How would George Washington behave in New York society in the 1930s? The ladies and gentlemen of post-Depression-Era New York have had to reinvent the old rules of order in Amor Towles’ Rules of Civility. The women are experimenting with new freedoms where they don’t want to figure out how to marry the man with the power and money—they want to be him. In this story, partly a Sex in the City romp, Katey Kontent, daughter of Russian immigrants, and her friend Eve Ross, who is trying to escape her Midwestern small city blues, make a brand new start of it on New Year’s Eve 1937 in the greatest city in the world. They meet banker Tinker Grey that night. They think he is the “King of the heap/top of the list,” and he has a well-studied copy of Young George Washington’s 110 Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation to guide him. The three form a friendship/love triangle, but Tinker’s secrets will test their loyalty. Katey and Eve are not afraid to meet their futures, but Tinker is stuck in the past. This is Katey’s coming-of-age story as she has one foot in the door of Condé Nast for her professional life and the other in the Knickerbocker Club for her social life. She remakes herself from Katya to Katey in the city where alterations like that can happen. Author Amor Towles has a New York turn of phrase and captures the New York state of mind of the 1930s. In 1966, walking through an exhibit of Walker Evans’ photographs of subway riders in New York City in the 1930s and seeing two pictures of Tinker Grey reminds Katey of her annus mirabilis: the one year in your life where you are presented with choices that will alter your path in life and your character—and that the choices did not come without a price. In one picture Tinker looks prosperous in the other he is smiling but thin and dirty. Her husband comments on the order of the two photographs, wondering, “Rags to riches or riches to rags?"

this was the best book I read in 2012. Still thinking about it and it has been 6 months ago

This book stayed with me after I finished it. Towles does an admirable job of conveying the randomness of life, while also providing a satisfying narrative. Not all questions are answered, but that creates space for the imagination to play. I'm very curious to see what he does next.

Beautiful writing and with many thoughtful ideas or literary descriptions. And there is a good plot. What more could one want from a book? I enjoyed reading about a slice of life in the late 1930's (although, one small segment of New York life).

Towles has beautiful style and insight, but the characters were less than engaging, so this book lacked passion for me.

The writing is so sophisticated, so polished and so beautiful, yet accessible. On every other page there is a little gem - something put so aptly, it makes you want to cry! The plot has some coming of age elements, and just the right amount of twists and turns to keep it realistic and exciting. There were a couple things I still felt could have been handled better. I didn't feel completely connected to Katey's character, and I felt like there were things about her that should have been made known earlier in the novel (ex. her deep love of literature). but it is such a great novel, it's easy to overlook/forgive this.

Page turner - great summer read - engaging period references

A fun read - love anything set in New York in the 30s.

Really good at giving a sense of the 1930s, economic disparities of Depression, young people trying to make something of themselves, New York society. It takes you to a different place yet is universally appealing.

I read this book so slowly because I didn't want it to end. The kind of book to luxuriate and submerge yourself in. Get a comfy spot and kick back...