“This was an engrossing and realistic look at one year in Kate's life - a year at the end of the Depression, on the cusp of World War II, in a time when New York was the mecca for young women who wanted to be successful...or at least cohort with the rich and aimless.
Rules of Civility follows the life of Kate during the year of 1938. On December 31, 1937, she and her friend Eve find themselves at a club, hoping to find a man who will buy them a few drinks and maybe even a meal. Enter Tinker. Tinker is rich, befriends the girls, and eventually drives them apart. A host of interesting characters enter and leave Kate's life and she moves up the career and social ladders. Each of the people impact her life in a different manner and some are easier to forget than others.
This was a wonderfully written and descriptive story! I could see the shabbily glamorous dresses that aspired to be more than they really were, hear the swinging jazz music that permeated the smoke and gin soaked bars, and feel the wistfulness when remembering your past loves.
Towles not only created multi-faceted and intriguing characters, but also set them against the descriptive back-drop of New York City at a time when the city seemed untarnished - a place where anyone could go to re-invent themselves - and yet everyone was scrambling to reach the top using whatever method available. I enjoyed the interweaving of actual events (Pasteurized won the Belmont Stakes, thousands of people were captivated by the dramatic suicide of John William Warde, etc.) that lended an air of realism.
An excellent book to read at the beginning of a new year and, if I would have gotten it just a few days earlier, would have definitely make my top 10 list for 2011! ”
Nicole R wrote this review Monday, January 2, 2012.
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