Rules of Civility

 

by Pa Rock

Reader

American author Amor Towels has published three novels ("Rules of Civility" in 2011, "A Gentleman in Moscow" in 2016, and "The Lincoln Highway" in 2021) which I just completed in an inverse order, and he has also published a couple of collections of stories, one of which consists of tales about Eve, a character who was initially developed in "Rules of Civility."  I have yet to read the story collections.

"Rules of Civility" was my cross-country, summer read.  I began it in North Carolina, continued reading in Missouri, and completed the novel a few days ago in Oregon.

Towels is an amazing writer whose elegant prose is a joy to read and whose clever craftsmanship builds stories that wash through the emotions like ocean swells.  Taking the time to become lost in one of his works is a wonderful diversion from the hard realities of life on a schedule.

"Rules of Civility," Towles' first novel, but the one which I read last, essentially describes life in what would have been New York City's jet set - if there had been jet travel in the 1930's.  It has the color and flavoring of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," with Tom and Daisy being replaced a decade or so later by Katey and Eve and their many friends and suitors.  It is a tale of a pair of secretaries who move beyond their station in life and eventually have a significant impact upon those of the upper echelons of New York society.

The novel primarily takes place in the late 1930's as the Great Depression is coming to an end and the nation is ginning up the economy with the production of military goods to help our European allies in the Second World War.  Many of Towels' characters seemed to have escaped the worst ravages of the Depression and had lived an extended version of the Roaring Twenties up through the end of the following decade.   But the world was rapidly changing, and the social elites' encounters with working people like Katey and Eve served as an illustration of the social and economic realignments that were emerging during that time.

I will not give away any of the plot other than to say that "Rules of Civility" is a wonderful excursion into a bygone era, and for those who relish great writing and grand story-telling, it is a trip not to be missed.  This is one that will stay with you for a very long time.

Highly recommended.