In Amor Towles’ Rules of Civility, Katey slips into an exhibit at the art museum. As she and her husband gaze at the photos on display, she sees the face of an old boyfriend, which transports her back to 1938.
That was the year Katey, a working-class girl from the outer boroughs, escaped to Manhattan for the typing-pool, rooming-house, jazz-club-hopping life. Isn’t this every Doris Day movie from the ‘60s? Yes, and I ate that stuff up.
The typing-pool girl positioned herself to meet fellows who wore the perfect pocket hanky, a sure sign of good breeding. If a girl played her cards right, she might find herself taken to his exclusive hunt club, or shopping for a dress on the fifth floor of the city’s best department store. She might actually get invited to the parties of the super-rich, instead of having to sneak in.
Then again, is she mixing with the well-bred? Or the well-read? The title refers to “The Young George Washington’s Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation.” With enough practice, anybody can pass as born to the manor, right?
Katey spends much of the novel feeling a tad dizzy from her latest glass of champagne, which pretty much sums up her 1938. Add multiple romantic prospects to the mix and the reader eagerly turns the pages. Does pocket-hanky man like Katey? Or does he like her best friend? And what about all the other pocket-hanky-types that take Katey for a spin?
Leave A Comment