The novel is thin on plot being driven by the characters and their changing circumstances. Born and raised in the boston area, amor towles graduated from yale college and received an ma in english from stanford university. Rules of civility by readbook 12 october 2017 what they said about rules of civility. Rules of civility is a book to draw discussion on so many levels, the lyrical writing, the defined characters, the complete conjuring up of 1930s new york and the moral dilemmas a. The main characters of this fiction, historical story are katey kontent, tinker grey. On the last night of 1937, twentyfiveyearold katey kontent is in a secondrate greenwich village jazz bar when tinker grey, a handsome. June 27, 2012 amor towles debuts with a crisp, 1930s manhattan love story. Impossibly glamorous, rules of civility takes in 1930s new york with a dry martini and a side order of sharptongued wit. Its interesting to note that the title is derived from george washingtons rules of civility and decent behavior in. This novel is less riveting, with a more circumspect plotline, but no less beautiful and poetic in its writing. Catherine, the protagonist of rules, is a normal twelveyearold girl dealing with the universal preteen issues of friendships. Though shes intrigued by tinker, she is too leery of his character to pursue a romantic involvement. If you are interested, there is additional content regarding rules of civility at including brief essays. If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel that.
Katey kontent is the main character in rules of civility. Aug 14, 2011 in towless first novel, rules of civility, his clever heroine, who grew up in brooklyn as katya, restyles herself in 1930s manhattan as the more clubbable katey, aspiring to. Did you find her relatable even though her story takes place 75 years ago. Katey kontent katey is the narrator and main character of the story. This study guide consists of approximately 53 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of rules of civility. This is a coming of age tale for people in their twenties, as it explores aspirations.
On the last night of 1937, twentyfiveyearold katey kontent. George washingtons rules of civility and decent behavior. What follows are some questions for discussion that might have surfaced in my reading group. Rules of civility amor towles character analysis studypool. With love at its heart love lost, regained, betrayed and shared, this book is so much more than the sum of its parts as it takes in ambition. But the characters are beautifully drawn, the dialogue is sharp and towles avoids the period nostalgia and sentimentality to which a lesser writer might succumb. Published in 2011, rules of civility is american author amor towles acclaimed debut novel. His second novel, a gentleman in moscow, published in 2016, was also a new york times bestseller and. Protagonist of story, narrator, goes through a serious of different groups to find herself. Rules of civility follows a young woman climbing the ranks of new york society as the city and its residents recover from the great depression. Rules of civility from the new york timesbestselling author of a gentleman in moscow, a sharply stylish boston globe book for mom on mothers day about a young woman in postdepression era new york who suddenly finds herself thrust into high societynow with over one million readers worldwideon the last night of 1937, twentyfiveyearold katey kontent is in a secondrate greenwich. From the new york timesbestselling author of a gentleman in moscow, a sharply stylish boston globe book for mom on mothers day about a young woman in postdepression era new york who suddenly finds herself thrust into high societynow with over one million readers worldwide on the last night of 1937, twentyfiveyearold katey kontent is in a secondrate. All is moving along well, if slowly with the film version of rules of civility. Towles books where it was mentioned with high marks.
Presumably they were copied out as part of an exercise in penmanship assigned by. In the fall of 2012, the novel was optioned to be made into a feature film. None of the characters in the book are based on anyone in particular. Aug 25, 2011 the core plot of rules of civility solves the various mysteries surrounding tinker, but the books heartbeat is kateys voice brassy, nononsense, acutely observant. The pace is also slow, so its recommended for book clubs that enjoy a literary read. We both quickly purchased towless 2011 novel, rules of civility, and, just as quickly, both copies settled in for a long sit in our tbr piles. The prologue to this novel takes place at an exhibition of photographs by walker evans in 1966. Rules of civility by amor towles book club discussion.
Kate kontent the main character and narrator of rules of civility, kate, whose given name is really katya, came from a hardscrabble background in brooklyn, but. Rules of civility amor towles, 2011 penguin group usa 352 pp. At the outset, rules of civility appears to be about the interrelationship between katey, tinker and eve. In towless first novel, rules of civility, his clever heroine, who grew up in brooklyn as katya, restyles herself in 1930s manhattan as the more clubbable katey, aspiring to. Katey is in late middle age when the narrative opens with the prologue. Rules of civility major character analysis supersummary. I worried initially that the reissue of rona jaffes the best of everything had slightly stolen rules of civilitys thunder. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read rules of civility. After seeing tinker at chinoisserie, katey indicts george washingtons rules of civility as a doityourself charm school. Rules of civility starts off slowly, the story of a young woman making her way in new york city in 1938, but with enough interesting details that i found it absorbing. When she needs time alone, she visits churches between services. Climbing the manhattan social ladder in rules of civility.
We are around the same age as the main character, katey. The three main characters are fascinating and the reader knows full well that the choices made are wrong but somewhat understood. His first novel, rules of civility, published in 2011, was a new york times bestseller, as was his second novel, a gentleman in moscow, which was published in septemeber of 2016. Jul 15, 2011 i worried initially that the reissue of rona jaffes the best of everything had slightly stolen rules of civility s thunder. They are based on a set of rules composed by french jesuits in 1595. Set in new york city in 1938, rules of civility tells the story of a watershed year in the life of an uncompromising twentyfiveyearold named katey kontent. Armed with little more than a formidable intellect, a bracing wit, and her own brand of cool nerve, katey embarks on a journey from a wall street secretarial pool through the upper echelons of new york society in search of a brighter future. The plucky heroine of rules of civility climbs the manhattan social ladder in 1938. If id read rules of civility first, i wouldnt have chosen to read another book by the same author and would have missed out on a gentleman in moscow, which would have been a tragic loss. We found ourselves imagining the key characters as certain actors while we were reading, and decided to outline our dream cast for the film version of rules of civility for you here. Are dicky vanderwhile, wallace wolcott, bitsy, peaches, hank and anne grandyn as essential to kateys story as tinker and eve. Now, they are in the process of trying to find the perfect actress to portray. Oct 12, 2017 rules of civility by readbook 12 october 2017 what they said about rules of civility. Katey and her friend, eve ross, strike up a friendship with tinker grey, a charming young man.
Rules of civility character list by chapter book companion. Rules of civility is a book to draw discussion on so many levels, the lyrical writing, the defined characters, the complete conjuring up of 1930s new york and the moral dilemmas a definite reading group thumbs up. Towles lives in manhattan with his wife and two children. Are dicky vanderwhile, wallace wolcott, bitsy, peaches, hank, and anne grandyn as essential to kateys story as tinker and. It tells the story of kate, a wise and wellread working girl, who suddenly finds herself maneuvering through the sparkling upper echelons of high society. A sort of how to win friends and influence people 150 years ahead of its time. Nov 29, 2018 rules of civility, his first novel, was published in 2011 and then his second and only other novel, a gentleman in moscow, was published in 2016. Free download or read online rules of civility pdf epub book. Not coincidentally, the book opens on new years eve and ends a year later. But dicky sees some nobility in tinkers aspiration to washingtons rules. So in launching a new book, i decided it would be a distinctive first person narrative. The core plot of rules of civility solves the various mysteries surrounding tinker, but the books heartbeat is kateys voice brassy, nononsense, acutely observant. All 51 characters in rules of civility are listed by chapter along with each character s description.
Rules of civility by amor towles discussion questions. At the outset, rules of civility appears to be about the interrelationship between katey, tinker, and eve. Though shes intrigued by tinker, she is too leery of his character to. Presumably they were copied out as part of an exercise in penmanship assigned by young washingtons schoolmaster. Its interesting to note that the title is derived from george washingtons rules of civility and decent behavior in company and conversation. But the story was rather rambling and i found it hard to really engage fully with the characters. Pdf rules of civility book by amor towles free download. With its sparkling depiction of new yorks social strata, its intricate imagery and themes, and its immensely appealing characters, rules of civility won the hearts of readers and critics alike. Rules of civility at including brief essays on walker evans and jazz. I suppose you cant rush a good thing, but i hope it doesnt take five years for the release of his next novel. His first novel, rules of civility, published in 2011, was a new york times bestseller and was named by the wall street journal as one of the best books of 2011. The characters in amor towless first novel try to reinvent themselves in 1930s new york.
Last summer emily and i fell in love with a gentleman in moscow by amor towles, and, as a result, were desperate to get our hands on anything else he had written. Climbing the manhattan social ladder in rules of civility aarp. Apr 01, 20 our book for this month is amor towles novel rules of civility. Rules of civility is the authors first book, and although it is superbly written, his third book, a gentleman in moscow 2016, is the one worthy of 5 stars. After a few weeks of preparation, i started rules of civility on january 1, 2006 and wrapped it up 365 days later. Reading guide five years ago, three friends and i set out to read some of the great books or those works of literature which would merit rereading several times over the course of our lives. Hear why rules of civility is our book of the summer. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 335 pages and is available in hardcover format. Jan, 2012 impossibly glamorous, rules of civility takes in 1930s new york with a dry martini and a side order of sharptongued wit.
So, if youve come this far, i owe you my heartfelt thanks. Here are some basic questions to get a book club discussion going i mean, lets try not to gossip the whole time. Driver, says secondary character bitsy, find madison avenue and start driving up it. The first edition of the novel was published in july 26th 2011, and was written by amor towles. Our book for this month is amor towles novel rules of civility. Discussion questions for rules of civility by amor. All 51 characters in rules of civility are listed by chapter along with each characters description. Are dicky vanderwhile, wallace wolcott, bitsy, peaches, hank and anne grandyn as essential to. Rules of civility is the tale of one woman, katey kontent, and four of the people who greatly influence her manhattan life in 1937 1938.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. With beautifully realized characters and a razorsharp plot, towles captures the jazzera fizz of 1930s manhattan and the reckless confidence of youth. From the new york timesbestselling author of a gentleman in moscow, a sharply stylish boston globe book for mom on mothers day about a young woman in postdepression era new york who suddenly finds herself thrust into high societynow with over one million readers worldwide. The book was rated by the wall street journal as one of the ten best works of fiction in 2011. Armed with little more than a formidable intellect, a bracing wit, and her own brand of cool nerve, katey embarks on a journey from a wall.
Featured content includes commentary on major characters, 25 important quotes, essay topics, and key themes like choice and the photographic encounter. The story then flashes back to new years eve in 1937, when katey is in her mid20s. Aug 31, 2011 rules of civility is a great deal of fun. Set at the end of the 1930s during the great depression, the narrative follows spunky. Rules of civility book chicago public library bibliocommons. The three main characters are fascinating and the reader knows full well that the choices made are. That is until by chance this summer, emily decided to dust off her copy. Jul 09, 2018 rules of civility was a fun and absorbing book. Everything about this novel, set in 1930s new york, is achingly stylish from the authors name to the slinky jacket design. The story then flashes back to new years eve in 1937, when katey is in her mid 20s. I know many of you have read rules of civility tracy. Rules of civility is a beautifully written novel set in postdepression new york city. Rules of civility on apple books apple books apple apple. Analysis and discussion of characters in cynthia lords rules.