Respite from Russia

From the book

I've just finished reading Amor Towles' A Gentleman in Moscow. It's the perfect novel to dive into over a lockdown weekend. It follows three decades in the life of a Russian count under house arrest in Hotel Metropol, Moscow, following the Bolshevik Revolution. Though the premise is grim, the book is anything but; it is filled with warmth and wit. The engaging plot and elegant style can have a restorative effect. The underlying idea is that dignity, activity and joy are possible — even necessary — at a time when one's physical freedom is constrained.