Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

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 . . .

PRAISE FOR AMOR TOWLES

'Towles is not a one trick pony. Like all the best storytellers, he has range'

Bill Gates

'He makes it all seem effortless'

Tana French

'A masterful writer'

Washington Times

'One of the best of today's historical novelists'

Express

'A supreme storyteller'

Publishers Weekly

Review

Achingly stylish . . . [a] witty, slick production, replete with dark intrigue, period details, and a suitably Katharine Hepburn-like heroine ― Guardian

Terrific. A smart, witty, charming dry martini of a novel -- David Nicholls, author of ONE DAY

Gripping and beautiful ― Sunday Times

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 ― Observer

Irresistible . . . A cross between Dorothy Parker and Holly Golightly, Katey Kontent is a priceless narrator in her own right - the brains of a bluestocking with the legs of a flapper and the mores of Carrie Bradshaw ― Daily Telegraph

Jazz-age New York is the setting for martinis and girls on the make in Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. As glamorous as it is gut-wrenching, this is [a] must-read ― ELLE

Rules is more of an homage to an era, a ballsy treat of a novel with a pinch of mystery and oh so many neat one-liners ― The Times

Impossibly glamorous . . . Towles conjures up vintage New York so marvellously that it made me feel nostalgic for a place I've never been to ― The Times

Set against a soundtrack of clinking glasses and saxophones, the book is a love letter to the city and the era, so confidently written it instantly plunges you into Thirties New York. Towles creates a narrative that sparkles with sentences so beautiful you'll stop and re-read them. A delicious and memorable novel that will leave you wistful - and desperate for a martini ― Stylist

Amor Towles' stylish, elegant and deliberately anachronistic debut novel transports readers back to Manhattan in 1938 . . . Filled with snappy dialogue, sharp observations and an array of terrifically drawn characters . . . Glittering ― NPR

A fizzy, finely observed tale . . . It's also a loving evocation of the chance social alchemy of Village jazz joints, Wall Street coffee shops, Midtown Champagne palaces, and Lower East Side former speakeasies ― New York Times Book Review

It's the Depression, and a gal Friday with a mouth like Dorothy Parker's is dallying with the smart set . . . turns out she's not the only climber. A joyride through the ups and downs of 1930s high society ― Good Housekeeping

If the unthinkable happened and I could never read another new work of fiction . . . I'd simply re-read this sparkling, stylish book, with yet another round of martinis as dry as the author's wit ― Herald

Who doesn't want to be transported to Thirties Manhattan? -- Lucy Mangan, author of ARE WE HAVING FUN YET?

Rattles along at the pace of a riotous night out in the book's vividly evoked Manhattan. It is atmospheric, satisfying Great Gatsby-lite complete with fish-out-of-water first-person narration, country house parties and a fabulously wealthy male protagonist who is not all that he seems ― The Times

Elegance and hardship drip off the page ― Daily Mail

This book feels special . . . Towles was born to write ― Sun Herald

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sceptre (5 January 2012)

Language ‏ : ‎ English

Paperback ‏ : ‎ 368 pages

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1444708872

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1444708875

Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 260 g

Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13 x 2.2 x 19.7 cm

Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ United Kingdom