Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Recently Reread: The Rules of Civility

Author: Amor Towles
Genre: Adult Fiction/Historical Fiction
Status: Stand-alone
Publication Date: 2011
Page Count: 320
Rating: 5/5 a million times over


This book opens on the last day of 1937, where Katey and her friend Eve have a chance encounter with a handsome young man named Tinker Grey. This meeting changes the course of both Katey and Eve's lives. This book takes place in New York City, and the atmosphere is so well built up; the city is the perfect backdrop for this story.

I read this book for the first time last year right before Christmas and before I even finished the book I knew I wanted to reread it and that it would become one of my favorite books. So, when I decided to reread it this year, I thought it would be perfect to reread it exactly a year after the original reading. I loved this book even more the second time around, and I have decided that I will reread it every year before Christmas. 

The writing in this novel is perfect. Katey's voice is so clear, real, and gorgeous. The narration mixes the perfect mix of wit and humor with emotion and reflection. One of my favorite aspects of this novel is the way that Katey's reading material is seamlessly woven into the story. She is a true reader and makes her reading choices based on what she needs in her life at the moment, and her reading is woven into her thoughts about her real life. I have a lot of respect for Katey and how she handles situations and stays true to herself.

I think that Christmas time/ New Year's is a great time to read this book. Not only does it open on New Year's Eve, but the book really delves into fate and chance and change, which to me are a big part of the New Year. This book touches on a number of very large concepts and themes. It's not a romance, it's more about how people relate to each other and how all types of relationships function, as well as the impact of timing and fate on relationships.

The themes of chance and fate are quite appropriate since I was just wandering through Barnes and Noble one day when the cover of this book caught my eye. I picked it up, read the back, and decided to buy it on a whim, and started reading it as soon as I got home (which I almost never do with books). It was just pure chance that I discovered this book, but I'm so glad I did.

It's really hard for me to communicate my thoughts about this book, because they continue to develop long after I have read it. I found myself thinking about this book long after I read it the first time, and I know this time will be no different. I'm already looking forward to my yearly reread next year, and I will be automatically purchasing any new book Towles writes in the future.    

2 comments:

  1. This one is on my list. It sounds really good. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awesome! So glad you plan to read it. Let me know what you think of it when you do read it.
      thanks for stopping by and Happy Holidays!

      Delete