I picked this up on the reputation Mr Towles built with his fantastic A Gentleman in Moscow, to keep me company during treatment. The book does not disappoint: it has Mr Towles characteristic gracious writing style and a story set in a time among a class of people that lends an air of dignity to the whole thing. As the predecessor to the novel that made him famous, it is an interesting study in Mr. Towles working on perfecting his art and trade. The book never quite hits the operatic high notes of the ‘Moscow Gentleman’, but there are all the glimpses of the potential: like hearing someone young on the piano or violin, instantly recognizing the potential of their raw un-finessed talent and the belief they are headed for greatness if only they continue to persist.

In one sentence: Rules of Civility is a mellower (and better written) Great Gtasby. There might be more apt comparisons but my knowledge of literature set in 1930’s NYC is limited. Written in the voice of Kate, a smart, witty, well read, aspiring social climber in her mid twenties, the book dwells on a fateful year 1938 for Kate and the friends and acquaintances she makes that year: all mostly part of the one percent of the time. There are parallels to be drawn with characters in The Great Gatsby, (Tinker → Jay Gatsby?) and events with a life altering car crash early on in the book, questions on the provenance of the wealth of some, romantic triangles etc.

Not unexpectedly, the events of the story mostly unfold at swanky social establishments— fancy restaurants, exclusive clubs, ritzy apartment buildings, luxurious vacation homes and splashy parties for the rich and famous with never ending champagne towers. Cocktails flow generously throughout the book —there’s  seldom anyone without a drink in any page of the book, at all times of the day and circumstance, making me wonder about the special metabolic abilities of their livers, more than once, since characters seem to make it to their sixties in good health! Mr Towles seems strangely fascinated by characters who love their drink and never fails to detail their consumption! 

The events of that year, the romantic and career aspirations + entanglements, and the resulting decisions made by the characters, define their lives to come for a long time: they set the stage for Kate’s own eventual ascendancy to the top of the social ladder: from secretary at a legal concern to life in a “doorman apartment”. As Kate says towards the end: