Today’s post is a bit of a cheat because it’s really about a book. ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ by American writer Amor Towles is one of those books that just makes the world a better place: it’s gracious and elegant, it makes me laugh and it makes me feel as if I could be a better person, and Towles does all this with a gently arched eyebrow that means there’s no sentimentality. It’s also the perfect book to read in lockdown, because it’s about a man who spends almost his entire life confined to Moscow’s Metropol Hotel. He has lost his freedom and his wealth but creates a quietly meaningful for himself within the walls of his gilded prison.
There are a few pieces of music featured in the book, but I’ve chosen this one because my menfolk both love playing Chopin nocturnes. This one is my husband’s choice of recording:
