Théo d'Or ’s Reviews > A Gentleman in Moscow > Status Update
Théo d'Or
is 69% done
Ah, Sofia - about playing Rachmaninov, at Palais Garnier ....Is she ready ? The Count would say - readiness is not a matter of certainty. It is a matter of courage.. But what if she falters ? Then, the Count would say " then falter with grace. " A gentleman will always have the right answer..
— Jan 04, 2026 10:16PM
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Théo d'Or ’s Previous Updates
Théo d'Or
is 82% done
I'm beginning to grasp the towlesian secret. In real life, we don't always understand things as they happen. We look back later, and realize why something mattered, we see how small choices led to big changes.
Towles captures that feeling perfectly.
— Jan 07, 2026 02:16AM
Towles captures that feeling perfectly.
Théo d'Or
is on page 269 of 495
Chapter 22.
In which Sofia reminds Count Rostov that children don't need much to be happy. Just a song, a story. ... Somewhere along the way , he forgot that. Or he didn't forget, just got busy surviving. So sad...we all try to survive, waking up to alarms, not sunrises. We scroll before we breathe... Living is different. Children know this instinctively. They don't need a reason to be happy. Let's be kids
— Jan 03, 2026 01:23AM
In which Sofia reminds Count Rostov that children don't need much to be happy. Just a song, a story. ... Somewhere along the way , he forgot that. Or he didn't forget, just got busy surviving. So sad...we all try to survive, waking up to alarms, not sunrises. We scroll before we breathe... Living is different. Children know this instinctively. They don't need a reason to be happy. Let's be kids
Théo d'Or
is 62% done
I still wonder how anyone could rate this book negatively. Then again , it's certainly easier to play with the " like " button, than to try to delve into something your level doesn't allow you to grasp.. In a world where scrolling has replaced thinking, maybe is no surprise that reflection isn't actually just out of fashion, but it's simply beyond the cognitive resource of the average scroll-conditioned mind.
— Dec 29, 2025 11:56PM
Théo d'Or
is 54% done
" By their very nature, human beings are so capricious, so complex, so delightfully contradictory, that they deserve not only our consideration, but our reconsideration ".
So true. Just experienced that.
— Dec 24, 2025 01:20AM
So true. Just experienced that.
Théo d'Or
is 42% done
" There is a difference between being resigned to a situation, and reconciled to it. "
Indeed. Resignation is the truth you hate. Reconciliation is the lie you frame. Resignation is the moment you see the world clearly. Reconciliation is the moment you decide clarity is too expensive.
— Dec 18, 2025 10:17PM
Indeed. Resignation is the truth you hate. Reconciliation is the lie you frame. Resignation is the moment you see the world clearly. Reconciliation is the moment you decide clarity is too expensive.
Théo d'Or
is 38% done
In a world imagined by Amor Towles, serial-likers would likely be sent to the Metropol not for dissent, but for excessive digital enthusiasm - condemned to press the like button on blank pages, under the watchful eye of a Bolshevik refined in his own way, with literary taste and a deep aversion to emojis. And all of it, of course, set to the wistful soundtrack of As Like Goes Bye.
— Dec 12, 2025 06:01AM
Théo d'Or
is 29% done
The Count : " Are you quite certain you're not a Bolshevik ? "
Nina : " I'm nine ".
Innocence is the last place where the world is still whole.
— Dec 10, 2025 06:02AM
Nina : " I'm nine ".
Innocence is the last place where the world is still whole.
Théo d'Or
is 26% done
Can a man honor a vanished world without becoming a stranger to the one that remains ?
— Dec 08, 2025 10:53AM
Théo d'Or
is 12% done
" To what end had the Divine created the stars in heaven to fill a man with feelings of inspiration one day, and insignificance the next ? "
There's quite a stoicism in this reflection, which also touches on theodicy - ( ugh.... involuntary connection.. ) - the question of divine intention. If the Divine created such beauty, why burden in it the seeds of existential turmoil ?
— Dec 01, 2025 10:23PM
There's quite a stoicism in this reflection, which also touches on theodicy - ( ugh.... involuntary connection.. ) - the question of divine intention. If the Divine created such beauty, why burden in it the seeds of existential turmoil ?
Théo d'Or
is 9% done
" If a man does not master his circumstances, then he is bound to be mastered by them. "
Count Rostov and Kafka's Mr. K - two men seized by fate - one tames it, the other - lost in it.
— Nov 28, 2025 09:46PM
Count Rostov and Kafka's Mr. K - two men seized by fate - one tames it, the other - lost in it.
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Jan 04, 2026 11:22PM
....and another détail I loved a lot - Sofia being adopted ...
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.... Bonjour, and Sofia is a beautiful name...
Yes, it really is.. And then, is there any greater fulfillment for a father than witnessing his child step into her destiny , Maria ?
Is there anything lovelier than a father walking his daughter to school on her first day? I can still picture my own first day so clearly.
Hardly anything compares, Maria. Maybe only walking his twins....A small step for them, a giant leap for his heart...He may not remember what she wore that morning, but he will remember the feel of her small hand in his.. And when the day is done, he will kneel to meet her eyes, and , in that moment, he will know - she's growing...And it will remain one of the most beautiful journeys he's ever taken..
Bonjour, Théo!I’m really very happy. I knew you were going to like the book, but not quite that much. Did you know that Maria and I spent our first four years of education in a private Catholic school run by nuns?
Merci.
I am too so glad that you're happy , Celeste ! I think the true happiness is, in the end, the satisfaction you have making someone happy.. Non, I didn't know this detail from your childhood. I guess doing the first steps in a private Catholic school is a very special thing. Because it is not about religion, but about learning to be a good human being. And then, is that sense of purpose, which for a child, is a very good thing. And, as one said, " a beautiful beginning..."
It isn't in the context, but I was just thinking of that " living with intensity ". Seems simple, but hard to explain. Most of people would understand it as constantly chasing adrenaline. But for me, it means firstly paying attention, but really paying attention - to what you feel, what you value, and how you spend your time. Finally, is simple, yes.. Is only about accepting that life is finite. And when you live with intensity, you're aware that time is limited. So you don't waste it. You say what you mean, you love without delay, it's not about doing more. In a way, it's a refusal to live halfway..
I only thought of these, just rereading this sentence, in Camus' speech..
I often find myself sharing moments of happiness and fun with people I don’t even know. There are unforgettable little episodes at the café terrace I go to. The other day, I overheard a group of French tourists chatting. They burst out laughing when they realised I’d understood them, and we ended up exchanging laughs. It was very funny.
Indeed, it's funny how the smallest things can bring the biggest smiles, or laughs.. We chase big things, and that's okay. But the truth is - life is mostly made of these little moments, at terrasses or even on the streets..Life is happening during these moments. And when you learn this, you realize happiness was never far away. Especially when the language barrier is not an obstacle, but a good occasion to have fun :)))
:))) Now you’ve had your laugh, Théo. You must be thoroughly amused by the French we’ve invented. You might even collapse on the floor from laughing so hard at our macaronic French.
Hahahaha ! " macaronic French " ? Is that when you say " bom jour " ?
:))) I remember my French teacher explaining how the partitive works. She asked me to make a sentence using the word eau. I completely messed it up, and she snapped: Do you drink all the eau in the world?
Hahahaha ! Here we go ! On va au mercado rapidinho, après on chill avec un petit cafézinho !
Here's the shortest sentence with ' eau ' - Théo d'Eau .
" Théo d'Oh " sounds pretty close :)))😃
Seems this year will be one of linguistic invention or it won't be at all 🤣
Finalement, all's bien that ends bem. 😃
😅😅😅😅😅 Yes, the words we have are no longer enough for us to speak. New worlds, new words. A new Babylon.
A new Babylon, started in Barbizon, I'd say :)
I wonder if four centuries from now, people will still speak of the genius from Barbizon and his muse, bien sûr...😃
Muse....parfois et toujours.
Pas grave. Tout te comprend assez bien. 🤣
J’ai la certitude que Tout en viendra à comprendre un jour....😀😀😀
Comme on dit, " Tout est possible ".. Même comprendre ton " non mais oui, mais non ". 🤣
Bonjour, Théo!Maria, je suis déjà à Maria Pia...
😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅
Bonjour, Celeste. Tu es parTout. Je doute qu'on puisse encore faire quelque chose à ce sujet..Peut-être seulement remercier Dieu :))
