Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

Have you ever read a book where you've felt like you were inhabiting the character's world?  A world you didn't want to leave?  I think I want to be Katey Kontent.  She's intelligent and beautiful and clever--I especially like the clever part.  She's whip-smart and articulate and always ready with an astute answer or comment in whatever situation she finds herself.  She's self-confident in a way that I never have been but wish I could be.  I wasn't quite sure what to make of Amor Towles' Rules of Civility when I first started reading.  It's a story where loads happens but at the same time not much at all, but it grew on me so much as I read that I hated to finish it.  Even more I hated giving the book back to the library.

The setting is New York in 1938 and like the gorgeous photo on the cover of the book the city shines through with elegance and sophistication.  The story revolves around Katey and her friend Eve and a man they meet on New Year's Eve.  The two will both define her world and change it.  Both women work in an office typing pool and live in a boardinghouse with strict rules and early curfews.  Theodore Gray, or Tinker as he's known, happens into the bar where the two women are nursing drinks and trying to make their cash stretch.  Tinker is handsome and exudes an air of wealth and assurance and sweeps both women off their feet.  Although they are best friends something of a rivalry erupts.

Though Tinker favors Katey just a tad bit more, a freak accident that leaves Eve scarred and injured causes Tinker to show his grief, since he was driving, in a way that will exclude Katey.  Still, Katey, who is the daughter of Russian immigrants gains entrée into a society she would not otherwise have known.  She takes it all in stride and blossoms.  She finds work at one of Condé Nast's very cosmopolitan magazines and rubs elbows with with the rich and decadent.  And she always does it with panache, yet her life isn't as perfect as it might sound.  She may move in blue-blooded circles but she is still every bit a New York girl with a working class background.  She has just the right amount of moxie to succeed and find happiness despite the obstacles set in her path.

The story is bookended by two scenes looking back on that life altering year.  Almost thirty years later Katey and her husband attend an exhibit of photographs by Walker Evans which were taken on the subway unbeknownst to the subjects.  Evans captures the sensibilities of those he photographs, and by chance Tinker is one of his subjects.  He appears in not one but two of the photos, one at the height of his career and the other showing a drastic reversal of fortune.

Amor Towles does an exceptional job of painting a portrait of Depression era New York--both the glitzy New York of the 21 Club and the more sobering New York of flophouses and dive bars.  All through the story you can hear the sounds of jazz music and martinis swishing in silver shakers.  The smart, classy prose entirely matches the story and makes this a pleasure to read.  And the literary references (from Thoreau to Hemingway to Agatha Christie!) help set the tone.

"I read a lot of Agatha Christie that fall of 1938--maybe all of them.  The Hercule Poirots, the Miss Marples.  Death on the Nile.  The Mysterious Affair at Styles.  Murders...on the Links...at the Vicarage, and...on the Orient Express.  I read them on the subway, at the deli, and in my bed alone."

"You can make what claims you will about the psychological nuance of Proust or the narrative scope of Tolstoy, but you can't argue that Mrs. Christie fails to please.  Her books are tremendously satisfying."

"Yes, they are formulaic.  But that's one of the reasons they are so satisfying.  With every character, every room, every murder weapon feeling at once newly crafted and familiar as rote (the role of the postimperialists uncle from India here being played by the spinster from South Wales, and the mismatched bookends sanding in for the jar of fox poison on the upper shelf of the gardener's shed), Mrs. Christie doles out her little surprises at the carefully calibrated pace of a nanny dispensing sweets to the children in her care."

"But I think here is another reason they please--a reason that is at least as important, if not more so--and that is that in Agatha Christie's universe everyone gets what they deserve."

Life is not quite so easy in Katey's world.  Fortunes rise and fall, characters come and go, but Katey remains true to herself.  I thought this was beautfully done.

Comments

[sassymonkey]

Wasn't it a great novel? I really enjoyed it.

[catharina]

I had already fallen for the cover,the content sounds just as good. Just curious: how does this novel rank in this year's books for you?

[cathy]

What a great review! So glad that this is already on my TBR list, which doesn't need to get any longer.

[Danielle]

Sassymonkey--Yes, it was a great story and Katey was a wonderful character. I'm glad it seems to be popular with readers.
Catharina--I love the cover, too. It has a great illustration. I think this is going to be in my top 10 books!

[Danielle]

Cathy--I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did when you get to it. I think I may have to buy it when it comes out in paper!

[Claire - The Captive Reader]

Oh, I want to read this! I am sitting at #32 on the wait list at the library and thank goodness I'm going to be on vacation for most of September and distracted by my travels, otherwise I might go mad from the wait!

[Caroline]

You make this sound exceptionally good. I need to put it on the wish list. I have read a few books which I didn't want to "leave" but it is very rare. It's great when you feeli like this about a book. This one sounds quite nostalgic. I'm a sucker for nostalgic stories about the end of an era.
I started Two Days in Aragon, btw. It's lovely so far.

[Margaret Powling]

This is on my Wish List, but I think it should now be moved up the list closer to the number one position! Yes, the cover alone would 'sell' the book to me! And if it makes your top ten books, then that would be a good enough recommendation for me!

[Penny]

Fabulous review. Good gosh, I can feel the excitement of the read come off the screen with your words. Just yesterday, I nabbed Captain John Emmett from the only library in our system that didn't have him on a long hold and here you are, tempting me with Katey, Eve, and Tinker.
Well done!

[Rachel]

What a great review, Danielle! I'm so glad you posted about this because I keep looking at the fabulous cover in Barnes and Noble and wondering whether I should take it home with me. You've convinced me! I LOVE 30's era books and anything set in New York entertains me! I'll definitely be picking it up.

[Courtney]

What a lovely review - I am definitely looking forward to reading this! Your review is really sparkling - your enjoyment of the book shines through!

[Stephanie]

I really liked Katey too, for the most part. I wasn't sure what to make of her at the beginning, but as the book wore on I really loved her wittiness.

[litlove]

I seem to have got myself into a queue of books at the moment, but I really DO want to get to this one soon, and your review is lovely, Danielle. Just makes me more impatient!

[Judith]

Danielle,
I'm so glad that you loved this book! I've been interested in reading it, but the more good reviews I read, the more urgent the acquisition of this book becomes.

Judith (Reader in the Wilderness)

[Danielle]

Claire--How exciting to be traveling abroad and just think when you come home you'll have a lovely read waiting for you! There is a long line at my library for it as well.
Caroline--I loved Two Days in Aragon--looking forward to hearing what you make of it. I need to get back to Molly Keane's books, too! Rules of Civility is a very nostalgic read. Towles makes NYC sound so inviting--even with the Depression it sounds like such an interesting time to have lived.
Margaret--I do hope they keep the cover for the paperback as I think I need to own this one. It just resonated with me as I was reading. Quite nicely done really--one to look for! He wrapped the stories up well.
Penny--Two really good reads almost back to back! The stories are very different but I liked escaping into both of them. I hope you enjoy Captain John Emmett!
Rachel--You should treat yourself--what a nice book to take home with you since the story just exudes what I think NYC must be like (or been like in the 30s), and it has such a gorgeous cover, too. I think this might be different than the typical 30s story--not as domestic since the women are both single, but an interesting view on the single woman's life.
Courtney--Towards the end I was dragging it out as I didn't want to turn the last page! I like Towles' writing style--so perfect for the story he told!
Stephanie--I was also uncertain at the beginning--she is such a strong character really, yet had no luck in love it seemed. But the more I read the more I liked the story and Katey!
Litlove--Oh, I know all about that reading queue. I have one myself and then someone tempts me with another book and it just gets added to the list! I keep pulling books out to start reading and then talking myself into waiting 'just until I finish one book first'!
Judith--I've read a number of good reviews, too. I skimmed the NYT review (I was reading it at the time) and believe it was also favorable. Definitely this is one to look for.

[Stefanie]

This sounds like such fun! I've always dreamed of being a witty conversationalist but it never fails, I always think of what I should have said after I leave the party! But being readers we have the pleasure of living vicariously :)

[nomadreader]

This one sounds so good, and it's been on my radar forever. I need to make time to escape to that world!

[Danielle]

Stefanie--Unfortunately that is me all over, too. Katey is smart and comfortable in her skin--as weird as that sounds. And she's very articulate. I live vicariously an awful lot, too. I wish I had noted some of her good comebacks!
Nomadreader--I think it may well be making the rounds in the blogosphere--I know a few other people who have read it or are reading it. I think it is even the author's first novel!

[Kailana]

I just finished this last night and I really enjoyed it! Great review!

[Kathy]

I'm absolutely going to read this after your description. I also envy people who have what seems like an effortless sense of self and confidence as they move through the world (I'm thinking of a friend right now) and wish for some of that myself.

[Karen K.]

Wow, this sounds so interesting! I've put myself on the library waiting list -- I'm number 44!! There must be a lot of well-deserved buzz about this book. I look forward to reading it.

[Danielle]

Kailana--It seems to be quite popular now, which is nice to see as I enjoyed it so much, too.
Kathy--Katey was great. I'd love to have her sense of assurance. She was such an interesting character to read about--I loved being part of her world.
Karen--I was lucky to get in line early on and so got a copy right after it was processed. I think the library line at my public library is equally long. I think it got a good NYT review and lots of people have been talking about it too. Hope you enjoy it!

[Liz F]

Looks like I am going to have to be patient with this one at the moment as it is not in the county library's stocks anywhere so I will have to wait until next year when it goes into paperback.
Oh well, it's not as if I'm exactly short of things to read!

[Meghan]

What I loved about this book (spoiler alert) is that from the beginning part, you assume that Tinker loses his fortune and that it's a bad thing. And at the end, you realized that embracing a simple life was actually a choice for him - and one that made him happy.

[Danielle]

Meghan--It was a surprising story, but I liked the ending. I think some readers were disappointed that Tinker and Katey didn't end up together, but I liked how things were tied up. I think he was happier, too--certainly he looked younger when he didn't have any money than when he was living the high life! This is a story I think I could happily reread.