Who Should Read This: Everyone on the planet—it’s that good. Unless you’re trying to quit drinking or smoking, since characters constantly have a cigarette dangling from their lips or a glass of gin in their hand.
I give Rules of Civility FIVE stars for being fab-dabulous, and the best thing I’ve read since Cold Mountain nearly two decades ago.
I’ve heard people say that artists are those who can see beyond the veil that covers the eyes of most of us to grasp the reality that lies beyond. I have even heard some say that great artists blink less than the rest of us, so they take in more than the common herd. Amor Towles, in his debut novel Rules of Civility, has not missed a thing as he describes how chance meetings and quick decisions in the lives of a group of twentysomethings chart their course for life. And it’s interesting that his narrator, Katey Kontent, is female—he writes convincingly and genuinely from her perspective.
Katey reminds me a bit of Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby, although Nick was more of an observer of the action and Katey is right in the middle of it. She is a great person to tell us of the excesses and the codes and the manners and the lavish homes and parties of Manhattan’s fancy folks, as she is from a humble background, sharp, and has a sensible head on her shoulders, yet keeps stepping into the world of the upper class. The book begins in the 1960s and then flashes back, and I always felt like I could trust Katey’s recollection of 1938, which is the year that set her life on the path she would continue on.
I found myself reading just about every sentence in Rules of Civility twice; once for the story, and a second time to just absorb the beauty of the writing.
One thing I’ve always loved about the Art Deco years is the sense of sheer exuberance that you get from the buildings, music, fashion, and movies of the time, and this book brings the feel of 1938 to life in a way that is so vibrant I felt like I was running through the streets of Manhattan with Katey and her friends. I also found myself using some of the 1930s’ slang, calling people “Sis” and exclaiming, “That’s capital!” when someone came up with a good idea.
I can’t wait to see the movie version of this novel when it is released.
The plot twists were fantastic, including one that literally comes out of nowhere near the beginning. It is interesting, too, as you see characters that you think will be the main focus kind of move off to the side to make room for new ones. I suggest that, after you finish, you go back and read the prologue again. (Have tissue handy)
There were tissues scattered all around me as I came close to the end of this beautiful book. To paraphrase something Katey says in the book, we sometimes meet people with whom we have an instant and powerful connection. We usually fantasize about how they will transform our lives for the better, but rarely do we consider that that powerful connection can also tear us apart. I think Rules of Civility will break your heart as it did mine, and make you look back over your own life at the choices you have made and the people that you met along the way. As Kierkegaard said, “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.” Ultimately, I came away from this read feeling as if I’d been emotionally wrung out like a sponge, but with a renewed sense of hope that today might be the day that there’d be a knock on the door, or a phone call, or a chance encounter on the street that could change everything.
Let me end this with great news: After you’ve fallen in love with Rules of Civility and cried when your eyelashes off, you can dry your tears, Sis, and head back to Ibooks, Amazon, Overdrive, or your local library—there’s a sequel! It’s called Eve In Hollywood.
I have much amor for you, Mr. Amor Towles.
