Table for Two by Amor Towles

#161: Who are your "auto buy" authors?

Hello readers,

I want to thank everyone who reached out last week with heartfelt condolences about my grandfather. It was so nice to receive texts, emails, and comments and hear memories of your grandparents. It meant a lot to me, so thank you.

Amor Towles is on my short list of “auto buy” authors. I will buy whatever this guy writes, sometimes multiple copies depending on the edition. When his newest book released back in April, I went in early to my local bookstore in Lafayette (The Read Queen - check it out, it’s awesome!) to pick it up.

Sitting at a table for two on the day I purchased Table for Two

Table for Two is a collection of 6 short stories and one novella. The short stories are all unique with no connection to his other books that I could discern. The novella, “Eve in Hollywood,” is a continuation of Evelyn Ross’s story from his 2011 novel Rules of Civility.

I enjoyed each short story and was once again charmed by Towles’ ability to get me invested immediately. He’s so good at introducing characters and situations that are unique yet familiar. The pages turned easily for me.

Below I will touch on the stories, without spoilers, and conclude with a review of “Eve in Hollywood.”

“The Line”

Pushkin is a typical Towles protagonist with a heart of gold. A simple farmer who relocates to Moscow with his wife Irina during the Russian Revolution. Her fervor for communism lands her a job in a factory, while Pushkin’s patient demeanor doesn’t seem to have a place in the new regime.

He finds himself out of work and standing in lines for daily rations. Whether it’s for bread, cabbage, or coffee, Pushkin stands in the line. As he strikes up conversation and befriends those standing with him, his story takes him places far beyond the front of any line.

In typical Towles fashion, a seemingly mundane premise is given vibrant life. I was rooting for Pushkin until the very last page, and I’ll never look at standing in lines the same again.

“The Ballad of Timothy Touchett”

Timothy Touchett, struggling writer, misunderstood artist, lands a job with Mr. Pennybrook, a gregarious bookseller who discovers Touchett has a very particular skill and a particularly weak will. Exploitation ensues.

This story would work well as a full-length novel and left me wanting more adventures of Timothy Touchett. He has a great alliterate name for a hero, villain, or a little of both.

“Hasta Luego”

Two strangers, Jerry and Smitty, meet for drinks at a hotel bar after their flights are canceled. What starts as a seemingly harmless night of one round after another ends up in a place that is impossible to foresee.

The depths of humanity are on full display in this story. I related to Jerry, I related to Smitty, and I found myself asking the questions: “How far would I be willing to go for a complete stranger? How hard would I be willing to fight for my spouse? How hard would she be willing to fight for me?” I loved how this one ended, just loved it.

“I Will Survive”

Recently remarried Peggy suspects her new husband John of infidelity. She asks her daughter Nell to follow him and find out. Once again, you will never guess what is actually going on.

I’m running out of words to describe these stories! For this one I think ‘tragedy’ works best. It’s beautiful, sad, and speaks to the limits of what humans can handle emotionally.

“The Bootlegger”

He had sat in the fifth row at Carnegie Hall for every Saturday night in April because, as a Manhattanite in his midthirties with a six-figure salary and an Ivy League education, that’s what he thought he should be doing. Just as he should be buying custom suits from boutique tailors and French wines at fine restaurants. But in a humbling manner, fate had brought him face-to-face with the devoted, the committed, the impassioned.

Investment banker Tommy Harkness and retiree Arthur Fein have a run-in at Carnegie Hall that changes their lives.

I won’t say more other than if you only read one of these stories, this is the one to read. The way Towles describes the feeling of listening to a particular piece of music was evocative. He couldn’t have picked a more effective combination words and it made me want to rush out to the symphony.

---

“Eve in Hollywood”

A majority of the stories described above share a love for the arts that is oh so lovely. Whether it’s classical music, painting, old books, or even handwriting, it’s almost as if Towles wants to write about all the things he loves. And he writes about them in his signature elegant style.

“Eve in Hollywood” has a different vibe. Set in LA in 1938 during the golden age of Hollywood, it’s a hard-boiled detective story starring Evelyn Ross from Rules of Civility. She takes actress Olivia de Havilland under her wing and, with the help of a colorful cast of characters, protects her from the nefarious designs of evil men.

While a continuation of Evvie’s story from Rules of Civility, this novella is as different from the tone and style of that novel as the LA skyline is from NYC’s. It’s violent and suspenseful and takes unexpected turns. I loved it.

I want more adventures of Eve, the no-nonsense amateur detective who outwits bad actors and protects the helpless. I gotta give a shoutout to Rebecca Lowman, audio narrator of Rules of Civility. While I didn’t listen to “Eve in Hollywood,” I still heard her voice in my head whenever Eve spoke.

That’s all from me this week. Who are some of your auto-buy authors? I’d love to hear!

Thanks for reading,

Kyle

If you enjoy Bite Size Reviews, please consider subscribing or sharing!