Aug 25, 2011 still, towles gets the emotional heft of things right. From the new york timesbestselling author of a gentleman in moscow, a sharply stylish boston globe book for mom on mothers day about a young woman in postdepression era new york who suddenly finds herself thrust into high societynow with over one million readers worldwide on the last night of 1937, twentyfiveyearold katey kontent is in a. But dicky sees some nobility in tinkers aspiration to follow washingtons rules. Partway through rules of civility, the novels autodidact protagonist goes to work for a book publisher that is conservatively described by its celebrated fiction editor as.
Armed with little more than a formidable intellect, a bracing wit, and her own brand of cool nerve, katey embarks on a journey from a wall street secretarial pool through the upper echelons of new york society in search of a brighter future. Amor towles bestselling debut novel is a flawless period piece that also feels bracingly modern. His second novel, a gentleman in moscow, published in 2016, was also a. Discussion questions questions developed by the author. But because i get new books from the library we have less and less room for new books on our bookshelves, it means i cant always get hold of. Manhattan in the 1930s with all its charm, sophistication and jazzage dynamics is the highlight of this book. Maine foods including lobster bisque, irish soda bread because the family was irish catholic and for dessert, rice pudding with maine blueberries. How does rules of civility compare to a gentleman in. When youre starting a book club it helps to set some ground rules to help ensure that all of your attendees feel welcome and want to return. Are dicky vanderwhile, wallace wolcott, bitsy, peaches, hank and anne grandyn as essential to kateys story as tinker and eve. June 27, 2012 amor towles debuts with a crisp, 1930s manhattan love story, while george pelecanos and sapphire return with. Its 1938 as the story opens, and katey has just about had it with the narrow options facing a young woman in depressionera manhattan. Commentary on the role of walker evanss photography in the book is included here.
Seduce with food a juicy threecheese lasagna can help the discussion of the driest novel. From the new york timesbestselling author of a gentleman in moscow, a sharply stylish boston globe book for mom on mothers day about a young woman in postdepression era new york who suddenly finds herself thrust into high societynow with over one million readers worldwide. Are dicky vanderwhile, wallace wolcott, bitsy, peaches, hank, and anne grandyn as essential to kateys story as tinker and. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. Discussion questions for rules of civility by amor. A sort of how to win friends and influence people 150 years ahead of its time.
Having established rules can be especially important if you are starting a book club thats open to the general public. Some books i will skim but this one every line is worth reading. I waited until four days ago to start the book, and while i finished it with time to spare yesterday, just after lunch i wont do that again. These stories were available for awhile as an ebook. Jul 09, 2018 rules of civility 2011 is set over one year in america in 1938, during the great depression and after the 1937 recession. The mandelbaum gate by muriel spark overdue book club of huntsville, alabama. We are around the same age as the main character, katey. Commentary on the role of jazz in the book is included here. On the last night of 1937, poor 25yearold katherine katey kontent, and her friend eve ross, meet rich theodore tinker grey, a handsome banker, at the hotspot jazz club. If you are interested, there is additional content regarding rules of civility at including brief essays. In towless first novel, rules of civility, his clever heroine, who grew up in brooklyn as katya, restyles herself in 1930s manhattan as. His second novel, a gentleman in moscow, published in 2016, was also a new york.
Rules of civility by amor towles caused a stir last year on account of the sizeable advance paid by the british publisher for this first novel. Rules of civility is the authors first book, and although it is superbly written, his third book, a gentleman in moscow 2016, is the one worthy of 5 stars. How does rules of civility compare to a gentleman in moscow. I may or may not have skipped out on another meeting to come to this book club. See more ideas about book club food, food and book club books. It tells the story of kate, a wise and wellread working girl, who suddenly finds herself maneuvering through the sparkling upper echelons of high society. If you want shopping at bendels, gin martinis at a debutantes mansion and jazz bands playing until 3am, rules of civility has it all and more. Set in new york city in 1938, rules of civility tells the story of a watershed year in the life of an uncompromising twentyfiveyearold named katey kontent. Rules of civility amor towles, 2011 penguin group usa 352 pp. Apr 1, 20 our book for this month is amor towles novel rules of civility.
Katey kontent narrates her own journey through the year 1938, from the future perspective of 1966, after she runs upon photographs of a man named tinker grey. Rules of civility by amor towles book club discussion. This 52page guide for rules of civility by amor towles includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 26 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. His first novel, rules of civility, published in 2011, was a new york times bestseller and was named by the wall street journal as one of the best books of 2011. Sometimes, im overly excited to talk to my book club about a book i liked and that was the case with rules of civility. The civility of his books title is very often a puton. With beautifully realized characters and a razorsharp plot, towles captures the jazzera fizz of. But dicky sees some nobility in tinkers aspiration to washingtons rules. About rules of civility from the new york times bestselling author of a gentleman in moscow, a sharply stylish boston globe book for mom on mothers day about a young woman in postdepression era new york who suddenly finds herself thrust into high societynow with over one million readers worldwide.
Armed with little more than a formidable intellect, a bracing wit, and her own brand of cool nerve, katey embarks on a. Rules of civility 2011 is set over one year in america in 1938, during the great depression and after the 1937 recession. After rules of civility was published, i wrote a series of six interlinked short stories called eve in hollywood, which follow her to tinseltown in 1938. Jaffes book is about the life of office girls in a 1950s publishing house. These little nuggets are katys own rules of civility and they made the book worth reading. Born and raised in the boston area, amor towles graduated from yale college and received an ma in english from stanford university. Partway through rules of civility, the novels autodidact protagonist goes to work for a book publisher that is conservatively described by its celebrated fiction editor as being decades behind. Amor towles recreates the beautiful atmosphere of this era and fills the pages with people and events that take you back to this time of witty conversation, lavish parties and soaring ambitions. If you want something original that doesnt borrow at all from breakfast at tiffanys, the great gatsby or even boardwalk empire, you might be a little disappointed. After a few weeks of preparation, i started rules of civility on january 1, 2006 and wrapped it up 365 days later. Discussion questions for rules of civility are listed. This is a coming of age tale for people in their twenties, as it explores aspirations. Below are some answers to commonly asked questions about rules of civility.
Aug 31, 2011 rules of civility takes its name from the famous guide to decorum that george washington copied down as a young man, which tinker keeps with him. Nov 09, 2012 so i was worried as i picked rules of civility as our instore book club selection for november, worried that it would be too derivative of other novels and period films. Rules of civility takes its name from the famous guide to decorum that george washington copied down as a young man, which tinker keeps with him. At the outset, rules of civility appears to be about the interrelationship between katey, tinker, and eve. What follows are some questions for discussion that might have surfaced in my reading group.
Are dicky vanderwhile, wallace wolcott, bitsy, peaches, hank, and anne grandyn as essential to kateys story as tinker and eve. Israeli salad and a middle eastern rice dish the martian by andy weir. After seeing tinker at chinoisserie, katey indicts george washingtons rules of civility as a doit yourself charm school. Jun 18, 2019 3 responses to asparagus gratin from rules of civility novel food no. The cocktail party november 27, 20 14 comments in etiquette, savoir vivre by jay sennett the ability to entertain is a powerful skill that once mastered, gives a gentleman many hours of joyous reflection and boundless amounts of goodwill from others. Closed kitchen eggs are an easy way to make the most delicious eggs. Heck, its clearly inspired a bit by the great gatsby, and how could you measure up to that. Reference in the rules of civility and brought to life for the egg lover to enjoy. So, if youve come this far, i owe you my heartfelt thanks. Reading guide five years ago, three friends and i set out to read some of the great books or those works of literature which would merit rereading several times over the course of our lives. Rules of civility is a beautifully written novel set in postdepression new york city. Asparagus gratin from rules of civility novel food no.
The 110th rule turns out to be the most important in towles new york. Food for thought book club in annville, pennsylvania. Did you find her relatable even though her story takes place 75 years ago. Asparagus gratin from rules of civility the subway train gets under way.
But those little tidbits are not the bulk of this quite plotty pacey novel, which is a this book was strange for me, at points, it was a 5, at other points a 1. In amor towless witty and slyly brutal debut novel, rules of civility, the protagonist is one katey kontent. The book was designed with 26 chapters, because there are 52 weeks in the year and i allotted myself two weeks to draft, revise and bank each chapter. Climbing the manhattan social ladder in rules of civility.
True civility is stiff and prim traits nowhere in evidence in a splashy, dishy novel like rules of civility. Aug 02, 2011 refined manhattan shines with glamorous civility filled with snappy dialogue and sharp observations, amor towles elegant debut novel transports readers back to new york city circa 1938. I find it difficult to start another book as it will be a hard act to follow. Armed with little more than a formidable intellect, a bracing wit, and her own brand of cool nerve, katey embarks on a journey from a wall street secretarial pool. Set in new york city in 1938, rules of civility tells the story of a watershed year in the life of an uncompromising twentyfiveyear old named katey kontent. Also, keep mortie out of it your cousin mortie from montana may be in town for the week, but that doesnt mean he should come with you to book club. Refined manhattan shines with glamorous civility filled with snappy dialogue and sharp observations, amor towles elegant debut novel transports readers back to. The novel examines how, by changing your attitudes, behaviors, and manners, you can reinvent yourself, and how katey, tinker, and eve all did this in 1938. This novel is less riveting, with a more circumspect plotline, but no less beautiful and poetic in its writing. So i was worried as i picked rules of civility as our instore book club selection for november, worried that it would be too derivative of other novels and period films. Some of the rules may seem like common sense but making sure everyone is on the same page helps avoid unnecessary conflict.
With its sparkling depiction of new yorks social strata, its intricate imagery and themes, and its immensely appealing characters, rules of civility won the hearts of readers and critics alike. The cocktail party november 27, 20 14 comments in etiquette, savoir vivre by jay sennett the ability to entertain is a powerful skill that once mastered, gives a gentleman many hours of joyous reflection and boundless amounts of. Here are some basic questions to get a book club discussion going i mean, lets try not to gossip the whole time. Aug 14, 2011 in towless first novel, rules of civility, his clever heroine, who grew up in brooklyn as katya, restyles herself in 1930s manhattan as the more clubbable katey, aspiring to.
Our book for this month is amor towles novel rules of civility. At the outset, rules of civility appears to be about the interrelationship between katey, tinker and eve. I felt rushed, and didnt take the time to enjoy the dialogue, which was really quite good. Rules of civility by amor towles great pick for 2020. Discussion questions for rules of civility by amor towles our book for this month is amor towles novel rules of civility. Rules of civility follows a young woman climbing the ranks of new york society as the city and its residents recover from the great depression. Hear why rules of civility is our book of the summer. And under the influence of the cradlelike rocking of the train, your mind begins to wander aimlessly.
1241 533 1483 1476 339 717 1292 613 898 768 590 302 448 1237 1040 1511 1025 1100 846 572 575 1044 659 1283 239 1162 1377 320 801 512 1517 389 614 1557 961 997 1243 1182 909 633 773 1087 655 51 916 622 262 767 400 377 1252