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Rules of Civility
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Rules of Civility Paperback - 2012

by Amor Towles

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Towles delivers a sophisticated and entertaining debut novel about an irresistible young woman with an uncommon sense of purpose. Elegant and captivating, "Rules of Civility" turns a Jamesian eye on how spur-of-the-moment decisions define life for decades to come.

Summary

The New York Times bestselling novel that "enchants on first reading and only improves on the second" (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

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.

Reader reviews for Rules of Civility

From the publisher

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 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.

Details

  • Title Rules of Civility
  • Author Amor Towles
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reprint
  • Pages 368
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Books, New York
  • Publication date 2012-06-26
  • Illustrated Yes
  • Features Illustrated, Price on Product - Canadian
  • ISBN 9780143121169 / 0143121162
  • Weight 1.05 lbs (0.48 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 in (21.08 x 13.97 x 2.54 cm)
  • Age range 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Themes
    • Topical: Coming of Age
  • Category Fiction - General
  • Library of Congress subjects Psychological fiction, New York (N.Y.)
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Media reviews


 
Praise for Rules of Civility

“An irresistible and astonishingly assured debut about working class-women and world-weary WASPs in 1930s New York…in the crisp, noirish prose of the era, Towles portrays complex relationships in a city that is at once melting pot and elitist enclave – and a thoroughly modern heroine who fearlessly claims her place in it.” O, the Oprah Magazine

 
“With this snappy period piece, Towles resurrects the cinematic black-and-white Manhattan of the golden age…[his] characters are youthful Americans in tricky times, trying to create authentic lives.” The New York Times Book Review

 
“This very good first novel about striving and surviving in Depression-era Manhattan deserves attention…The great strength of Rules of Civility is in the sharp, sure-handed evocation of Manhattan in the late ‘30s.” Wall Street Journal

 
“Put on some Billie Holiday, pour a dry martini and immerse yourself in the eventful life of Katey Kontent…[Towles] clearly knows the privileged world he’s writing about, as well as the vivid, sometimes reckless characters who inhabit it.” People

 
“[A] wonderful debut novel…Towles [plays] with some of the great themes of love and class, luck and fated encounters that animated Wharton’s novels.” The Chicago Tribune

 
“Glittering…filled with snappy dialogue, sharp observations and an array of terrifically drawn characters…Towles writes with grace and verve about the mores and manners of a society on the cusp of radical change.” NPR.org
 

 “Glamorous Gotham in one to relish…a book that enchants on first reading and only improves on the second.” The Philadelphia Inquirer

Citations

  • Entertainment Weekly, 06/29/2012, Page 77
  • New York Times Book Review, 07/15/2012, Page 28
  • People, 07/16/2012, Page 51

About the author

Amor Towles is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Rules of Civility, A Gentleman in Moscow, and The Lincoln Highway. The three novels have collectively sold millions of copies and have been translated into more than thirty-five languages. Towles lives in Manhattan with his wife and two children.

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Rules of Civility: A Novel
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Rules of Civility: A Novel

by Towles, Amor

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143121169 / 0143121162
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Rules of Civility: A Novel
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Rules of Civility: A Novel

by Towles, Amor

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Rules of Civility: A Novel
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Rules of Civility: A Novel

by Towles, Amor

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143121169 / 0143121162
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Rules of Civility: A Novel
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Rules of Civility: A Novel

by Towles, Amor

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  • Paperback
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Binding
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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143121169 / 0143121162
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Rules of Civility: A Novel
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Rules of Civility: A Novel

by Towles, Amor

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  • Paperback
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Acceptable
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143121169 / 0143121162
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Penguin Books, 2012-06-26. Paperback. Acceptable. 8x5x1.
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Rules of Civility: A Novel
Stock photo: cover may vary

Rules of Civility: A Novel

by Towles, Amor

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  • Paperback
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Acceptable
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143121169 / 0143121162
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Free Delivery to USA

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Penguin Books, 2012-06-26. Paperback. Acceptable. 17x88x134.
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Rules of Civility: A Novel
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Rules of Civility: A Novel

by Towles, Amor

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143121169 / 0143121162
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Rules of Civility : A Novel

Rules of Civility : A Novel

by Amor Towles

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Rules of Civility : A Novel

Rules of Civility : A Novel

by Amor Towles

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  • Paperback
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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143121169 / 0143121162
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Penguin Publishing Group, 2012. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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Rules of Civility

Rules of Civility

by Towles, Amor

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  • Paperback
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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143121169 / 0143121162
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Penguin Books, 2012. Paperback. Very Good. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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