Gentleman in Moscow~Amor Towles~Winter-Spring Book Club Online~

[bellamarie]

JOIN US AS WE DISCUSS A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW BY AMOR TOWLES.

During February and March, we will be filling cold, gray days by reading A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles in the Senior Learn Book Club.  Our pre-discussion will begin on February 7.  Let's introduce ourselves, and then perhaps talk about what we know of the goings-on in Russia in the early 20th century and our impressions of the Russian people. Those of us who grew up in the 50s and 60s could share how we learned of the Russians and the feelings we had about all of this.  This will also be a place for questions about the discussion, the assigned reading schedule and about each other.  Let's save discussion of the text until February 12 when we begin the actual discussion.

                           Discussion Schedule for A Gentleman in Moscow

February 12     Book 1

February 21.    Book 2

February 28. Let's start on half of Book 3.  In my book that is around 248

March 7. 248 to the end of book 3

March 10 Book 4

March 14 Book 5

March 23 End Discussion

The author's website www.amortowles.com is a wonderful place to get to know the Amor Towles. He has a lot of supplementary information about the book.  There is even a delightful video, which you will want to watch.

Discussion Leader:  MKaren

Yes, I agree, the Count had no money due to the fact he left the hotel in a flurry, only thinking of getting help for Sofia, not even caring about the outcome it could have on his own life.  I like how so many people came to not only Sofia's aide, but to the Count's aide through all of this.  He lacks no friends, that is for certain.  The Count has been living in the Metropol for so many years, that trust amongst certain people, has become second nature.  He had to learn to trust them, in order to ask for their help.  In the early beginning, he trusted his valuable coins with the man who could have very well swindled him.  Nina and her husband were involved in dangerous political activities, she had no choice to leave Sofia with the Count.  She knew him from childhood, stayed in touch with him, knew he was a man of character, she also got to know him in a familia sense throughout her years of scampering around the hotel with him.  She knew he would guard and protect Sofia with his life.

[Jonathan]

Mishka to the Count: 'Who would have imagined, when you were sentenced to life in the Metropol all those years ago, that you had just become the luckiest man in all Russia.' p292

Wasn't it a nightmare for so many Russians. I can't agree that there was tust between people. Denunciation was encouraged. Declare your approval of the revolution by pointing out others who  were 'enemies of the people'.

So Count Rostov is doing very well for himself. And I believe there is an endless supply of goid coins in those table legs. Wasn't that coin in his pocket intended as a 'tip' for the undertaker? Certainly his life has been turned around. The years have passed so quickly. And now he has the company of that delightful child. Could he, in fact, be the real father? He enjoys and delights in the status. We're treated to four pages of looking for the button, and then being told that monthly sessions with Ossip have been going on for eight years, much of it watching movies like Casablanca. Not a word of it while it was happening. But the plot is thickening, in an alarming way.

[BarbStAubrey]

Jonathan your comment "Denunciation was encouraged." reminds me of watching a documentary about the of Murder of Sergei Kirov and how during this time Stalin had an apartment building on the river built just for Party higher ups. It seems the architectures plans showed a back door to the handsome building that was actually a hidden passage under the river to the Kremlin and built into every room was a listening devise - this is in the 1930s before technology was as it is today - seems that Stalin had killed over 600 people using this come-on of a wonderful apartment that folks soon realized something was wrong but did not know what and they turned on each other and suffered such stress some went crazy.

Amazon prime has the documentary series in the movie section that is free for prime members -  Red Chapters: Turning Points in the History of Communism which was produced in 2017

[bellamarie]

Jonathan, 

Could he, in fact, be the real father?

If you are asking rhetorically, or literally, I have to say NO!  Nina and he were like father and daughter, they were like uncle and niece, he met her when she was seven years old.  He saw her from time to time as a teen, but that was when she was with her friends.  Nina left Sofia with him because she knew from his relationship with her as a child, her child would be guarded, protected and loved.  I would be shocked if somewhere in the last pages of the book it would reveal the Count and Nina had any sexual relationship with each other.  He was involved with Anna before Nina was even a teenager.  His character does not even indicate he would take advantage of a young girl like Nina.

I can't agree that there was trust between people. Denunciation was encouraged. Declare your approval of the revolution by pointing out others who  were 'enemies of the people'.

Jonathan, you are seeing it in the time of war where the attitude of strangers are not trustworthy.  I am speaking on a personal level of trust, amongst the Count and his few friends at the hotel.   If there was no trust he would not have left Sofia in the company of Marina, Andrey, Emille and Anna.  When you look at all those willing to come to their aide and help not only him but Sofia, that is trustworthy actions. 

[BarbStAubrey]

Bellamarie have you had a chance to start the next section that starts being discussed... I am having a terrible time today getting started on anything - talk about Spring fever - all the trees and bushes are in bloom - next thing you know bluebonnets will be spreading over the entire state - the other day, I think it was Wednesday I awoke to 47 degrees and it topped out for the day at 67 - not sure what the temp was last night but awoke to 79 and then around 11: it was 82 which the weather is saying is the average for Austin but the thermometer on my patio says 89. It is almost too hot to open all the windows.

I keep looking out thinking something will happen but the town is dead, dead, still, still, quiet - its been years since it has been this quiet - there is not even a whisper of a breeze - it is Spring Break and after what for us was a cruel winter most folks have left town and SXSW has not started yet - I think tomorrow may be opening day - the Rodeo opened but it is clear over the other side of town - I am not even hearing any birds - nothing - as the saying goes, the silence is deafening. I feel like if I move even to turn a page in a book I will start an avalanche of some sort.

I wonder how long it takes for Spring to spread north - I wonder if the change happens along the rivers first or over the plains - well it has started and soon we will all be enjoying Spring blooms.

Since starting this book the concept of isolation has been on the back of my mind - did y'all read how a member of the Black Panther movement was just released from 41 years of Solitary confinement - and here I am reacting to a half day of quiet. I've also been reading for Lent this year a book of eleventh century letters from Saint Bruno who founded the Carthusian order. These monks choose a life of silence. They live in individual cells reading ancient script to keep it alive and praying. Interesting to me is some of the letters praise and others urge on the monks acceptance of this life that St. Bruno says in difficult the first few years but his reminder is their purpose. Their purpose being to strip away all but their love for God and to be open to receiving God.

Regardless how we think of the Carthusian's purpose, I saw how once the Count had a purpose he was no longer contemplating diving off the roof. I do not think getting through something is enough of a purpose and the care of another is an easy one for single older women who have been moms - I guess that would be like any life's work that provides a sense of personal identity, growth and fulfillment. How do you replace that...? Yes, my personal struggle - I cannot keep going with Real Estate that does provide growth and fulfillment as well as, community and a sense of purpose - my body is not keeping up - what to do so as not to feel redundant or more, that gives me a sense of purpose and therefore, an identity...hmmm 

[PatH]

Well, Barb, when you do get to it, Book 4 will have some things to cheer you up, though a bit of sadness too.  It's only 3 years long.  We see Sofia turn into a beautiful, poised young woman and find her life skill.  The party snitch, the Bishop, becomes more obnoxious and ubiquitous.  And there's slapstick too.

[PatH]

Jonathan:

Could he, in fact, be the real father?

Aside from anything else, I don't think he saw Nina during the relevant time.  After a considerable break, he saw her briefly in a public situation with a bunch of fellow enthusiasts, one of whom became her husband.  They trooped off, and the next time he saw her was when she left Sofia with him.

Jonathan:

I can't agree that there was tust between people. Denunciation was encouraged. Declare your approval of the revolution by pointing out others who  were 'enemies of the people'.

Yes, in general you couldn't trust anyone--friends, neighbors, even relatives, might turn you in.  But this small group of employees at the Metropol seems to have formed a close-knit group who are guarding each others' back, and combining to help in any crisis.

[bellamarie]

Barb, Our winter temps seem to want to linger around, and we keep getting snow flurries.  Our temps have been topping in the 30s the past week or so, and the warmest we have seen was a couple of weeks ago when we actually hit the 50s for a day or so.  But... I must tell you the birds are all returning that had left for the winter, so that is a true sign Spring is not far off.  I am waking up to chirping outside my bedroom window, because they always nest in my very tall bush just beside my window.  I would welcome the sound of silence.  I live in a development that is close to a main road so cars, sirens, honking buses, etc., are all around me.  I even hear the train that comes down the tracks a mile or so away.  I love it when I hear the train at night, it reminds me of my childhood home that had railroad tracks across our rural road.  My sisters and I would lay across our bed, with the window open, and wave to the conductor every time the train would go by.  Funny how you can adjust to sounds, and they become comforting rather than annoying.  I can tell Spring fever is beginning to rear it's head in me, because I begin a cleaning spree.  Yep, that's what I do to bring in the new season.  We begin Daylight Savings Time tonight, so it's spring our clocks ahead one hour.  Having it daylight at 8:00 p.m. is going to be fun!  We just purchased a new propane gas tabletop fire pit, which we can't wait to sit outside on cool Spring/Summer nights to enjoy, or make smores with the grandkids when they spend the night. 

I had a very busy day today with going to my nine year old grandson Zak's Wizard of Oz play, then off to my son's church for 5:00 p.m. Mass, where Zak was being presented his religious award he earned in Cub Scouts, that now makes him a Webelo.

I have actually finished Book Four, it is a very short fifty-three pages.  As Pat mentioned, there are some funny parts, and some surprises Sofia has for the Count.  I won't give anything away at this point. 

Pat do we begin discussing Book Four on Monday?

[PatH]

Bellamarie, we officially began discussing Book 4 today.  I was waiting to say more than a tiny bit because no one seemed to have read it.  Dive in any time you want.  The schedule calls for a week, but I don't think we'll need that much.

[BarbStAubrey]

Wow - oh my - in one chapter he includes just about every emotion in one's lifetime - anticipation, celebration, clandestine fellowship, threat of loss, and then a eulogy that is exquisite in its sweetness and draining finality - never mind all the bits with the orchestra leader/piano teacher, the young architect and the mayor - I had to put the book down I was giggling so hard during the bit where they entered the coat closet not realizing what was on the other side...precious.   

And that very last bit - to be so complete within your own skin that anyplace can be home because your real home is within- wow...

[Jonathan]

Barb, if you're thinking of making some changes in your lifestyle, as we all are, why not  a suite at the Metropol? Always something happening. Very comfortable, like Claridges in London, the Ritz in Paris, and that grand hotel in New York. And the calm in the Metropol all those years of revolution. Like the eye of the storm raging all about it in Russia. The count must deserve some of the credit.

It was such a close, loving relationship between the count and Sofia. Between 'Daddy' and 'Daughter'. I felt uncomfortable suggesting anything closer than a fostering, adoring relationship. Nina seems to have foreseen the possibility of scandal by supplying the photo of herself and husband.

 One gets a sense of networking in this new section. The count shares Anna's favors with the Commisar of Culture and the Commisar gets Sofia off the hook about joining an orchestra in Stalingrad, 600 miles from Moscow.

[bellamarie]

Barb, you did a fantastic summation of Book Four in just one sentence.  But there is just too much happening to not give individual mention to such special parts. 

I could imagine watching a play on stage with all six of them crammed into that closet, the cake almost falling to the floor, the juggler catching it just in time and then lo and behold here comes the Bishop and Frinovsky!  I loved how the Count grabs his book, rocks back on the hind legs of his chair as if nothing at all is happening, while the rest are hiding in his secret room beyond the closet.  Oh that was so hilarious! 

It was a very tender moment when Sofia played the piano for the Count, which was suppose to be a surprise for his birthday.  He is now sixty-three years old, he sees this beautiful young lady, his daughter, Sofia playing Chopin, Opus 9, number 2, in E-flat major.  He is astonished with the beauty of the way she plays the piano.

pg 326  "Only one in a thousand__or even a hundred thousand__can bring the music to life as you just have."

pg 327  "Victor Stepanovich calls that the mood.  He says that before you play a note, one must discover an example of the composition's mood hidden away in one's heart.  So for this piece, I think about my mother.  I think of how my few memories of her seem to be fading, and then I begin to play."  The Count was quiet, overwhelmed by another wave of astonishment.  "Does that make sense?"  Sofia asked.  "Abundantly," he said.  Then after a moment of reflection, he added; "As a younger man, I used to feel the same way about my sister.  Every year that passed, it seemed a little more of her had slipped away; and I began to fear that one day I would come to forget her altogether.  But the truth is: No matter how much time passes, those we have loved never slip away from us entirely." 

The Count then goes on to share his memories of Nina with Sofia. 

pg 328  They were quiet for another moment, then Sofia turned and kissed the Count on the cheek.

The threat of Sofia leaving to join the Red October Youth Orchestra after winning the music contest was truly heart gripping.  Luckily Anna comes to the rescue, and this just melted my heart..... pg 367 "And you needn't worry, Papa,"  Sofia continued.  "For no matter who comes knocking at our door, I have no intention of ever leaving the Metropol."

This writing is magnificent!  I know little to nothing about Chopin's Opus 9, number 2, in E-flat major, but I can tell you I know Towles writing this particular chapter has matched the beauty of Chopin's concerto, Sofia has played.

Jonathan, what a marvelous suggestion for Barb to get a suite at the Metropol.  Could you just imagine all of us members reading this book at the Metropol, scurrying around to all the wonderful places Nina, the Count and Sofia has brought to light?   

Well, the sun is shining here in Toledo, Ohio, the birds are chirping and I am getting anxious to go outside to enjoy the promise of a beautiful day, on a lovely lasting memory of Sofia promising the Count she will never leave the Metropol, meaning him.

Ciao for now...

 

[BarbStAubrey]

I prefer the Horowitz version versus Rubinstein

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QS8p5TNzFI

here is Rubinstein

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=192zr438g-k

Both have ads that if you keep clicking on the popup lower right the ads go away as quickly as you click on them

[PatH]

Thanks for finding those, Barb.  It's a lovely thing, isn't it?

It was a Horowitz recording that Sofia learned from.  It sounds like a simple thing, but, as pointed out, it takes real skill and emotion to get it to sound good.

[BarbStAubrey]

Maybe a change in residence but what I am really confounded over is having something that is meaningful where I feel not only useful but there is a sense of community - reading is great, as is the various needle arts, and cooking - I like to garden but all these are solitary activities - with my long time friends all gone and no family living nearby I can too easily isolate and my memories are not too great as companions - and no, I cannot see myself in a retirement home setup much like a bunch of co-eds but then I never lived in an apartment in my life and I am not about to add that constrain to my already challenged life -

We all get to a stage in life where our earlier lifestyle and activities are limited and we need to turn the page just as the Count turned the page after his roof fall versus the bees epiphany. Creating a new community, which takes time, will never replace the community built and lost of 40 to 60 years - families experience their challenges and adventures which we are glad to hear about however, they visit for bursts of time and until the next generation it is not the same as when I was an important part of the grands growing years.

Plus we want our Children and grands to experience as much of life that they can so they too have a purposeful life which today means, as my family, they are in China or Peru or Seattle or Lubbock or Houston or the Carolinas or Newburgh in NY or Ocala or our newest to-be daughter-in-law is in San Antonio with much of her family in Del Rio - no one in outer space yet...  - feels good knowing they are all launched into meaningful and adventurous lives - and the families of my closest friends, who have now all passed, are also scattered far and wide - thank goodness for facebook and email.

Neither here nor there, it is my life I need to make more meaningful - When you know there are not that many years left you'd like, or at least I'd like, to feel I'm about more than simply taking care of myself, surrounded by things I love but with no purpose other than to breath in and out, take care of my home and make gifts - I need more - something along the lines of a new career where I do not have to drive all over the surrounding 3 counties or walk up and down maple, walnut, carpeted or painted stairs or slosh through wet construction sites in Winter or trip over dried cow patties in the Summer or for that matter be on my feet for more than 15 minutes at a time. 

Just narrowing down what I miss and need took lots of time and now I am looking how others make their life changes and how the changes affect them - as we read, I see the Metropol as an analogy for the interior life within the Count - elegant, sophisticated, surrounded by beauty from the past, with many rooms devoted to many interests and some hidden aspects of the Count that gradually come to light in the story.

I would have to have a large greenhouse as part of my analogical existence since I cannot stop growing and planting new ideas to pursue - plus being close to the outdoors is a must with lots of hiking adventures in my memory - the latest seed growing among others is how to create a life when so much is no longer as it was - it is like being a refuge at 85 who left her home country and all her friends because even the town I live in has few landmarks as it experiences enormous changes. 

I often think of my grandmother - she was born in 1878 and saw huge change from having a hitching post in front of their house, her father a fireman with horse drawn carts filled with hoses and tanks of water, to cars, electric trolleys, eighteen wheeler's, planes, jets, space rockets - from the piano in the parlor and an accordion in the corner to a radio to the TV and she caught the first of the computers before she passed at 100 and her mother before had immigrated in 1859 on a Sailing ship from Bavaria all by herself at age 16 and she built a full life. As the old saying, something about you are never given a challenge unless you can handle it - so handle it I will.   

[PatH]

Barb, you sure have been hit with a lot of stuff quickly.  Losing your best friends, finding your work too physically challenging, plus hurricane and flooding for a final touch.  Whenever I've felt stymied by life, a way out has opened, and I think it will for you too.  Feeling useful is the hard one, but you will find something.  Come to think of it, I don't know that I'm particularly useful to the world, but somehow I feel comfortable with myself.  Good luck in your quest.

[PatH]

Book 4 ends with the poignant scene in which the Count learns of Mishka's death.   Mishka inspired affection.  Even Katerina, who had left him long ago, came back to be with him at the end.  And there's an elegant, ironical twist.  We learn that the Count didn't even write the poem that made him a hero--Mishka did.  The Count pretended to be the author because Mishka, as a political activist, would have been executed for it.  Later this saved the Count's life too--as a hero he was kept in house arrest instead of being shot.

[bellamarie]

Barb, when I retired unexpectedly two years ago this April, I was worried about what I personally was going to do that would give me purpose in life.  I still have small and teenage grandchildren playing sports, so I knew they were going to keep me very busy, but personally I wanted something I could call "my own."  I began volunteer work with a non profit Pro Life organization called Heartbeat of Toledo, and met many wonderful co volunteers, not to mention the wonderful pregnant Moms I met and was educating with our classes. Other cities have a Hearbeat organization as well, you mind check into.  I also went back to teaching CCD religion classes, nothing brings me more joy than teaching and children.  You could look into things nearby that you could become active in as a volunteer.  I know when I am helping or teaching others, I leave with the biggest smile on my face, and joy in my heart.  I also began visiting my nearby libraries.  You love reading so maybe it's possible your library could use a part time worker or volunteer.  If you have any hospitals nearby there may be a volunteer program where you can go and hold/rock infant babies.  I know there are programs that ask for knitted newborn baby caps to be donated.  Have you ever considered moving closer to your family members?  Like Pat pointed out, you have had a lot of changes and things happening to you in the past couple of years, and now retirement to add to it.  Give yourself a little while to digest this and see what the new path God has for you.  I always like to remind myself of the saying by Woodrow Kroll, “When God closes a door, He always opens a window.” 

This past Thursday our County Commissioner and Council members held a public meeting for our District 6 to come and voice our concerns about the new proposed jail site they have chosen in our District.  We have formed a very large group in opposition of this new jail.  After listening to all those who chose to speak, I approached the Commissioner and pressed him for answers as to why this site seems so important to build on, versus keeping the jail downtown.  My hubby, neighbor and many others including myself left that night feeling very defeated, discouraged and concerned, because they seem hell bent on this site.  We will regroup and fight this til the bitter end, but it is still causing my hubby and I much worry.  I had a horrible dream last night about moving to a different place that I was not at all happy with.  I woke up with a headache which I never get.  I love my home, area and church community.  I don't think we could find as nice a home somewhere else, for the price we pay in our house payment now.  So, I am sharing some of your "What do I do next?" worries.  As a faith filled person, I pray and must have faith God will show me what is next for us.  It's the time in between I need to learn to be more patient and calm with.  We need to friend each other on Facebook so we can keep in touch.  https://www.facebook.com/marie.patterfritzreinhart  add me if you like.

Pat, I agree, I don't think it will take the full week to discuss Book Four. I certainly do not want to rush anyone, and I personally am going to be very sad to see this book come to an end, just let us know when you want us to begin reading Book Five.  We were posting at the same time, I will add my comments tomorrow when I can take a little more time to ponder on my thoughts as to the ending of Book Four. Towles hit us with a lot to digest in this Book Four, and especially those last pages. I am still savoring the beautiful Chopin, friendships, laughter, and the Count's undying devoted love to his beautiful, doting, talented daughter Sofia.

Jonathan, I so hope our author gives us some closure where Nina and Leo are concerned.  It would seem a shame to leave us wondering, not to mention I feel Sofia and the Count deserve to know what became of them.  I am assuming they are both dead, because that can be the only explanation a mother would leave her child for this length of time, regardless if she knew she was in good care with the Count.  Not to mention no letters of any kind.  Loving your husband and having a passion for a political cause is one thing, but putting it above the love of your child seems so out of character for Nina.  Or maybe I am just seeing something I want to see.

[BarbStAubrey]

Oh my thanks for all your concerns - yes, I do add up all my issues and what I hope to keep - and I do think outloud, writing it out as if a Journal - however, I also think I may not be alone looking for large sturdy flat rocks to hop onto as we cross the streams of change that come swiftly with age.

And yes, agree, please - just a few days on Book Four will be perfect - I can see us starting Book 5 on Wednesday.  I must say I just do not remember reading in recent years an author who writes so beautifully - For me the last was Eowyn Ivey the author of The Snow Child and even she could not compare to Amor Towles - the writing in Book Four is especially exquisite

Found this lovely site and what surprised me at the bottom is a list of links for school teachers who teach Russian lit - had no idea it was even possible to read Russian Lit in school - I cannot remember any of my grands or my children being exposed to Russian Literature - I am trying to remember what it was we read in 6th or 7th grade because that was when I learned about White versus Red Russians. I can see in my minds eye a nun, not particularly which nun, by the side blackboard, saying how we supported the White Russians - however, by the time my children were of similar age, we were experiencing the Soviet Scare and so I can see why they did not study Russian Lit in school.

I remember when they were quite young - 3rd and 4th grade - I thought it was important they saw the movie Dr. Zhivago - The book had come out about the time when my youngest was born - I remember a friend reading it who had kept my older two, who were ages 5 and 6 when Paul was born - I remember this was the first book that showed something we hoped and doubted still existed in Russia other than the awful experiences we were hearing in the news about the Soviets, their gulags and bombs. Now we just see it as a romantic movie where as then, it was an important statement. Change...

Well here we are now reading Russian authors in school again... https://americanliterature.com/russian-writers

[Jonathan]

Book Four is a marvellous piece of writing. The first half dozen pages are worth the price of the book. The gentleman's reflections on life begin the chapter and his brooding thought end it. And who can believe it? Along the way the gentleman loses his cool.

What a loving relationship between Sofia and the count:

'My guardian angel, my father, my friend.'

'Sofia, that extraordinary blessing.'

Her mother is a revolutionary. Her father is a Gentleman Nina did the best thing for her child, didn't she? The questions you ask, Bellamarie, are so meaningful. The seperation was only meant as a temporary thing. We'll never know what happened to Nina after that. But she was one of many who disappeard in revolutionary Russia. And bringing it up, you remind us of the similiar problem in Casablanca: choosing duty over love.

Remembering mother was so meaningful in Sofia's life.

[PatH]

Jonathan:

The seperation was only meant as a temporary thing. We'll never know what happened to Nina after that. But she was one of many who disappeard in revolutionary Russia.

Glad you said that, Jonathan; somewhere there is a footnote saying that, but I couldn't find it this morning to quote it.

[BarbStAubrey]

hahaha well I am house bound - talk about getting into script - my vehicle needs major motor work that is going to take them till Thursday or Friday - thank goodness no appointments and I may just use, for the first time this Amazon/Whole Foods delivery - my home is not the Metropol but comfortable enough and I can get out of doors and I have a great view of the sunrise and the children are on Spring Break so I have the acres of school grounds to explore - not bad

Ok so the Count has invested his emotions in Sophia, in his Triumvirate buddies, Anna his love, and various friends in the Metropol including some visiting dignitaries - I am ready for the next shoe to drop - whom does he loose to match his original losses that started this story bringing full circle the ending with his first loss, his dearest oldest friend Mishka.  Something tells me to parallel Helen, his sister something is foreboding about what happens with Sophia - then who else - does he stand alone again? I am anxious to read the Fifth and final book on the life of the Count in Moscow. There is decent TV on PBS tonight but tomorrow for sure I will be starting the final book - what about it Pat do you think we can talk about the final Book starting on Wednesday?

[PatH]

Yes, I do, Barb.  Everyone is ready.  There are more things that could be said, but we can take as long as we like afterward for fill-in and loose ends.  These last two sections are really fast reading.

Tomorrow the tree men will come to see whether the remaining standing but damaged trees need to be taken down promptly or aren't a hazard.  If the verdict permits my trip, I'll fly to Portland Friday, so will be mostly out of contact, then will be posting from my phone, which is pesky.  but things should work OK.

[bellamarie]

Jonathan, 

We'll never know what happened to Nina after that.

I hope this isn't so, but I guess you bring up an excellent point, there were many who disappeared in the Revolutionary Russia, and no closure for their families as well.

Barb, When it rains it pours on you!!!  I am glad to see you laughing in spite of crying in your situation.  My daughter in laws use the Kroger delivery and they love it.  I told my hubby I wouldn't mind it, but he loves going to the store at least twice a week just to get out.  Since his retirement he needs human contact, after being a mailman all those years seeing and talking with patrons on his route every day.

Pat, Yes, I am ready to move on to Book Five tomorrow.  I may post a few comments on Book Four in the morning before I begin reading the last and final book.  I hope things work out for you with your trees, and please be safe traveling to Portland. 

I spent my entire day gone today having our monthly luncheon with my group of high school classmates.  We ladies sure do cackle and laugh a lot, the best medicine in life.  We graduated in 1970, and are planning our 50th class reunion for 2020.  I am amazed how many were at our 45th.  I then went to visit my brother in law who is not only recuperating for pancreatic cancer surgery, but also a broken hip that happened once he finally was able to come home.  He is pretty amazing, in great spirits and getting stronger every day.  I am pooped, and ready to snuggle in with my Shih Tzu Sammy for the night.

[PatH]

Let's not actually say anything about Book 5 until Wednesday.  There are some twists and turns, and this way those who are still reading 5 can come in today to make any further comments on earlier stuff without fear of spoilers.

[PatH]

Jonathan:

We'll never know what happened to Nina after that.

I found the quote I was looking for, p. 271, lmost at the end of the chapter "Ascending, Alighting".

"The count was presumably right to be concerned for Nina, though we will never know for certain--for she did not return to the Metropol within the month, within the year, or ever again.  In October, the Count made some effort to discover her whereabouts, all of them fruitless.  One assumes that Nina made her own efforts to communicate with the Count, but no word was forthcoming, and Nina Kulikova simply disappeared into the vastness of the Russian East."

It seems unlikely we'll hear anything more.

[Jonathan]

Spoiler: The Count is no longer needed. Everyone knows their place at the table in this brave new world.

[bellamarie]

Pat, thank you for finding that.  I knew I read this, but I left out hope that before the end of the book, Nina would either return, or we would have a conclusive answer to what happened to her and Leo.  On that same page I noticed that Anna intervened and kept the authorities away from Sofia as far back as when she first came to the Count, and here now that she is a teen being requested to leave the Count to play in the orchestra, it is Anna who again prevents them from separating.

pg 271  It just so happened, however, that a cursory examination of this Former Person's recent associates led to a certain willowy actress__who for years had been the reputed paramour of a round-faced Commisar recently appointed to the Politburo.  Within the walls of a small, drab office in an especially bureaucratic branch of government, it is generally difficult to accurately imagine the world outside.  But it is never hard to imagine what might occur to one's career were one to seize the illegitimate daughter of a Politburo member and place her in a home.  Such initiative would be rewarded with a blindfold and a cigarette. 

Jonathan, Oh dear!  I have not gotten a chance to begin Book Five, and we are not to begin discussing it til Wed., so I am not going to try to imagine what your Spoiler intends for the Count.  I pray it is not heartbreak.

On pg 322 I can see the Count talking with Vasily about how he can feel the independence of Sofia, and how his little girl is slipping away from him.  This is so tender a conversation:

"When you reach our age, Vasily, it all goes by so quickly.  Whole seasons seem to pass withiout leaving the slightest mark on our memory."  "How true..," agreed the concierge (as he sorted through an allotment of tickets).  "But surely, there is a comfort to be taken from that," continued the Count.  "For even as the weeks begin racing by in a blur for us, they are making the greatest of impressions upon our children.  When one turns seventeen and begins to experience that first period of real independence, on'e senses are so alert, one's sentiments so finely attuned that every conversation, every look, every laugh may be writ indelibly upon one's memory.  And the friends that one happens to make in those impressionable years?  One will meet them forever after with a welling of affection." 

Having expressed this paradox, the Count happened to look across the lobby, where Grisha was lugging the luggage of one guest toward the front desk as Genya lugged the luggage of another toward the door.  "Perhaps it is a matter of celestial balance," he reflected.  "A sort of cosmic equilibrium.  Perhaps the aggregate experience of Time is a constant and thus for our children to establish such vivid impression of this particular June, we must relinquish our claims upon it." 

"So that they might remember, we must forget," Vasily summed up.  "Exactly!" said the Count.  "So that they remember, we must forget.  But should we take umbrage at the fact?  Should we feel short-changed by the notion that their experiences for the moment may be richer than ours?  I think not.  For it is hardly our purpose at this late stage to log a new portfolio of lasting memories.  Rather, we should be dedicating ourselves to ensuring that they taste freely of experience.  And we must do so without trepidation.  Rather than tucking in blankets and buttoning up coats, we must have faith in them to tuck and button on their own.  And if they fumble with their newfound liberty, we must remain composed, generous, judicious.  We must encourage them to venture out from under our watchful gaze, and then sigh with pride when they pass at last through the revolving doors of life . . . . ."

No truer words were ever spoken.  He knows his Sofia will leave him one day, just as Nina had to, that is what life is all about. He would never deny her of the chance to live hers freely. Yes, just like Rick would never deny Ilsa the chance to leave Casablanca, to live her life in America, even though he loved her dearly.  Oh gosh, why do I feel like these last pages of the book are going to be heart wrenching?

One of my all time favorite songs in Mama Mia, Slipping Through My Fingers, when  Donna (Meryl Streep), realizes her little girl Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), is grown up and is about to become a bride.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi7OXmTmgGg

[bellamarie]

Before leaving Book Four I wanted to mention this at the end of the book.

Not really sure exactly what all the "BREAD" entries were to represent, but as a Christian faith filled person, I know that Jesus taught us He was the Bread of Life, and that through him you would have eternal life.  Did Mishka believe this?

Mishka's project in a nutshell: a compendium of quotations from seminal texts arranged in chronological order, but in each of which the word bread had been capitalized and printed in bold.  Beginning with the Bible, the citations proceeded right through the works of the Greeks and Romans onto the like of Shakespeare, Milton and Goethe.  But particular tribute was paid to the golden age of Russian literature.

Papa, when they put dirt on my grave, crumble a crust of BREAD on it so the sparrows will come, and I'll hear that they've come and be glad that I'm not lying alone.

Upon reading this, Alexander Rostov finally broke down and wept.  Certainly, he wept for his friend, that generous yet temperamental soul who only briefly found his moment in time__and who, like this forlorn child, was disinclined to condemn the world for all its injustices.

But of course, the Count also wept for himself.  For despite his friendships with Marina and Andrey and Emile, despite his love for Anna, despite Sofia__that extraordinary blessing that had struck him from the blue__when Mikhail Fyodotrovich Mindich died, there went the last of those who had known him as a younger man.  Though as Katerina had so rightfully observed, at least he remained to remember.

One last thing, we learn the Count tells Katerina that Mishka is the author of the Poem Where Is It Now?, written in 1913. 

"What with the revolt of 1905 and the repressions that followed, when we graduated it was still a dangerous time for writing poems of political impatience.  Given Mishka's background, the Okhrana would have swept him up with a broom.  So one night__after polishing off a particularly good bottle of Margaux__we decided to publish the poem under my name."  "But why yours?"  "What were they goingt to do to Count Alexndar Rostove__member of the Jockey Club and godson of a counselour to the Tsar?"  The Count shook his head.  "The irony, of course, is that the life which ended up being saved was mine, not his.  But for that poem, they would have shot me back in 1922."

The irony I see.....the poem about a man's lost purpose in life, in fact, gave a man the opportunity of finding his purpose in life.

[BarbStAubrey]

Along the thinking of your observation Bellamarie I like this quote...

“I’ll tell you what is convenient,” he said after a moment. “To sleep until noon and have someone bring you your breakfast on a tray. To cancel an appointment at the very last minute. To keep a carriage waiting at the door of one party, so that on a moment’s notice it can whisk you away to another. To sidestep marriage in your youth and put off having children altogether. These are the greatest of conveniences, Anushka—and at one time, I had them all. But in the end, it has been the inconveniences that have mattered to me most.”

[PatH]

Nice analyses, Barb and Bellamarie.

[PatH]

Towles says that the tempo of the book is diamond-shaped (playing card diamond, not jewelry diamond).  At the beginning, the events happen very close together.  The gaps get longer and longer, then, in the middle, we speed up, slowly at first, then faster and faster.  Book 5 is definitely in the speeding up phase, getting more and more intense.

[bellamarie]

Finished Book Five last night.  Once you begin reading it, you can't stop till the end.  I can see why it was important to pay attention to each person the Count came in contact with at the Metropol, because each of them played a part in his grand plan to escape.  If I had not watched the movie Casablanca, I would never have appreciated this story as much as I did.  Thank you Jonathan for suggesting early on to watch it. 

Yes, Pat, the diamond in the end does speed up so fast that I could barely keep up with who was doing what to help, and who was who.  Like I said earlier, "trust" was there.  The Count put the life of Sofia and himself in the hands of so many people, and without the trust, he would never have done this.  So, I take away from the escape of Sofia and the Count in a time of war, change and danger, that the human instinct will always and remain to trust in the common good of others.

Unlike Rick in Casablanca, the Count leaves, and ends up with the willowy woman.  Are we to assume they joined Sofia at some point in time?

[Jonathan]

Sofia is left to find a life of her own. The little girl who drops out of the tree and into the arms of the Gentleman needs a Daddy and the Willow will, no doubt, continue to turn her back on him. What a happy ending.

[BarbStAubrey]

With the last sentence all I could do was utter ahhhh and slowly put down my book - I do not even want to talk about it - I need it to wash over me - the story without the anxious feelings as my head raced ahead with all the what if...

[PatH]

Barb, I had a similar reaction--a little stunned from all the excitement.

Bellamarie:

Unlike Rick in Casablanca, the Count leaves, and ends up with the willowy woman.  Are we to assume they joined Sofia at some point in time?

Jonathan:

Sofia is left to find a life of her own. The little girl who drops out of the tree and into the arms of the Gentleman needs a Daddy and the Willow will, no doubt, continue to turn her back on him.

Amor Towles, in some questions on his website:

Why does he choose to remain behind?

What will happen to the Count? Will he follow Sofia?  Will he stay in Russia and hope not to be caught?  Either way, what are his chances?

[bellamarie]

I have to say I am a bit sad to see this book come to an end. 

Barb, I felt the same way. I had to let it sink in. 

Jonathan, I think the last sentence led me to feel the willowy woman (Anna) and the Count will spend the rest of their days together. She has always returned to the Count, and been there for Sofia in the most crucial times.  I can see the three of them reuniting.

"And there in the corner, at a table for two, her hair tinged with gray, the willowy woman waited."

Rick chooses to remain in Russia because you can hide best among the obvious places.  He led them to believe he was in Helsinki.  He loves his Russia, and although he has traveled the world, Russia is his home. 

Keep in mind, now that Mishka is dead, it would harm no one for the true author of the poem to be revealed, freeing the Count of any prior charges.

The little boy and girl the Count sees at the tree, for me was a semblance of his childhood of him and Helena, the burnt home, and the apple orchard in ruins is a semblance that nothing stays the same. 

We have our memories, just as the Count held on to his to help him through his years at the Metropol, but can we ever go back home again after becoming an adult, and being away for over a century?  My sister lives on my homestead today, in our small town of Monroe, Michigan where I grew up.  After my mother passed away in 1990, our family home burnt to the ground.  I went there to see the ruins, and in the driveway lay a page from a Bible, it was from the book of Job.  It was one lonely page with burnt edges from the fire...... I picked it up, brought it home and still have it in my box of memories.

[bellamarie]

Ooops.... I meant to say the Count chooses to remain in Russia.  Rick from Casablanca also chose to remain in the place he knew and loved.

[BarbStAubrey]

My thinking is that there is no one in the Village who has anything to gain by reporting him or if they even know he is on the lamb and so I see the Count and Anna living their years in quiet seclusion - as to corresponding with Sophia - that could give the authorities a lead - after seeing the games he maneuvered to set Sophia and himself free I am sure he has something cooked so they hear, maybe not regularly but they will all keep in touch.

Also the Warsaw Pact was signed in 1955 which was the softening of the Soviet Union as compared to the days of Stalin. I think they had a new game of cat and mouse to play during the Cold War to be bothered with left over aging Russian nobility. Except that Zhivago has a heart attack and dies, he was wearing a black suit and appeared to be one of the many, no longer under house arrest or even living in the rooms of his old home that was broken into many single room apartments.

I wonder how any of us would feel to have others living in our home while we are relegated to one room - it is easy I think to say it made sense till you think if it were our home today. hmmm

This is the first time I can remember since a few books back when I was in my teens and early twenties that I immediately want to read the book again from cover to cover.  This time I will know what to expect and so I can take it all in and see how the pieces fit and relish in the writing - nothing on PBS this week because of pledge time and so this will be perfect. I still feel so full I can hardly focus or even go over in my head the events - the lead up to that last sentence was so perfect. I think once I start reading again I may not read in order and then I may have more to say about Book 5.

One thing i must share, that I smiled reading was how when questioned why the Count did not shoot the Bishop and the answer was because he was not an aristocrat. Don't you love it - the rules of a gentleman of 'old Russia'

[bellamarie]

Yes, Barb that little bit of comedy added into the chaos, of the Count’s escape.  Shooting Stalin’s portrait was also a bit comical.