Rules of Civility: A Novel [J0145]

2012 - PB With minor wear. 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. 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 recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "The characters, the imagery, the JAZZ! This book was beautiful and eloquently written. I can’t wait to read more by this author. I didn’t expect to cry on the last page of the epilogue, but here we are."; "Loved it. Beautifully written story of emotionally complex and compelling characters, set in a post-depression vibrant New York. It started slow but once I got into it I stayed engaged till the end."; "I continue loving Towles' novels. It was fun to visit his first, which transports you to New York as a young woman navigates work and East Coast society."; "A bit slow paced for my tastes but this felt like 'capital L' Literature so I felt like it was good for my soul to read."