Rules of Civility
Book description
From the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Lincoln Highway and A Gentleman in Moscow, a “sharply stylish” (Boston Globe) book about a young woman in post-Depression era New York who suddenly finds herself thrust into high society—now with over one million readers worldwide
On the last night of…
Why read it?
4 authors picked Rules of Civility as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
It’s 1966 at a Museum of Modern Art’s opening of new street photography of Walker Evans, taken in the 1930s. As to be expected, the attendees are the rich and powerful social elite on Manhattan, including a late middle-aged couple. As they stroll through the gallery, looking at the photos, the wife suddenly freezes, as she realized that the photo of what at the time was called a hobo, from 1939, was that of her friend Tinker Grey, who by then was clearly living rough.
As the couple was leaving the museum, the husband saw another photo of Grey, but…
I loved A Gentleman from Moscow and my friend said yes that’s great but you have to try Rules of Civility. So glad I did!
I was certainly transported to the Jazz Age, martinis, and a heroine who was going to conquer the world. I loved the writing, the turns of phrases, and felt nothing but delight the entire time I read it. Loved descriptions of Manhattan in the 1930s.
Although dipping into glamorous strata of New York society, the friendship dynamics reminded me of the period of adulthood where you start to make your way in the world… Often it involves new jobs or new cities and sometimes women discover the people they thought were close friends are not. Parallel journeys of female friends can put them into tension where paths diverge and taking space is the only solution. Here, avid reader Katey is moving beyond her humble beginnings by talent and character alone, while room-mate Eve is escaping her privilege and family ties; their agendas blend well for…
From Kate's list on realistic female friendships in challenging times.
The very rich and those who are fighting to stay so, as well as those who never will be, mingle together all wanting something from the other. This book transported me to a time where characters glittered, as did New York in 1928. But being vulnerable is a terrifying thing. They fight so hard to keep their champagne-infused house of cards from crumbling and even when it does, they lie and lie again to protect themselves and to protect the lie itself. It’s so bloody human.
From the second I started reading The Rules of Civility, I was all…
From Monica's list on flaw and failure making human beings so relatable.
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