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Apr 08, 2017wyenotgo rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Above all, this book is about a time and a place: New York, 1938. Everything proceeds from that. Towles conjures up a wonderful cast of characters that could only exist in their particular form within the aegis of that iconic city and during that brief hiatus between the Depression and WW2. Best and most delightful of all is the style, both the style of the prose and the style of life embraced by those characters. Midway through the book I found that it was losing momentum as Kate's life began to go sideways and I was regretting the loss of the sparkle that had pervaded the first few chapters; but then I understood that this dimming of the lights was entirely deliberate. Reality was creeping in, the party hats were beginning to look a bit tawdry and the book took on more substance. This is not a simple story even though some reviewers have found it lacking in plot; it's a story of self-discovery, a re-assessment of values, expectations, goals. One final word: a rebuke to those reviewers who question Towles' audacity in writing in the first person what is so thoroughly and intimately a woman's story. I think he has accomplished it brilliantly. Kate is utterly believable; her personality will stay with me for a long time. A delightful read.