
In 1922 Count Alexander Rostov is sentence to house arrest in Moscow's Metropol Hotel by a Bolshevik tribunal for writing a poem deemed to encourage revolt. He manages to live a very full life over the next 40 years and helps others he meets along the way.
Some of my favorite insights/lessons from the book include:
"The Count reviewed the menu in reverse order as was his habit, having learned from experience that giving consideration to appetizers before entrées can only lead to regrets".
"For when life makes it impossible for a man to pursue his dreams, he will connive to pursue them anyway".
"Perhaps it is inescapable that when our lives are in flux, despite the comfort of our beds, we are bound to keep ourselves awake grappling with anxieties- no matter how great or small, how real or imagined".