Book review | Table for Two by Amor Towles
Overall: Simply gorgeous. You know when you start a book and you think, ‘oh ok, this is it’? Well this was that. I adored every single page of this book.
Broken into two sections, New York, and Los Angeles, Table for Two by Amor Towles (A Gentleman in Moscow, The Lincoln Highway) is a collection of short stories and one longer novella. Each short story is bursting with personality, and Towles immediately pulls you into his characters; you can’t help but fall in love with each and every one of them, whether endearing or complex. The author is absolutely brilliant and this book is funny and sweet.
There is a formality to his writing, and yet it has so much warmth. He manages to break down the banality of everyday life and the human condition with clever stories and weave life lessons through each one. Towles helps you realize that life really can be beautiful.
I’ve jotted down a few of my thoughts on each short story below in hopes of offering a glimpse into Table for Two.
The Line
A charming short story about a man named Pushkin, who during the Russian revolution; aspires to live a quiet life and finds joy in the mundane. Through the generosity of his spirit, good fortune is always finding him. I fell in love with this character, our hero. Sidenote - for our “Gentlemen in Moscow” lovers, a ‘blink and you will miss it’ easter egg reference to Hotel Metropol.
The Ballad of Timothy Touchett
How can one become a famous author when their life has been too easy, and they have no tragedy to draw inspiration from. His parents aren’t even divorced, meanwhile his hero Dostoevsky lived in Siberia! What a cruel irony.
Hasta Luego
Dear precious Smitty is a character so full of heart that he renews your faith in humanity. He teaches us the importance of being genuine in our interactions, and to be kind to strangers. Sadly, things aren’t always as they seem.
I Will Survive
At what lengths would you go to when you think your wealthy Park Avenue step father is having an affiar? A story of espionage, second chances and skating in Central Park.
The Bootlegger
A neurotic and insufferable New York investment banker decides to take matters into his own hands when he witnesses something untoward at Carnegie Hall. This story touches upon copyright infringement and the decorum of concert halls. Funny, heartbreaking with a satisfying ending.
The Didomenico Fragment
The story of an aging Upper East Sider who can no longer afford his former lavish lifestyle. We consider the provenance of art, and how wealth can diminish over the generations.
Eve in Hollywood
Finally, we have our novella. Towles takes his beloved character Eve from “Rules of Civility” and drops her into Hollywood circa 1939. Eve meets the iconic Olivia de Havilland just as she starts shooting Gone with the Wind, and the two become fast friends. As one very well knows, Hollywood can be corrupt, and has not been historically kind to women. Eve and her band of misfits avenge the women who were wronged.
In each story, our beloved characters are faced with a crossroads of sorts. For better of worse, decisions are made and lives are altered. Much of this book feels like a love letter to New York in a pre 9/11 world. These stories are meant to be cherished and shared between friends, at a ‘table for two’.
Get the book here.