Rules of Civility by Amor Towles: Summary & Notes
by Amor Towles
In One Sentence
In 1938 New York, a chance encounter changes everything for Katey Kontent—a novel about class, ambition, and the choices that define who we become.
Key Takeaways
- Chance encounters can redirect entire lives
- Class and money shape but don't determine character
- The choices we make define us more than circumstances
- New York in the 1930s: glamour and ambition
- Friendship and loyalty tested by success
- We become who we choose to be
Summary
A period novel set in New York in 1937, the book recounts the most formative year of the main character's life.
The book has been compared to The Great Gatsby, and for good reason. You're transported to the glamorous New York of the early 20th century, and the world of wealthy New Yorkers.
The title comes from George Washington's Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation.
The writing is easy and stylish, and the book is a joy to read.
Who Should Read This Book
- Literary fiction fans
- Those who loved A Gentleman in Moscow
- People interested in 1930s New York
- Readers who enjoy character-driven stories
FAQ
What is Rules of Civility about?
Katey Kontent, a working-class woman in 1938 New York, meets a charming banker whose accident sets off a chain of events. The novel explores ambition, friendship, and identity in Jazz Age Manhattan.
Detailed Notes
Quotes
- As a quick aside, let me observe that in moments of high emotion—whether they’re triggered by anger or envy, humiliation or resentment—if the next thing you’re going to say makes you feel better, then it’s probably the wrong thing to say.
- —Most people have more needs than wants. That’s why they live the lives they do. But the world is run by those whose wants outstrip their needs.
- Which is just to say, be careful when choosing what you’re proud of—because the world has every intention of using it against you.
- One must be prepared to fight for one’s simple pleasures and to defend them against elegance and erudition and all manner of glamorous enticements.
- Old times, as my father used to say: If you’re not careful, they’ll gut you like a fish.
- —If we only fell in love with people who were perfect for us, he said, then there wouldn’t be so much fuss about love in the first place.
- Because when some incident sheds a favorable light on an old and absent friend, that’s about as good a gift as chance intends to offer.
- —That’s the problem with being born in New York, the old newsman observed a little sadly. You’ve got no New York to run away to.
- He always looked his best, I thought to myself, when circumstances called for him to be a boy and a man at the same time.
- I know that right choices by definition are the means by which life crystallizes loss.
