I loved the book and it was beautifully written. I enjoyed its similar vein to the 100 year old man who climbed out of the window. Melding the life of the Count as the main protagonist whose life in the hotel bubble is juxtaposed with events of Russian history. At the same time whilst his class has given him manners and good humour this is seen as an anachronism within the revolutionary context. His adaptation to the circumstances is necessary but the relationships that he establishes with all those he meets is consistent. It reminds us that a person whose conduct is impeccable to all will transcend any definition of class which is naturally prone to bias. McGregor has captured the Count's personality so well and a number of great moments from the book have happened. My only concerns are that reading such a great book will inevitably lead to some disappointment as rarely can TV truly recreate such art. There will always be plot lines removed or layered or simplified (and that is why I feel books are a dominant medium for intellectuals). This has happened a bit but my wife has not read the book and is really enjoying the TV version so that for me is an important barometer for the production. As someone who did read the book the only weird thing for me would be to try and convince me to deny this is set in Russia during the revolution. I enjoy Russian history itself and it was this context that made sense for me in the book and it shapes the drama and humour, the motivations and characters behaviours. I'm not interested in trying to parallel this with modern Russia or any other view of a distopian adaptive society. Otherwise the book / TV show would not be a Gentleman in "Moscow" but a Gentleman in "any distopian context you care to imagine". Maybe that is what is wanted but it could be considered revisionist and culturally disturbing given the supposed desire for integrity and authenticity.
I've read articles implying that Moscow is not an important factor and should be lessened so that broader messages can be portrayed of a modern context. Maybe this is spin to attract viewership and might help. But I'd still hope people would read the book for it's gorgeous. My view is that the Russian past is the past and is also its past. It should be respected for what it was however agreeable or not to those outside Russia. It is not a predictor of alternate countries present or future which is to use an analogy why Civil War is about America and not a metaphor for any other country.
I've read articles implying that Moscow is not an important factor and should be lessened so that broader messages can be portrayed of a modern context. Maybe this is spin to attract viewership and might help. But I'd still hope people would read the book for it's gorgeous. My view is that the Russian past is the past and is also its past. It should be respected for what it was however agreeable or not to those outside Russia. It is not a predictor of alternate countries present or future which is to use an analogy why Civil War is about America and not a metaphor for any other country.