave a story set in one location. |
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By: TEKUI 002
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2023-08-08 14:07:48 |
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We loved this book; the blurbs on the covers are all exactly right - what an amazing writer. Our first 5 star book. |
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By: PICT 005
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2023-06-26 14:31:20 |
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Our group greatly appreciated this book and we enjoyed an extended, vibrant discussion. We agreed it's clever, all encompassing, and provides a window into the characters, the Soviet world, and beyond. We unanimously rated it 5+. |
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By: CHCH 549
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2023-06-01 08:45:21 |
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Our all-male group thoroughly enjoyed this book. Our eleven members enjoyed the writing style, the author's use of the English language, the rich and sustaining storyline, and the well-crafted characters. A couple of our group took their time to get into the story but enjoyed it once they did. None struggled with the length. The discussion was far-reaching about the storyline, the characters, and Russian history. |
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By: CHCH 509
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2023-04-23 12:13:02 |
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Of the 8 members, only half managed to finish it. Granted, those who didn’t are mothers to young toddlers so that may have been the reason, rather than the book not being enjoyed. It was agreed that it was well-written but very slow-going, and a view that the Count was an idealised version of the author himself. He was a very loveable character who could almost do no wrong, which grated some members. |
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By: NEWP 013
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2023-03-09 13:44:46 |
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Such a mannered, self-sufficient, intelligent sympatico character who weathered the storms of communist uprising against his class, and the harsh restrictions imposed on him by the new regime, with remarkable sanguinity, serenity and good humour. He's a man I think of as a model of composure in a turbulent world, so a beacon for us all. We all loved this book. |
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By: WAIKA 013
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2023-02-16 10:19:56 |
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This was a beautifully written book full of pathos, yet wit, and provided a fantastic sketch of a man and others around him who influenced both his thinking and his actions. |
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By: OTORO 002
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2023-01-12 11:31:40 |
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Not an easy read but once into it, thoroughly enjoyable. Loved the language, the descriptions, the historical insights and the increasingly exciting development of the plot. |
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By: TAUP 012
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2022-09-23 14:52:04 |
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A beautifully written book, but did not hold many of the readers' attention. Not many read the entire book. It was felt it would make a great movie. |
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By: CHCH 523
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2022-09-03 08:31:07 |
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Out of 10 members the furthest through anyone got was to page 147. Too slow was the consensus here. |
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By: AUCK 448
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2022-07-26 11:54:52 |
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A fabulous book enjoyed by all and highly recommended. We loved the 'The Count's' charm and flare for life, ...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. |
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By: WHAKA 021
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2022-05-13 09:16:17 |
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Mixed reactions, some found it hard going & 2 did not finish it. We all found that there were a lot of words that required a dictionary to find a definition. |
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By: CHCH 240
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2022-01-28 16:04:51 |
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The majority in our Group enjoyed the book and thoroughly loved it with its quirky style of writing and wonderful hints of humour and delightful characters, depicting what life was like for the different 'social classes' of the era. Who wrote: "It isn't what happens to you , it is how you cope with it" - and the Count certainty made the most of his 'house arrest'. One of the best! |
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By: LOWER 019
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2021-12-12 12:57:16 |
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Everyone loved this book, it took us on a journey we enjoyed. |
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By: MOTUE 008
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2021-11-09 17:28:03 |
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Everyone in the group enjoyed this book. We read it during the August 2021 lockdown and it seemed the perfect book to slow down and enjoy the treasures offered in an enforced change of pace. The characterisation was strong. Some of the group indicated their wish to reread. |
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By: ASHB 015
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2021-10-05 12:49:23 |
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Thoroughly enjoyable. Detailed, complex, quirky and clever. Excellent history with well-drawn main characters. "The age of nobility gives way to the common age". The dignity and inventiveness in dealing with repressive governance was exquisite. |
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By: HAMIL 019
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2021-08-27 12:53:49 |
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We all thoroughly enjoyed this book - so much so that one of our group read it twice before our meeting. |
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By: AUCK 100
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2021-06-30 12:09:27 |
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We all loved this book especially the delightful main character. It was a great read with its humour, philosophy and a variety of characters all set with a period of Russian history as its backdrop. It was hard to put down. |
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By: DUNED 058
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2021-05-19 11:34:55 |
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We all loved this book and got so much out of it - lots of animated discussion. We can't wait to read another of his books. |
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By: PIOPIO 001
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2021-03-26 14:49:04 |
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A big read, but all who persevered loved the book. Elegant, complex and with a near perfect hero it explored many aspects of Russia in the first half of the 20th century. Some scenes are hilarious! We found the questions challenging but this didn't dampen the discussion. One person read the book for a second time and still loved it. |
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By: GERAL 002
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2021-02-22 10:38:27 |
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Voted "Best Ever Book" by all. Intelligent and beautifully crafted, it is a book to relish piece by piece, not to rush. May Amor Towles continue to produce prose of such purity, pleasure and perfection for perpetuity! |
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By: DUNED 002
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2021-02-15 11:56:51 |
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The group loved the book, beautifully written, a tale of empathy and compassion regardless of outside circumstances. A great snapshot of history. |
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By: ROTO 012
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2021-01-27 11:54:05 |
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Book was loved by all. |
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By: HAMIL 029
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2020-11-17 12:09:42 |
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We loved this book for its style and its content. The main character is very likeable, the view of Russian history intriguing, the language almost poetic. Other reviews have said just what we thought. |
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By: ONAWE 001
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2020-07-27 21:38:28 |
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Out of the 12 members in our group only one didnt enjoy it & didnt finish reading it, otherwise all loved it, characters were all engaging and we felt it gave so much, with history, the writing and imagery. It was a long read but one of those books that was hard to put down. A great read, highly recommend. |
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By: NAP 005
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2020-07-08 14:43:29 |
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Responses to this book fell into two distinct categories - those who loved it and those who didn't. It was a clear-cut divide... Those who loved it, loved the language, the pace and the unfolding of life locked down in a hotel during the communist era. The relationships were beautifully drawn and the characters rich and lively. Those who couldn't engage with the book found the pace too slow and the story too drawn out. |
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By: WANAK 008
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2020-03-11 09:01:14 |
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Most of our group found the book a bit difficult to get started - a word of encouragement to persevere on our Whats App group kept all but one going and the final consensus was that everyone loved it - the history, the characters, the relationships were all so subtly but beautifully drawn and the ending was deeply satisfying. Highly recommended. |
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By: WINT 001
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2020-02-29 10:47:07 |
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Everyone loved this book, not only for the way it was written but also a look into a period of Russian history that is not always well known to us. Those who had read the classic Russian novels enjoyed the referencing to them during the story. The discussion lead to more than the questions written. Some time was focused on how the early discipline in his life enabled him to cope with and ultimately benefit from being under "house arrest". Highly recommended. |
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By: COOKS 001
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2020-02-20 23:05:42 |
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What an amazing read, everyone loved it. A wonderful narrative with great complexity, skipping over sentences wasn't an option as you felt you were going to miss out on something that would be relevant later in the story. The characters are vibrant and the story line is well paced in spite of it being set in a hotel over many years. Towles has subtly woven Russian history (1922 to 1950's) into this novel which adds to its depth. We all agreed that it's a very elegantly written book, worth buying to have in your collection. A great start for 2020 reading! |
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By: AUCK 335
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2019-11-21 14:32:22 |
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Our group loved this book.Truly original, very cleverly constructed, memorable characters,set in a very interesting period of history, written with a lightness of spirit in spite of many dark shadows and some sad events.We thought it was very well-written and altogether a first rate read. |
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By: CHCH 487
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2019-11-11 17:11:01 |
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Our group loved this book all rating it either four or five stars (hence our four and a half star rating). The author writes beautifully and brings the witty Count of a bygone era to life effortlessly. We discussed the political parallels that could be drawn between the Russian Revolution and current events like Brexit and 2016 US election and how the various characters embodied different political ideals. Most captivating though is the way the Count's interior life develops: the love, friendship and losses and the pursuit of meaning in a world that inevitably moves on. |
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By: WELL 041
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2019-08-12 11:06:23 |
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A simply beautiful book to read. So elegant, sweeping through the years with humour, wonderful characters; we were all swept away and found it hard to put down. Highly recommended. |
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