Théo d'Or ’s Reviews > A Gentleman in Moscow > Status Update

Bonjour, Théo !
Bonne lecture !

I learned a lot from A Gentleman in Moscow about timeless etiquette. The Count shows me that true courtesy is expressed through respect, kindness, and dignity in every situation, and that genuine courtesy means respecting everyone equally, no matter their status.

Merci.

You're so right, Celeste. Taste, in literature like altitude, changes the view.
Some prefer the beauty of the valley, others - the thin air of the summit.... Both are landscapes of the mind. But it worth noting -
the summit rarely complains about the valley,
while the valley often insists the summit is overrated....Perhaps it's easier to appreciate what one hasn't climbed. Yet....

...and thank you for recommend me this book, Celeste. It is , so far, a quite delight of the mind.
You know that I can appreciate a book from the very first chapters, the book " talk " to me.

Bonjour !

I absolutely adore this book and the author’s writing. Celeste and I learned so much—not only about Russia’s history, but also about etiquette. We realized that true etiquette is not measured by endless thank yous; sometimes the most genuine gesture is simply a smile.

Enjoy, Théo!

So beautifully said, Maria ..
I think we forget, sometimes, that kindness doesn't always need a script. It just needs to be felt. And when it is, even silence can speak volumes...We spend so much time learning how to be polite, but maybe the real art is learning how to be kind. Paradoxically, is not quite the same thing.
And, after all, true étiquette doesn't need to be taught..It just flows from a place of care..

Thank you, Maria. I really enjoy !

Merci, Théo !

You are a gentleman in Paris. :)

Just finished Eve in Hollywood—Towles’s dialogues are extraordinary. I think I shared a few with you!

Oh, thank you for your boundless generosity, Maria.. I wish I were...If that looks so, maybe is just because I try to listen more than I speak..Or because I believe small gestures matter.. I'm just me, flawed, learning from what I read.. And as you said, it seems I have to learn à lot from Towles. As I learned from Hemingway too, as dialogues, maybe sometimes too short ones, but deep in meaning. Each one with his own style..And at the end, as a result, I can improve my own style :))

Oops, I’m not receiving notifications. I hope you enjoy it—I absolutely loved it. And when I first read it, I never imagined I would also end up living in a hotel… not the Metropol in Moscow, but one here in Porto, Portugal.

De rien, Théo.

Notifications are like seagulls. You never know when they will come, but even so, you know they will. One day...

Coïncidences are every time. But it is up to us to interpret it...Who would have think that two emblematic rebels will end in a car accident ...

Merci, Théo.

I’m new here on Goodreads, and Celeste says you write extraordinary dialogues. I’ll find out if she’s right… though I have a feeling she is. :))

I tell you a secret - she always is :))) She taught me many things, along the time.. In life, there is always something to learn.
Books offer a huge opportunity in this regard. Julian Barnes was firstly an avid reader, before being a great writer...

Dean in 1955, Camus in 1960. Just think—we hadn’t even been born, and yet we always speak of them, Théo.

Yes.... I think not everyone agreed with them, along the time. And, speaking of that, we too didn't agree on some topics, sometimes, but that's the charm of debates, having a free speech. Agreeing with someone all time, betraying your own beliefs , just for the sake of being polite, don't you think it could lead to hyoocrisy ?

Btw, I wouldn't be surprised to find a review where the reviewer mistakes Dostoevsky's Idiot for Dostoevsky himself - followed by a chorus of commenters nodding in polite agreement, as if courtesy required suspending all sense :))

" After all, what can a first impression tell us about someone we've just met for a minute in the lobby of a hotel ? For that matter, what can a first impression tell us about anyone ? Why, no more than a chord can tell us about Beethoven, or a brushstroke about Boticelli. "

I have to admit, Towles makes you quite " uncomfortable "....