A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

I'm not going to say much about this book apart from this - if there's only one book you read this year, make it this one. I gush over it to everyone at work, I recommend it in our recommends bay, I'm excited for any customer reading it for the first time. It was a Radio 2 book club book and went down very well with the readers there too. The writing is superb, the story is entertaining, the characters are exciting. The 'gentleman' in the title is Count Alexander Rostov who, in 1922 and because of his background and beliefs, is put under house arrest and sent to live out the rest of his days in the hotel Metropol in Moscow. We witness Russian history over the years through his eyes, as he learns about it only through newspapers or for the changing habits and customers of the grand hotel. From being a rich artistocrat living in a large house, he is now living in an attic room of the hotel, but in all ways he is a true gentleman.

A wonderful and unforgettable read.