The characters were always reading and discussing art and literature, which is always so much fun for me. There were so many literary allusions in this novel. I swear – I started talking like I was living during the 1930s for a while! Once we were solidly into the story, the metaphors and alliteration began to slow down and the author relied more on the story to set the scene, rather than writing techniques, which was most welcome. As I kept reading, it became clear that Towles was using those literary strategies to plop the reader down into this time period.

The first third is full of alliteration and metaphors that felt a bit over the top. I’ve seen this book raved about and was so excited to read it. A tragic accident shifts the course of their relationships and puts a wedge between the women that’s hard to navigate. The three hit it off and become inseparable, which creates some goodhearted competition between Katey and Eve. While at a jazz club with her best friend, Eve, she meets Tinker Grey – a handsome and obviously wealthy man. While not rich herself, she hobnobs with the very rich and glamorous as she makes her way through that NYC scene. Set in the late 30s, Katey Kontent (pronounced like the state of being, not the things included in something) is a young, single woman working in New York City and making it on her own. I bought Rules of Civility as an Amazon Daily Deal over winter and have been looking forward to diving into it for a while.

Amor towles the rules of civility