A Gentleman in Moscow, Week 4

Welcome to Week 4 of the Online Book Club discussion of A Gentleman in Moscow. 

What did you think of the ending? The book did not end like I thought it would, but I enjoyed it anyway. 

I enjoyed reading about Sofia and her musical journey. It was cool that she was able to have so many experiences with piano and school, even though her guardian was not able to leave the hotel. I think she ended up having a pretty normal childhood, all things considered. It was really scary when the director of the Red October Youth Orchestra basically ordered Sofia to become part of his orchestra. I was really afraid that she was going to be taken away. Anna really came in clutch to save the day. Did Rostov just not want Sofia to go to Stalingrad because she would be far away? Or do you think he worried she would become part of the Soviet machine and never be the same? I bet it was a little bit of both. 

A really surprising thing in this section was that Rostov confessed that his friend Mishka, who died in this section, was actually the one to write the poem that made Rostov famous and saved his life. I was shocked by that! I guess it makes sense, then, why he never wrote any other poems! 

I was really confused when Rostov started to break into rooms and take random things. I couldn't figure out what he was trying to do. I just never expected that he was going to have Sofia defect and that he, himself, would leave the hotel. That was so surprising to me. I felt like if he were going to leave, he would have already left, but it makes sense that Sofia getting older would make him feel more of a sense of urgency. Sofia was so brave to follow through with the plan. I couldn't believe how she was able to keep such a level head and was able to do everything she was supposed to do. She really was well-prepared. I was also really surprised that Rostov gave Sofia information to pass along to the American, Richard. I never thought that Rostov would actually be a spy. He must have really believed that what they were doing was wrong. 

What did you think of the scene near the end between the Bishop and the Count? I was actually surprised that Rostov didn't shoot and kill the Bishop. It was surprising how the Bishop nursed his grudge of Rostov throughout the book. He was determined to find something to get Rostov arrested. What do you think he would have done if Rostov had not locked him up? Do you think Rostov would have been able to escape? Rostov's escape was really ingenious. He really thought through every detail to throw the investigators off of his trail. He was really lucky that Viktor agreed to help him out. Would you have been able to come up with a plan that clever? 

What did you make of the very end? I was really surprised that he didn't meet up with Sofia. But, I guess it would have been really hard for him to leave the country. But, at least now, he is in the countryside, near where his family home once stood. It was really sad that the home was burned down. But, he didn't seem that upset about it. I'm sure he expected something like that would happen. And, you took the last lines to mean that he was meeting up with Anna, right? What other woman with hair tinged in gray would be waiting for him? It's nice that she and he were able to stay together throughout it all. What do you think they will end up doing? How do you think the rest of their lives will play out? Do you think they will ever be able to reunite with Sofia? 

What parts of this last section stood out the most to you? Would you recommend the book to a friend? If you liked the book and would like to read or watch similar titles, check out this list I created. Make sure to let me know if you check out anything on the list!

Thanks for reading along with me this month! Next month, we're reading a perfect book for October--the young adult classic, Twilight! I hope you'll come back next month and follow along with us! I look forward to hearing from you in the comments!