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Table for Two by Amor Towles

Amor Towles has become one of those must buy authors for me, so I had to get this on release. There were a few ahead of it in my TBR so I’m only getting around to it now. Glad I did, though it means I only have ‘The Lincoln Highway’ to go. Might ration that until later in the year.

There’s an old world elegance to his books, a lot of wit and charm and unforgettable characters such as Count Alexander from ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ to Evelyn Ross from ‘Rules of Civility’ , who features in the novella of this collection, which also includes six short stories.

Eve in Holywood

We last seen Eve leaving New York, on her way to Chicago, her parents waiting at the station. A conversation on the train (like many of the interactions in the book, taking place at table for two) sees her heading for LA where she soon finds herself hanging out with forgotten movie stars at Beverly Hills hotel pools. And it’s not long before she meets one of the leading ladies of Hollywood, before becoming embroiled in a seedy, noirish tale from the dark side of Tinseltown.

The story is told from six different perspective, including a retired cop and an overweight actor faded and forgotten, all linked to the indefatigable Eva, who has a nose for both trouble and opportunity, putting herself in the midst of the action. As the power shifts between the various men in this story, it’s Eva who is always one step ahead of them.

She knows where to place her trust and can see though the motivations of others. Underestimate this ‘damaged blonde’ at your peril - What a character, and of course she has all the best lines. I’d love to think we haven’t heard the last of her, and if only she could cross paths with the count! I think the literary world would shift from its axis if that happened.

Short Stories

Towles is a master at recreating time and place, so it’s a pleasure to spend time again in 1920’s Moscow in ‘The line’, following a peasant called Pushkin to New York. ‘The Ballad of Timothy Touchett’ is also set in an antiquarian bookshop in New York, as a an aspiring writing sees and opportunity to make his mark in the literary world.

I really enjoyed ‘Hasta Luego’ which starts of in an airport queue and made me think of one of my favourite movies, ‘Planes, trains and automobiles.’ ‘The Didomeneco fragment’ sees a man trying to inveigle a relative out of a family heirloom, whilst ‘The Bootlegger’ is an emotive tale concerns some secretive activities in Carnegie hall. ‘I will survive’ sees a young woman on the trail of her stepfather who is suspected of having an affair, with surprising results.

Whilst some of the stories are connected by location - four of them are set in New York - all of the stories feature characters sitting around having a conversation central to the events. It allows for plenty of sparking wit, something Towles excels at.

Summary

It’s impossible to write a review of an Amor Towles book without mentioning style or sophistication and this one is no different - the stories in ‘Table for two’ have it in spades. He’s a master craftman of fine historical fiction, exploring human foibles with believable, detailed characters. Beautifully written stories full of verve. If I have a criticism it’s that I wish these stories were longer - I wanted to see what become of Pushkin.

I’ll buy anything he writes and am looking forward to ‘Lincoln Highway’ later in the year, if I can wait that long.

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451 Pages published by Random House April 2, 2024