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Reading lists

Great books to give dads this Father’s Day

A New York Times Number One Bestseller

The Lincoln Highway

[A] novel that is as much about the literary history of the American road as it is about the journey itself, and deserves a place alongside Kerouac, Steinbeck and Wolfe as the very best of the genre

The best novel I've read in years. Epic and original, mesmeric and life-affirming, in The Lincoln Highway Amor Towles takes his unmatched gift for storytelling and puts it on the road. Every beautiful paragraph takes the reader a mile further into a world where our choices matter, where life surprises us, and where people are worth the trouble. This is one of those rare and special books that drive us home to ourselves

An absolute beauty of a book. Every character is a gem, the many locations spring to vivid life, the book is an intricate and moving exploration of journeys and the infinite unexpected turns they can take - and somehow Towles makes it all seem effortless. As soon as I finished it, I wanted to read it again.

Welcome to the enormous pleasure that is The Lincoln Highway, a big book of camaraderie and adventure in which the miles fly by and the pages turn fast. Set over the course of ten riveting days, the story of these four boys unfolds, refolds, tears, and is taped back together. When you aren't actually reading the book, you'll be worrying about the characters, so you might as well stay in your chair and keep reading

Finely observed and beautifully written. Amor Towles is that rare combination of writer and storyteller.

Wise and wildly entertaining . . . permeated with light, wit, youth

Magnificent . . . Towles is a supreme storyteller, and this one-of-a-kind kind of novel isn't to be missed

Amor Towles's third novel is fantastic!...Wise, witty and entirely wonderful, this is a superlative slice of storytelling

With exquisitely drawn characters, beautiful writing and a real sense of moral integrity, The Lincoln Highway already feels like an American coming of age classic to sit alongside The Catcher In The Rye and To Kill A Mockingbird

CRAMMED full of emotion, madcap escapades and hugely endearing characters, Towles' outstanding third novel criss-crosses 1950s America as three wayward young men, and one sweet kid brother, go in search of fresh starts and family fortunes. Damaged by their pasts and heading into uncertain futures, their unruly ten-day odyssey is a beautiful, bittersweet adventure

Towles's myth-making, masterful storytelling is no humane, uplifting and compelling that I didn't want the journey to end

This deeply enjoyable read cements Towles' reputation as one of the best of today's historical novelists

A sweet, charming and wonderfully astute take on humanity and its foibles, this is gorgeous storytelling

The Lincoln Highway is a joyride...[a] delightful tour de force .. There's so much to enjoy in this generous novel packed with fantastic characters

Following the runaway success of A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles returns with his third major novel, and we're pleased to say it's another stunner... A gem of a book

[The Lincoln Highway] is reason to rejoice for Towles's millions of fans, who made his first two novels, Rules of Civility and A Gentleman in Moscow, runaway international bestsellers

Towles' third novel is even more entertaining than his much-acclaimed A Gentleman in Moscow (2016)... A remarkable blend of sweetness and doom, Towles' novel is packed with revelations about the American myth, the art of storytelling, and the unrelenting pull of history. An exhilarating ride through Americana.

"[The] notion of American openness, of ever-fractalizing free will, coming up against the fickle realities of fate is the tension that powers Towles' exciting, entertaining [...] picaresque . . . Stories can bring us back to ourselves, Towles seems to say, if only we are open to receiving their power . . . Anyone who follows The Lincoln Highway will relish the trip

History [and] adventure collide in The Lincoln Highway . . . The pace is fast and writing concise, making it a digestible read whether in bed or at a loud coffee shop

Magnificent . . . Towles is a supreme storyteller, and this one-of-a-kind kind of novel isn't to be missed

[A] playfully thought-provoking novel . . . [Towles] juggles the pieces of his plot deftly, shifting from voice to voice, skirting sentimentality and quirkiness with a touch of wistful regret, and leading up to an ending that is bound to provoke discussion

A new author to me- but I'll be reading Amor's A Gentlemen in Moscow, as I was blown away by this... A heartfelt read, one that makes me think of coming of age film Stand By Me

A natural storyteller, Towles keeps the plot ticking over nicely in a solid holiday listen destined for the big screen

Amor Towles is the author of New York Times bestsellers Rules of Civility, A Gentleman in Moscow, and The Lincoln Highway. The three novels have collectively sold more than five million copies and have been translated into more than thirty-five languages. Towles lives in Manhattan with his wife and two children.

THE INSTANT NUMBER ONE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 
FROM THE AUTHOR OF RULES OF CIVILITY AND A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW 
 
'Deserves a place alongside Kerouac, Steinbeck and Wolfe as the very best of the genre' OBSERVER 
 
'An absolute beauty of a book. As soon as I finished it, I wanted to read it again' TANA FRENCH 
 
'Welcome to the enormous pleasure that is The Lincoln Highway . . . in which the miles fly by and the pages turn fast' ANN PATCHETT 
 
In June, 1954, eighteen-year-old Emmett returns home to his younger brother Billy after serving fifteen months in a juvenile facility for involuntary manslaughter. They are getting ready to leave their old life behind and head out to sunny California. 
 
But they're not alone. Two runaways from the youth work farm, Duchess and Wolly, have followed Emmett all the way to Nebraska with a plan of their own, one that will take the four of them on an unexpected and fateful journey in the opposite direction - to New York City. 
 
'Already feels like an American coming of age classic' RED 
 
'The best novel I've read in years' CHRIS CLEAVE 
 
'Wise and wildly entertaining . . . permeated with light, wit, youth' THE NEW YORK TIMES

A Gentleman in Moscow

From the New York Times bestselling author of Rules of Civility &ndash; a transporting novel about a man who is ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel.

OVER 4 MILLION COPIES SOLD 
 
A Showtime/Paramount+ series starring Ewan McGregor as Count Alexander Rostov 
 
From the number one New York Times-bestselling author, a beautifully transporting novel about a man who is ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel 
 
'A wonderful book' - Tana French 
 
'This novel is astonishing, uplifting and wise. Don't miss it' - Chris Cleave 
 
'No historical novel this year was more witty, insightful or original' - Sunday Times, Books of the Year 
 
'[A] supremely uplifting novel ... It's elegant, witty and delightful - much like the Count himself.' - Mail on Sunday, Books of the Year 
 
'Charming ... shows that not all books about Russian aristocrats have to be full of doom and nihilism' - The Times, Books of the Year 
 
On 21 June 1922, Count Alexander Rostov - recipient of the Order of Saint Andrew, member of the Jockey Club, Master of the Hunt - is escorted out of the Kremlin, across Red Square and through the elegant revolving doors of the Hotel Metropol. 
 
Deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, the Count has been sentenced to house arrest indefinitely. But instead of his usual suite, he must now live in an attic room while Russia undergoes decades of tumultuous upheaval. 
 
Can a life without luxury be the richest of all? 
 
A BOOK OF THE DECADE, 2010-2020 (INDEPENDENT) 
THE TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017 
A SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017 
A MAIL ON SUNDAY BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017 
A DAILY EXPRESS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017 
AN IRISH TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017 
ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S BEST BOOKS OF 2017 
ONE OF BILL GATES'S SUMMER READS OF 2019 
NOMINATED FOR THE 2018 INDEPENDENT BOOKSELLERS WEEK AWARD 
'A wonderful book' - Tana French 
 
'This novel is astonishing, uplifting and wise. Don't miss it' - Chris Cleave 
 
'No historical novel this year was more witty, insightful or original' - Sunday Times, Books of the Year 
 
'[A] supremely uplifting novel ... It's elegant, witty and delightful - much like the Count himself.' - Mail on Sunday, Books of the Year 
 
'Charming ... shows that not all books about Russian aristocrats have to be full of doom and nihilism' - The Times, Books of the Year 
 
On 21 June 1922, Count Alexander Rostov - recipient of the Order of Saint Andrew, member of the Jockey Club, Master of the Hunt - is escorted out of the Kremlin, across Red Square and through the elegant revolving doors of the Hotel Metropol. 
 
Deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, the Count has been sentenced to house arrest indefinitely. But instead of his usual suite, he must now live in an attic room while Russia undergoes decades of tumultuous upheaval. 
 
Can a life without luxury be the richest of all? 
 
A BOOK OF THE DECADE, 2010-2020 (INDEPENDENT) 
THE TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017 
A SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017 
A MAIL ON SUNDAY BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017 
A DAILY EXPRESS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017 
AN IRISH TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017 
ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S BEST BOOKS OF 2017 
ONE OF BILL GATES'S SUMMER READS OF 2019 
NOMINATED FOR THE 2018 INDEPENDENT BOOKSELLERS WEEK AWARD

[A] supremely uplifting novel ... It's elegant, witty and delightful - much like the Count himself.

A comic masterpiece . . .  very funny, tender and as laughably accurate an account of the dismal nature of life in Soviet Russia as one could hope for . . . Quite apart from the ingeniously ludicrous plot and the acutely drawn characters, what adds to the joy of this book is the precision of Towles’ style. Again and again he conveys exactly the right impression with a deliciously surprising choice of words . . . a sheer delight.

A work of great charm, intelligence and insight.

No historical novel was more witty, insightful and original

Elegant sentences, wonderful characters and inventive storytelling . . . This is everything  a novel should be: charming, witty, poetic and generous. An absolute delight.

This novel is astonishing, uplifting and wise. Don’t miss it.

I just reread A Gentleman in Moscow ... It's a wonderful book at any time, and this time it brought home to me how people find ways to be happy, make connections, and make a difference to one another's lives, even in the strangest, saddest and most restrictive circumstances.

I think the world feels so disordered right now. The count’s refinement and genteel nature are exactly what we’re longing for. His world was also in shambles but he maintained his grace and humor.

There is so, so much to love in this book as we keep company with the endlessly entertaining Count . . .[This] novel is wistful, whimsical and wry and elegantly captures that most apposite of lessons: 'By the smallest of one's actions, one can restore some sense of order to the world'. Brilliant

A Gentleman in Moscow is a tale abundant in humour, history and humanity, with a poignant message about time passing. That Towles also makes this rollicking good fun is no mean feat.

WINNING . . . GORGEOUS . . . SATISFYING . . . TOWLES IS A CRAFTSMAN

Towles’ use of language is an absolute pleasure to read and you can’t help but savour every last word . . . What makes it a great work of historical fiction is the apt creations the author builds outside the hotel walls in a truly tumultuous time. Towles creates such a memorable character in Rostov and this book brings something for everyone - humour, history, friendship and philosophy

A Gentleman in Moscow is exquisitely propped and styled, from the silver samovars to the red covers of Baedeker guides . . . [T]he count charms and disarms, and his story sparks much joy and a new anti-Kondo philosophy: chuck much, but keep all the books.

A sheer delight … a gorgeous comic epic.

I adored A Gentleman in Moscow . . . This is a lovely, meandering story as charming and elegant as the Count himself.

What makes it a great work of historical fiction are the creations the author builds outside the hotel in a truly tumultuous time.

If we do a better book than this on the [Simon Mayo Radio 2] Book Club, we'll have a very very good year!

A Gentleman in Moscow is quite a novel. Towles’ use of language is a pleasure and you can’t help but savour every word . . . a great work of fiction.

A love story like no other, in a beautiful-looking book.

The perfect escapist read, Amor Towles’ A Gentleman In Moscow is utterly mesmerising.

The same gorgeous, layered richness that marked Towles' debut shapes this novel

A masterful writer . . . a talent for conjuring up scenes from the past and present and bringing them into remarkable focus

This novel is as much a celebration of that great culture as it is a biography of an irrepressible and indomitable spirit . . . an absolute must read.

Spread across four decades, this is in all ways a great novel, a nonstop pleasure brimming with charm, personal wisdom and philosophical insight.

This is parable for all world travellers.

Written with a clipped, capering style and comic flair that can't fail to charm.

A profound, often funny survey of mid-20th-Century Russia

Among the greatest comic novels of all time . . . told with such style and wit that every page reduced me to helpless laughter and admiration

The book I would recommend to anyone who appreciates what only fiction can do … It’s a page-turner and a delight.

I love the novels of Amor Towles, especially A Gentleman in Moscow - he has this ability to nail the idiosyncrasies and quirks of a character in just a few words.

A heart-warming story that asks the reader to consider what is important in life. We loved it. *****

I can highly recommend A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles as lockdown reading ... The story resonates because we have all endured restricted lifestyles of late and may continue to for months to come.

It is a good book to read during this pandemic because it's about how he is being confined to Moscow's Hotel Metropol.

Towles's book is a delight, with a beguiling central character and lively descriptions of life in Russia over a period of 30 years.

A wonderful bookwhich gives the reader an understanding of life in post revolution Moscow.

Totally original novel ... A great deal of Russian history is also subtly woven into this magical book, which is tear-jerking but never sentimental, with a quite unexpected and thrilling ending.

Wonderful, combining brilliant storytelling with beautiful writing.

I love the novels of Amor Towles, especially A Gentleman in Moscow - he has this ability to nail the idiosyncrasies and quirks of a character in just a few words.

It's hard not to fall in love with Count Rostov, an impeccably mannered and mischievous aesthete placed under permanent house arrest at Moscow's Metropol hotel ... An endearing and frequently hilarious novel that covers big topics with a velvet touch.

Amor Towles

Aficionados of Amor Towles 's carefully crafted fiction will be thrilled by this latest collection of elegantly presented short stories along with a novella. The tales focus on vignettes of turn-of-millennium New York life, while the longer Eve in Hollywood sees the reappearance of Rules of Civility&rsquo;s inimitable Evelyn Ross in 1930s Los Angeles. The recent adaptation A Gentleman in Moscow has raised the author's profile to new heights, and long-standing admirers and new readers alike will take great delight in this entertaining collection. A new novel soon please, Mr Towles

If you only take one book on holiday... Make it Amor Towles’ short stories… Towles has a genius for immersive scene-setting, and most of Table for Two, a collection of six short stories and a novella, feels more mythically New York than a Woody Allen storyboard painted by Edward Hopper… There is a great deal to relish in Table for Two... The collection is varied but hangs so well together. If you take only one book on holiday this summer, you couldn’t ask for a better literary capsule wardrobe

A knockout collection . . . Sharp-edged satire deceptively wrapped like a box of Neuhaus chocolates, Table for Two is a winner

Amor Towles reminds you why books still do it best. Joyous, discreet and a pleasure to read, each timeless story reconnects you with your own humanity. Every perfect sentence leaves you nodding in wonder. There is no better writer working today

Superb ... This may be Towles' best book yet. Each tale is as satisfying as a master chef's main course, filled with drama, wit, erudition and, most of all, heart

There&rsquo;s more than a mischievous glint of irony in these scintillating, sly stories from Towles. Set in new York and L.A. the city locations are fertile territory for a writer a penchant for power plays between good sports and the unscrupulous machinations of chancers and con men&hellip; the collection closes with the brilliant Eve in Hollywood, a noirish tale of blackmail and blaggards starring Evelyn Ross, who has all the glamour and guts of an on- screen heroine. Wonderful

Masterful storytelling ... a delectable collection

Table for Two has more than delivered. This collection is not just spare pieces to tide readers over until Towles's next novel. It's a worthwhile addition to his growing oeuvre

Few contemporary authors quite capture the comic drama and fluctuating fortunes as ably as Towles

These are jam-packed, juicy stories

Towles excels with this collection. Readers unfamiliar with his novels will love these examples of his shorter fiction and they will be pure catnip to his legions of fans. Highly recommend

Amor Towles is a master of language and one of the best storytellers of our time. In Table for Two, he lives up to his well-deserved reputation as a first-rate craftsman

A sneakily entertaining assortment of tales

Table for Two is a masterful, subtle collection of thoroughly entertaining stories

THE SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 
 
FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW 
 
'Feels more mythically New York than a Woody Allen storyboard painted by Edward Hopper' THE TIMES 
 
'Storytelling of the highest order' IRISH TIMES 
 
'Towles is a craftsman' NEW YORK TIMES 
 
Millions of Amor Towles fans are in for a treat as he shares some of his shorter fiction: six stories based in New York City and a novella set in Golden Age Hollywood. 
 
The New York stories, most of which take place around the year 2000, consider the fateful consequences that can spring from brief encounters and the delicate mechanics of compromise that operate at the heart of modern marriages.Told from seven points of view, 'Eve in Hollywood' describes how one of Towles’s most beloved characters, the indomitable Evelyn Ross from Rules of Civility, crafts a new future for herself—and others—in a noirish tale that takes us through the movie sets, bungalows and dive bars of 1930s Los Angeles.Written with his signature wit, humour and sophistication, Table for Two is another glittering addition to Towles’s canon of stylish and transporting fiction.

Amor Towles

Praise for Table For Two

Aficionados of Amor Towles 's carefully crafted fiction will be thrilled by this latest collection of elegantly presented short stories along with a novella. The tales focus on vignettes of turn-of-millennium ...

If you only take one book on holiday... Make it Amor Towles’ short stories… Towles has a genius for immersive scene-setting, and most of Table for Two, a collection of six short stories and a novella, feels more ...

A knockout collection . . . Sharp-edged satire deceptively wrapped like a box of Neuhaus chocolates, Table for Two is a winner

Aficionados of Amor Towles 's carefully crafted fiction will be thrilled by this latest collection of elegantly presented short stories along with a novella. The tales focus on vignettes of turn-of-millennium ...

If you only take one book on holiday... Make it Amor Towles’ short stories… Towles has a genius for immersive scene-setting, and most of Table for Two, a collection of six short stories and a novella, feels more ...

A knockout collection . . . Sharp-edged satire deceptively wrapped like a box of Neuhaus chocolates, Table for Two is a winner

Aficionados of Amor Towles 's carefully crafted fiction will be thrilled by this latest collection of elegantly presented short stories along with a novella. The tales focus on vignettes of turn-of-millennium ...

If you only take one book on holiday... Make it Amor Towles’ short stories… Towles has a genius for immersive scene-setting, and most of Table for Two, a collection of six short stories and a novella, feels more ...

A knockout collection . . . Sharp-edged satire deceptively wrapped like a box of Neuhaus chocolates, Table for Two is a winner

Books by Amor Towles

Articles featuring Amor Towles

Great books to give dads this Father’s Day

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