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    Rules of Civility: A Novel
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    Rules of Civility: A Novel
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    Rules of Civility: A Novel
    Audiobook12 hours

    Rules of Civility: A Novel

    Written by Amor Towles

    Narrated by Rebecca Lowman

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    From the New York Times-bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow, a "sharply stylish" (Boston Globe) novel of a young woman in post-Depression era New York who suddenly finds herself thrust into high society.

    On the last night of 1937, twenty-five-year-old Katey Kontent is in a second-rate Greenwich Village jazz bar when Tinker Grey, a handsome banker, happens to sit down at the neighboring table. This chance encounter and its startling consequences propel Katey on a year-long journey into the upper echelons of New York society-where she will have little to rely upon other than a bracing wit and her own brand of cool nerve.

    With its sparkling depiction of New York's social strata, its intricate imagery and themes, and its immensely appealing characters, Rules of Civility won the hearts of readers and critics alike.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJul 26, 2011
    ISBN9781101526361
    Unavailable
    Rules of Civility: A Novel

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    Reviews for Rules of Civility

    4/5

    1,584 ratings177 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This book moved along fine, but I didn't love it. The characters never really came alive for me - that, plus the writing style, evoked the screwball comedies of the 1930s. That may have been the author's intention, but for me it seemed superficial. Ultimately I didn't really care what happened to these people. On the plus side, the descriptions of New York city in the 1930s were well done, and the story kept me engaged.
    • 4/5
      Again, just like The Gentleman from Moscow, it's hard for me to put a Towles novel down... lots of great New York City/uppercrust 1930s society details-backdrop, and more than a little echoes of Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby... some readers may not appreciate that, but I loved it. Katey is almost a female Nick from TGG.... keeping her nerve with the low & highborn, more of a watcher, not an instigator, and a midWesterner who expects forthrightness, or at least integrity, from those around her. In fact - no time to note the exact passages now- Towles is also playing with the progression of the plot, and esp Tucker, now destitute and a working stiff on the docks, walks to the end of the pier at night and looks across at the lights of Manhatten... oh yes, a homage here to the green light -Daisy's dock that the mysterious Jay Gatsby stands and looks at across the water. Interesting characters - kept me reading until the end...
    • 5/5
      The author succinctly summarizes the plot of this novel through its protagonist, Katey Kontent:The year 1938 had been one in which four people of great color and character had held welcome sway over my life. And here it was December 31, 1940, and I hadn't seen a single one of them in over a year.It is 1938, the Great Depression is nearing an end but the premonitions of WWII are on the horizon. On New Years Eve 1937, 25-year-old Katey and her best friend, Eve Ross, both from the same boarding house, decide to celebrate the holiday together. When the two encounter a dapper young man, Theodore "Tinker" Grey, Eve calls dibs but over time it seems that Katey and Tinker have a stronger connection. As these three meet on and off during the next couple of months, the number of friends grow.Having read and loved this author's subsequent novel, The Gentleman in Moscow, I was torn whether or not to read his first, much different, first book. I'm thrilled that Mr. Towles did not let me down. I believe that his works will be considered classics in fifty years or so. Damn! Can this man write. What a gift for the metaphor. Examples I highlighted are:After the Crash, you couldn't hear the bodies hitting the pavement, but there was a sort of communal gasp and then a stillness that fell over the city like snow.orHer last-minute dress was a red silk number with a scooped neckline, and she had apparently traded up to her best support bra--because the tops of her breasts could be seen from fifty feet in a fog.The author so clearly describes the setting, mood and the characters so well that I easily found myself walking in the snow of Greenwich Village, entering jazz clubs and becoming one of Katety's friends. I'm looking forward to his next book.
    • 4/5
      I loved the author's A Gentleman in Moscow, so I decided I'd give this one a try, I did like it, but not quite as much. The narration by Rebecca Lowman added to this story of a couple of women in (mostly) 1939 New York who meet a rich, eligible man, and the three become friends. It starts years later, and the story looks backward, about how things can change and how they can stay the same. There is not a lot of action in this story, but it's not that kind of story. The atmosphere of the period and the place, the now badly outdated slang of the times, add to the story. In my opinion, not quite as good as A Gentleman, but still well worth reading.
    • 2/5
      What a disappointment. I really wanted to like this story of Katey Kontent, a plucky young woman making her way in 1930s New York. When Katey and her friend Eve meet handsome, dashing Tinker Grey, they find themselves in a new and more affluent social circle. New contacts also provide Katey with a path out of the steno pool into publishing, and the means to live in her own apartment instead of a boardinghouse. Okay, so that’s a good start, right? But oh, the writing: it’s dreadful. My irritation began with Towles’ overuse of elaborate similes, e.g., “four blondes sat in a row comparing notes like a conspiracy of crows on a telephone wire.” Character development was lacking; even the main protagonists seemed like paper cutouts conforming to stereotypes, and the large supporting cast was even more shallow. The storyline was too loose and lacked emotional depth. Once I started spotting errors in the text it was all over. Someone’s hair was “tussled” (not “tousled”). There were factual errors regarding the design of English postage stamps, and the “coastal” drive from Southampton to London.This was Amor Towles’ debut novel, and it shows. His second book, A Gentleman in Moscow, is so much better. Skip this one and read that instead.
    • 5/5
      I loved everything about this novel. The literary references were like little Easter eggs sprinkled throughout the book. Towels is such an intelligence writer-- a book nerd's book nerd. The novel is basically a coming into adulthood and social-climbing commentary of NYC in the late 1930s. The best part was the surprising feminist overtones and excellence strong female characters (especially from a male writer). I read the book during a long weekend in Manhattan (and the long flights to/from) which made it all the more real and enjoyable.
    • 2/5
      The prose is beautiful, often profound. The portrayal of 1930s Manhattan is equally brilliant. But the characters aren't sympathetic, and the story unfolds at a maddeningly pedestrian pace. Sometimes repetitive, sometimes laboured. I've seen so much buzz about Amor Towles, and I'm still eagerly excited about A Gentleman In Moscow, but on this basis, not certain what all the fuss is about.
    • 3/5
      Disjointed and slow moving, author relies too much on metaphors and similes for much of the story. So much so, that the characters seem to be parodies of themselves rather then of the supposed period. When not dressed in comparison, language often felt flat and forced. It's pretty clear this is to be a homage to Fitzgerald and a love letter to the period and city, but it feels like it's written by someone whose discovered Fitzgerald and just went to New York for the first time ever!, which does the book a huge disservice. I don't find the period, language of the period, or the gender of the protagonist to be particularly faithful. This is not to say a woman couldn't be Katey in the late '30s but it does feel like Towels took Peggy from MAD MEN and deposited her 25 years earlier.
    • 3/5
      Nice, but not exceptional book, about mostly a 20 something girl in NYC during the year of 1938 & supposedly how influences and choices affected her life long-term. A lot of texture about NYC during that time, but some of the side characters were a bit flat.
    • 4/5
      "Rules of Civility" is a bitter-sweet, charming "song" to New York of late 1930s. (Somehow Woody Allen comes to mind...). And although usually it's a debut novel that attracts one to the promising author, for me it was his second one, "A Gentleman in Moscow" (which I adored), and in this way, I look forward to even more impressive work from Mr. Towles. The style is distinctly "his own" in both novels.
    • 5/5
      Finished this book earlier than expected. Got towards the end and just had to read on. Loved the whole story and Towles' writing is excellent. He captured the era of the 30's in New York so well that you could hear the jazz music in your mind while reading. Characters were well-drawn and so believable. The plot really held my interest and moved along quickly. A very engaging read that should not be missed!
    • 5/5
      Takes place post-depression era (1929 thru late 30s) in NYC. Kathrine Kontent straddles life between the poorer parts of NYC (sleeping women's shared housing to small east village studios) and the elite society (partying and eating with). Almost a Cinderella if you will. The two lives provide a clear contrast between those living off of family fortunes in a fantasy world and those working hard for every meal and the clothing on their backs. Towles does a splendid job of developing the characters, making you feel their feelings. He also can describe a scene so clearly but in fewer words than most writers, yet you miss nothing - you're there. As for Katy (Kate, Katherine), she lands on her feet, moving up the ladder step by cautious step. I missed this book the second it was finished. Great read.
    • 3/5
      Rules of Civility was a novel that I had been looking forward to reading for quite some time. The reviews, paired with the elegant cover, made me imagine lush descriptions of 1930's Manhattan: the elite, iconic New York features in a historic setting, and all the glamor that a book like this can detail.Well, all of that was in this book. But somehow... it was a resounding miss. The story follows the life of main character Katey Kontent for quite a few years during her twenties, as she attempts to make it in New York. She and her friend Eve meet a handsome young banker in a bar, Tinker Grey, and the three quickly become close friends. Both girls fall for Tinker, and although it seems that he is interested in Katey, everything is changed after they are involved in a car accident. Tinker drifts in and out of Katey's life for the next handful of years, as she navigates her career and drifts about the edges of upper Manhattan society.Towles' book is soundly set in the wealthy glamor of Manhattan, which I did enjoy. Our narrator Katey isn't confined to merely Park Avenue, however, and she takes us into Greenwich Village, Brooklyn, and many more corners of New York. If there is one thing that the reader could be able to take away from this book, it would have to be the setting. There is not much of a clear-cut plot, and Towles was obviously aiming for a more character-driven novel. That would be great, except that I just deplored every single one of them.They all grated on my nerves with their never-ending witty quips and clever lines, written as if scripted to become a memorable quote out of a quirky romantic comedy. Katey herself seems particularly adept in these devastatingly dashing one-liners, but then, so are all the other characters. I'm sorry, but first of all, people simply do not talk like that all the time. Secondly, if one character consistently speaks like that, fine. But in this book, it was practically everyone. And it got old very, very quickly.I was so irritated with these people's perpetual razor sharp wit and sparkling quips, I repeatedly put away the book for weeks at a time.Katey's friend Eve was given the same vein of at-the-ready witty lines, but with a brash humor thrown in, which I actually found even more irritating. She also seemed incredibly stereotypical - the gorgeous blonde bombshell that men can't leave alone. And let me guess - if that's her best friend, then the main character is probably a fairly attractive brunette who is more quiet and reserved, bookish and more intellectual. And yes, that was precisely the case.The third central character of the book, Tinker, was forever extolled and revered as a sort of "Adonis," (as one review puts it), but I could never see it. He came off as flat and unexciting to me. The supposedly shocking twist revealed much later in the book was predictable and, perhaps even worse, just dull and poorly executed.I was expecting so much more from The Rules of Civility, but it did not turn out to be a book that I enjoyed all that much - save for its depiction of historic Manhattan glamor. 2 stars, I suppose, with an extra half star thrown in just for New York's sake.
    • 3/5
      This novel takes place in New York in 1938, not the generic New York, but the sophisticated, jazzy New York we've all seen in the movies. Middle-class, street-smart, Katy Kontent and her friend, free-spirited Evie, are befriended by the Gatsby-esque Tinker Gray. We learn in the introductory chapter - most of the book is a long flashback - that Gray felt fast and hard from his exalted position, while Katy made out okay, at least financially and socially. What we think is going to be a romp takes a more serious turn when Evie is seriously injured in a car accident. Tinker nurses her, and she runs off to Europe with him, for a time.I started out loving this book but for me it petered out a bit - it was a little shapeless. I didn't get a good handle on Katy - sometimes she seemed just a way to tell the story of the men. I'm sure where she got her chutzpah - to quit a job upon getting a promotion, for example, or to seduce a guy by suddenly drawing a bath. Most of the characters were bolder than I and maybe that's why I had trouble connecting with them
    • 3/5
      I thought the writing was a bit pretentious and it was a typical ode to New York City. The story was as much about New York as about Katy and Tinker, I am a bit tired of books that pretend nothing and no one exists outside of New York. That being said....one would think I didn't enjoy the story, but I did....I thought it was a different telling of the 1930's in that Katy was a working class girl who wasn't on the prowl for a husband, but was enjoying her single life in New York. I loved the character of Katy...
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed reading every single page of this book. The time, the fun, the wry observations - while the rest of world was going to war, America was refinding its verve - and it was full of small shocks that shook my complacency. A really lovely book.
    • 4/5
      An extremely fast read, and the writing is very enjoyable. The plot is a bit skeletal and hard to believe.
    • 4/5
      I was expecting so much more after Gentleman in Moscow. It was fine but frivolous and forgettable.
    • 4/5
      Black and white photos in an exhibition by Walker Evans trigger a woman's memories of the year 1938; the people and events which influenced her life in New York City.Having just visited NYC for the first time in my life, this was an especially interesting read for me. Even though the events happened long before my visit, I was able to see in my mind's eye many of the landmarks mentioned. It was very evocative of a place and time; the mood, attitudes and characters were alive.I don't have the words to describe more without giving what I would call spoilers, and I don't like to do that to my friends. I will only say that I enjoyed the moments spent reading this book, and I have thought back on the events and people frequently since I finished. Enough so that I will keep it to possibly read again, but certainly to loan to my friends who need a good book.
    • 5/5
      Rules of Civility perfectly encapsulates a time and a place - New York City between the two World Wars - a time of jazz, hope and opportunity. Two friend, Katey and Evey go out on New Years Eve in 1937 and chance to meet Tinker, a handsome young man in a $1,000 cashmere coat. The story takes place in 1938, told from Katey's perspective. Katey comes from modest means. She starts out in the steno pool and through drive, determination and taking advantage of opportunity works her way up to an editorial job and and a place in the rarefied circle of the New York wealthy. Evey comes from a well-to-do family in the mid-West but does not want to sit back and enjoy her family money on their terms. The three become fast friends but when Evey is injured in an accident where Tinker was the driver, he casts his lot with her.This book is beautifully written with smart, snappy dialogue and an intriguing plot. I was put in mind of the writings of F. Scott Fitzgerald. I would most certainly recommend this excellent novel.
    • 4/5
      I recommend this book. Enjoyed the wit and observations.
    • 4/5
      "What my father was trying to tell me,... was that this risk should not be treated lightly: One must be prepared to fight for one's simple pleasures and to defend them against elegance and erudition and all manner of glamorous enticements." Set in New York City in 1938, this is a romp of a romance novel. Katey (aka Kate, Katherine) is working as a secretary for a law firm and sharing a room in a boarding house with Eve; the two of them are looking for fun on the last night of 1937 and they find it in the unlikely person of Tinker Grey, a handsome young man of society and wealth. The three of them strike up a friendship and spend the first days of 1938 joyfully exploring the Big Apple. As happens in life, simple either-or choices alter the future in unpredictable ways (yes, that is a major theme of the novel), and the lives of each of our lovable threesome are sent spinning in different directions even as the thread that connects them remains intact. Kate is a smart and self-sufficient woman, bent on success and destined to achieve it. But her continued dance with a class of people who remain enigmatic to her also brings heartbreak and disillusionment. How else could it go in a great romance novel? The plot of this novel is just shy of compelling -- a few too many chance encounters end up disrupting the magic while necessarily advancing the story -- but the storytelling is wonderful. Towles' prose is pitch-perfect; it mirrors the mood of the story absolutely. This was a great book in which to get lost. Best accompanied by a gin martini in anticipation of those consumed by the characters.
    • 5/5
      I love this magical book so completely that words escape me. Towles creates this universe so contained yet so expansive it seems unreal...until I remember my own magical/real/beautiful/hideous/unpredictable New York in my own 20"s (60 years after the events here) and it seems like non.fiction. And Katey. I love Katey! I love all these people. upper East, Downtown, Midtown and Brooklyn. This book is perfect and timeless.
    • 5/5
      Having gotten into a bit of a reading slump I decided to join a book club and read books I normally might have overlooked. The selection for September is Amor Towles 2nd book. To prepare for that reading I decided I may as well read his debut novel. Best decision ever!

      The audible edition is narrated by Rebecca Lowman, who had me forgetting she was only a narrator and not the actual character of Katie Kontent. I loved her slightly raspy voice and believe her narration made the book quite enjoyable.

      Hard for me to pinpoint exactly why this novel had me hooked but hooked I was. So much so that I opted to stay in my hotel room in Hawaii today because I had to listen to the rest of it. I love when a story makes me forget that it is just a story. This book did that for me. This author words implanted visual images in my mind as if I were watching a movie. It brought the characters and their surroundings to life. Each character becomes memorable and adds to the story regardless of how minute their role is. The main character, Katie, shares how certain decisions she made shaped her life. I mostly liked her but also saw her as just as scheming as or even more so than her friend Eve. I sensed that her scheming was not malicious but more that she wanted to continue bettering herself. I also felt she wanted to forget her feelings for Tinker but may not have been very successful at it. I enjoyed the glimpses of what life was like in New York and the subtle but notable changes that occur as the economy recovers.

    • 5/5
      Felt like a BBC mini-series. Easily imagined my mom and her generation (Edith or Marion!) ;) Fast read, involving and well written. Great lake book."It's who you know not what you know".......
    • 5/5
      The book begins with a middle aged couple attending the 1966 opening of Walker Evans' "Many Are Called" show at The Museum of Modern Art. Among the photographs the narrator recognizes two shots, taken a year apart, of a man she used to know named Tinker Grey. Seeing these photographs sends her back to 1938 where she reminiscences about meeting Grey, who changed her world forever.

      Katey Kontent and Eve Ross are boardinghouse roommates who use wit, intelligence and good looks to hobnob with members of New York society. The book's narrator, Katey, is tough and unflappable, taking both success and setback in stride. Eve, on the other hand, is complex and unpredictable. Tinker seems the most open but also the most mysterious. Named after George Washington's book of moral and social codes, this novel transports the reader to elegant parties on Long Island estates, luxurious suites at the Plaza, and back alley jazz clubs along with a variety of Gatsbyesque characters.

      I loved this book. It was filled with sublime dialogue. The writing was so gorgeous I had to stop myself from reading too fast so that I could enjoy the melody of the language. I loved seeing New York through Katey's eyes and could visualize each one of the characters as if they were in a 1940s movie. I found it compelling, insightful, and well written, with characters fully drawn, and dialogue that was precise and economical. I found my journey with these characters sweet and thoughtful and I hated putting this story down at the end.
    • 4/5
      I really liked this set of characters and the historical perspective ... well-done and it was apparently a first novel! I'd strongly recommend it! I learned of this author when looking at his new 2016 book about Moscow! As a result of reading this book, I'm definitely going to get the new one!
    • 3/5
      I chose this book, because I so thoroughly enjoyed A Gentleman in Moscow. It may be because Rules of Civility was written in the context of the female experience as opposed to the opposite gender AGIM, but I didn't get the same enjoyment level out of Rules of Civility. I did appreciate Amor Towles demonstrated wordmanship and also the interjection of life principles (Washington's rules). After finishing the book I really wasn't sure what the author's intended purpose was.
    • 4/5
      A pretty good read, but not up to the author's A Gentleman in Moscow. He writes about classes and three people who navigate the city in the thirties. It is told from the point of view of Katey Kontent, a daughter of Russian immigrants who makes it in NY, and her friends EVe, a midwestern girl, and Tinker Grey, a self made person, Compelling story of how one person can make it, although it reads like a story from a woman's magazine, I grew up in the city and made a ton of money in Wall Street, 'My father and mother were Irish immigrants so I think I know something about this place and time, Katey is a great character,
    • 4/5
      Rules of Civility chronicles the year 1938 for Kate Kontent, the year she comes of age and comes into her own. This book is part love letter to New York City, part gushing fan of the great writers of the time, and I have to admit that at first I was put off by a sense of preciousness in the writing, of trying a bit too hard to emulate those writers of yore. After a New Year's Eve car accident changes the trajectory of events, though, the story started to take hold of me, and I grew to really like and admire Kate's independent, self-determined character. In fact, I liked all of the women characters in this book, even those who weren't so admirable, as they all had goals, desires, and the drive to fulfill them. Men seemed a bit superfluous, and the male characters came off as more mundane. I never did see what attracted Kate to Tinker, for instance, or the other men she became interested in, although Tinker's artist brother turned soldier was more intriguing and, like Kate's friend Eve, not on page nearly enough. In the end, this was a light, fluffy, and enjoyable story, but probably not a consequential one for this reader.