“If a man does not master his circumstances then he is bound to be mastered by them.”
Amor Towles’ A Gentleman in Moscow is one of the most acclaimed Historical Fiction books from the past decade. The story follows a man who is forced to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel room. Elegantly drawn and vivid in its descriptions, Towles whisks readers back to the heart of revolutionary Russia. Count Alexander Rostov is sentenced to house arrest when he is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by the Bolsheviks, forced to live the remainder of his days in a solitary attic room in the Metropol Hotel across from the Kremlin. There, he is able to witness the next tumultuous decades of Russian history, delivering his observations with his infallible wit.
Towles’ work provides a cast of colourful characters and a doorway into a profound understanding of purpose, connectivity and inspiration, so why not follow up a readthrough with the best books like A Gentleman in Moscow at What We Reading?
The Lincoln Highway – Amor Towles
From the bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow and a nominee for Best Historical Fiction in the Goodreads Choice Awards, Amor Towles’ The Lincoln Highway follows eighteen-year-old Emmett Watson in the summer of 1954. Being driven home by the warden at the work farm where he’s just spent a year serving a sentence for involuntary manslaughter, he plans to pick up his brother and make a new life out West.
However, when two of his friends from the farm emerge from the boot of the car, a multiple-perspective tale spanning ten days takes readers on a dramatic journey spanning an array of richly imagined themes, settings and characters.
The Remains Of The Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
An all-time classic in the Historical Fiction genre, Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day is a compelling character study of an aloof and mannered butler. The book follows Stevens, a loyal butler at Darlington Hall and one of the last remaining professionals in his industry. Set in the summer of 1956, he embarks on a motoring journey across England’s West Country.
This six-day excursion becomes an emotional journey into Stevens, his housekeeper and his country that tackles everything from the rise of Fascism across the continent to the horrors of two World Wars. An extraordinary explosion that tackles awareness and humility, Ishiguro’s distinct haiku-writing style is at its absolute best in The Remains of the Day.
The Wall – Marlen Haushofer
One of the best books like A Gentleman in Moscow for capturing the beauty and importance of human connectivity and community, Marlen Haushofer’s The Wall remains an iconic piece of dystopian German literature.
The book follows an ordinary middle-aged woman who awakens one day to find herself as the last remaining human on the planet. Readers follow the woman as she journeys into the unknown, faced with the unimaginable physical and mental challenges that come with total isolation. A moving look meditation on humanity, Haushofer’s work explores how there can be meaning even in the most stripped-back of surroundings.
An Honest Man – Ben Fergusson
For another one of the best books like A Gentleman in Moscow that taps into the ideologies and extremities of the Soviet era, Ben Fergusson’s An Honest Man remains a must-read. Set in West Berlin in 1989, eighteen-year-old Ralf has just left school and is preparing for his final golden summer with his three best friends. Their days are spent smoking, swimming and daydreaming about their futures, unaware of the looming storm gathering on the other side of the Berlin Wall.
However, an encounter with the mysterious Oz and an unsettling discovery about his family soon threaten to upend Ralf’s entire world. Old Cold War tensions then lead to him being forced to make a series of impossible choices that will have irreversible repercussions on his family, his country and his heart.
The Long Take – Robin Robertson
Walker is a young Canadian who has been recently demobilised following his active service in the Normandy Landings and subsequent European campaigns during the final stages of the Second World War. Suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder from his ordeals, he’s not ready to face his family and return to civilian life in rural Nova Scotia.
Instead, he embarks on a tour in search of freedom, change, identity and repair. Told through a series of poems, he moves through post-war New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The Long Take is a 2018 historical fiction book like A Gentleman in Moscow by Robin Robertson that delivers a haunting, vivid and beautiful tale that follows a young man as he struggles to readjust to the crumbling world of the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
Remarkably Bright Creatures – Shelby Van Pelt
A Goodreads Award nominee for both Best Debut Novel and Best Fiction is a great book like A Gentleman in Moscow on the back of its poignant message of empathy, hope and community.
Author Shelby Van Pelt introduces protagonist Tova Sullivan, a woman who picks up a late-night job in an aquarium following the deaths of her son and husband. During her rounds of mopping the floors and tidying up, she begins to strike up a connection with the grumpy Pacific Octopus, Marcellus. Though he is a captive prisoner in his tank, Marcellus works to help Tova look into her past and find peace with her future.
Pachinko – Min Jin Lee
Like A Gentleman in Moscow, Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko is a Historical Fiction tale that follows a cast of characters across the turbulent early years of the twentieth century. Pachinko tells the story of a young woman named Sunja who falls in love with a wealthy stranger from near her home in Korea.
When she discovers she is pregnant, she refuses to be bought by the stranger and instead marries a sickly minister passing through on his way to Japan. Her decision leads to a series of profound changes that will ripple down through generations. With a rich tapestry of characters struggling to survive across all levels of imperial Japan, Pachinko stands out as one of the finest stories of sacrifice, ambition, love and loss.
Check Out The Best Books Like Pachinko
A Man Called Ove – Fredrik Backman
An international bestseller from Swedish author Fredrik Backman, A Man Called Ove introduces readers to a grumpy fifty-nine-year-old whose solitary life is turned upside down by his boisterous new neighbours.
The titularly named Ove is known as the bitter neighbour from hell, yet, through his new neighbours’ insistence on involving themselves in his life, he gradually begins to rediscover an appreciation for the power of togetherness, support and community. With an impressive amount of depth and detail behind its key message and themes, the character study that is Ove is sure to be a hit with anyone who loved Rostov’s scathing wit and observations.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
