Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

Despite the rave reviews it has been receiving, I did not particularly like Rules of Civility. The premise was interesting--the changes in the lives of three characters (Katey, Eve, and Tinker) during the year 1938 in New York City. It's a good setting for the book because the country was undergoing great change too as the Depression was coming to an end and World War II was breaking out in Europe. And that aspect of the book worked for me.

The main problem was that I didn't like any of the main characters. Katey seemed to be the best of the bunch. She had her head on straight most of the time and seemed dedicated to advancing her career through hard work. But she also spent alot of time flitting around with the hard-drinking high-society set, which she was introduced to through Tinker. And that seemed kind of out of character for her. She also had an awful lot of romantic relationships in one year for someone who on the surface seemed so level-headed.

Another problem was that characters who had been briefly mentioned earlier in the book popped up again much later--and I had a hard time remembering exactly who they were or why I should care. Though that may have been because it took me so long to finish this relatively short (300 pages) book.

My sister liked this book a lot and many of the reviewers loved this book. So maybe it just wasn't my cup of tea. Mr. Towles does write well so I will probably check out his next book.