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Rules of Civility

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Rules of Civility

By: Amor Towles
Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm, Rebecca Lowman
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About this listen

The unforgettable debut by the bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow and The Lincoln Highway

On the last night of 1937, twenty-five-year-old Katey Kontent is in a second-rate New York City jazz bar trying to stretch three dollars as far as it will go.

But a chance encounter with the handsome banker at the next table changes everything, opening the door to the upper echelons of New York society and a glittering new social circle. Plunged into a dizzy world of cocktail parties, sprawling mansions and glamorous magazine offices, Katey soon learns that there are rules to play by and riches can turn to rags in the trip of a heartbeat . . .

©2011 Amor Towles (P)2011 Penguin Audio 20th Century Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Urban Romance New York Witty Heartfelt

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Critic reviews

Terrific. A smart, witty, charming dry martini of a novel (David Nicholls, author of ONE DAY)
This is a flesh-and-blood tale you believe in, with fabulous period detail. It's all too rare to find a fun, glamorous, semi-literary tale to get lost in . . . While you're lost in the whirl of silk stockings, fur and hip flasks, all you care about is what Katey Kontent does next (Viv Groskop)
Who doesn't want to be transported to Thirties Manhattan? (Lucy Mangan, author of ARE WE HAVING FUN YET?)
All stars
Most relevant
Loved everything about it. Every time I opened the book, I was effortlessly immersed in the Manhattan of 1938.

The evocative writing.

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I loved the depiction of the era and the nods to Hemmingway, Fitzgerald etc. I did drift off at times, but was able to get back into. It wasn't a riveting read, but it did enough to keep me engaged. I would definitely recommend it as a book that passes the time and doesn’t overstay its welcome.

Enjoyable

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Elegant writing from combined with engaging narration created interesting characters. Loved the way he set the listener guessing, right from the beginning, about the fate of Tinker from the two portraits in the exhibition - just wonderful.

Magical

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I think the fact that this is so different to AGIM shows the fantastic range of this author. Reminiscent of Fitzgerald and lots of other literary references. Good pace and good listen/read but took concentration

The road to Kent

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Nice enough. Bit disappointed as I loved his other books. It does give a flavour of New York.

Not as good as his other books

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