I stayed in bed until a leisurely noon or afterwards today, finishing up this book:

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Briefly, Rules of Civility by Amor Towles is about (more generally) the highs and lows of society in Manhattan in the last 1930s and (more subtly) youth, social status, glamour, choices, nostalgia, and opportunity.

The heroine is Katey Kontent, who is almost immediately likable, a trait that carries itself to the very last page. She navigates her Manhattan world with guts and ambition and never looks back with regret. This protagonist, though, is not the only reason I enjoyed this book so much. Here are some of the other high points:

Meri’s Rules of Readability (my favorite parts of Rules of Civility):

• The names: Katey/Katya, Teddy/Tinker, Dicky, Wellie, Wallace, Valentine, Evelyn/Eve, Anne Grandyn… I think I’d read this book for the names alone.
• The chapter “Neverland.” Its about paper airplanes. Very sophisticated, intricate paper airplanes. There is more meaning behind it than I just described, but the superficial descriptions are just as awesome.
• Katey. I’ve said it already, but there is pretty much nothing negative about the main character. She’s ambitious without being money or power hungry, she’s down-to-earth (amazed every time someone calls her out on her awesomeness) and she has integrity without being judgmental. She’s an incredibly loyal friend but stands up for herself. Hell, I kind of want to BE her. Plus, her name sounds sort of like a spy, does it not?
• The Glamour. Sort of a post Gatsby pre Mad Men urban glamour oozes from every page of this book. I enjoyed dipping into this world of nightclubs, diners, high rises and country homes and never came up for air until I finished the last page.
• It’s Readability. This is not an “intellectual snobs” book, I don’t imagine. Its a very quick read (I finished it before it was due to the library a week before Christmas, as proof). It sucks you in, has half of the dialogue written as a play, and gives multi perspectives in a pretty modern way, I think. I think I’d recommend it to just about anyone with its wide appeal.

Have you read Rules of Civility? What are you reading these days? Who is your favorite literary protagonist or character?

Meri