Rules of Civility

2013 Longlist

This sophisticated and entertaining first novel presents the story of a young woman whose life is on the brink of transformation. On the last night of 1937, twenty-five-year-old Katey Kontent is in a second-rate Greenwich Village jazz bar when Tinker Grey, a handsome banker, happens to sit down at the neighboring table. This chance encounter and its startling consequences propel Katey on a year-long journey into the upper echelons of New York society-where she will have little to rely upon other than a bracing wit and her own brand of cool nerve. With its sparkling depiction of New York’s social strata, its intricate imagery and themes, and its immensely appealing characters, Rules of Civility won the hearts of readers and critics alike.

(From Publisher)

About the Author

Amor Towles was born and raised just outside Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated from Yale University and received an MA in English from Stanford University, where he was a Scowcroft Fellow. He is a Principal at an investment firm in Manhattan, where he lives with his wife and two children.

Librarians’ Comments

Amor Towles evokes New York City of the 1930s with witty dialogue, cigarettes and jazz clubs. When the heroine, Katey Kontent, is asked what her ambitions are she replies “they’re revolving”. This could be said of most of the characters whose ambitions lead to unusual and memorable lives.

Reminiscent of Fitzgerald, wonderful period piece set in New York City in the 1930s.