Rules of Civility discussion

Join us on Tuesday, August 28 at 5pm ET/2pm PT for a live video chat with author Amor Towles. We'll be discussing his runaway hit debut novel Rules of Civility. If you can't make it to the live chat, don't worry, we will record it!

If you have a question for Amor, please feel free to ask it below.

I am really looking forward to this discussion. Rules of Civility is absolutely splendid and I am very impressed that it is a debut book by a first time author. My question to Mr. Towles is this:

Of all the supporting, peripheral and minor characters in Rules of Civility, which would you most like to develop a plot around and follow into a new story?

My question is this:

I rarely read about an author before reading a novel. I did not realize the author of this book was a man until I got to the end and saw the "About the Author" Page. I was surprised to learn it was not a woman who wrote this book because I felt like the characterization was spot on. Please tell me how you prepared to "get inside the mind" of a mid-century, sassy chick like Katey.

Q: Given your Business/Investment background, what made want to write a novel, with the protagonist being a clever heroine, set in the 1930's New York?

I would love to see this story on the big screen. Your work is so vivid; the characters so beautifully drawn, I felt I could visualize every person and each setting. Did your research include watching any films from or set in the 1930s? If so which ones? Do you see it transferring well to the screen?

As the roles of women changed during the 20th century, what a wealth of information authors and historians had. I was born on August 26, the day when in 1920 Congress gave women the right to vote . It is fascinating to think how limited the lives of women were before that year. I hope to read Amor's book and will possibly suggest it for my book group.

I thoroughly enjoyed your book. I felt transported. I was so surprised that this was your first book! What made you decide to write it?

Q: I felt very transported to this era when I read this book - similar to the feeling when I read the Great Gatsby for the first time. What parallels do you see between your book and Fitzgerald's classic novel?

Sue Lavin: Q: I was struck with the resourcefulness of the main character. Despite great llmitations in the material world the main character used the strengths of her wit and intelligence to solve every problem that came her way. What motivated you to create such an inventive and strangely practical character?

The title and the writing style made me think that the book was written sometime in the 50s or 60s. I was shocked to find out that book was written so recently, which is maybe why I liked the story so much - it was very relatable, captured the era of the 30s without seeming dated. I am curious about many of the questions already posed and I only have one more to add...

Q: What happens next for Katey?

Q: The book is so beautifully written - not just the story itself, but the tone and language used to tell it. Do you have a favorite passage or bit of dialogue?

Two of my favorites:
"Slurring is the cursive of speech."
"In front of the restaurant, the exhaust of idling limousines spiraled from tailpipes like genies from a bottle."

why did u write this from the prospective of a women rather than a man?

q:why did u write this from the prospective of a women rather than a man?

Patrick wrote: "Join us on Tuesday, August 28 at 5pm ET/2pm PT for a live video chat..."

Where exactly will the chat be? Can we have a link please?

q: How do you create your characters--ie. do they come to mind mostly formed, or do you craft them over time? And what's your process like--are you a plotter or pantser?

q: I'd like to ask Mr Towles - where did you find the inspiration to write such a believable female character as Katey Kontent? A 'rea'l character who is not too perfect, not too idealised ...?

We'll be starting in about 15 minutes. If you've got a question for Amor, feel free to ask it now!

Yes, I'd like to ask the same question Paola - at first I thought Amor was a woman's name.

I have just finished reading this for the second time & have come to the conclusion it may very well be one of my all time favorite novels. I feel I have actually known all the characters & experienced many of the situations that occur, which is uncanny & a little bit scary, I can't help marveling how little NYC has changed from 1939 to 1960 & possibly into 2012. Do you agree?

How much did Great Gatsby inform the writing of this book?

because I thought that only a woman could create such believable women characters

Regarding this quote ,That's the problem with living in New York. You've got no New York to run away to.” Do you see NY like Gatsby did as the place where everyone can recreate themselves. How does this fit into the American Dream?d

hy would Tinker have been riding the subway in his well to do life?

q My question is two-pronged and concerns literary influence: 1) The heroine is a voracious reader of British and Russian literature. What should we make of her literary proclivities? Why is she drawn by Dickens? Why Thoreau? 2) “Rules of Civility” reminds me of “The Razor's Edge” and “Of Human Bondage” by British writer W. Somerset Maugham. Like him, you are a keen observer of human nature who doesn't shy away from creating deeply flawed characters. Does Maugham happen to be an influence of yours? If not, who is your biggest influence?

q; Your book is so clearly cinematic in nature - personally, I can see the movie adaptation directed by Martin Scorsese. Who would make up your dream cast?

Can you explain how your related this wonderful novel to Washington's Rules of Civility? Which came first?

q; One of the most complex characters, I found, was the character of Ann Grandyn. I felt there was a lot to be sensed in the way she felt about Tinker, or life in general, that she didn't let on or portray. Was she wearing the biggest mask in the novel? Did you draw any real life inspiration for the character?

q I'm anxious to know when your next book is coming out. Really. Anxious

Q: I thought the photographs of people on the subway seemed so interesting. I wish you had explained how the photographer was able to capture the images without the peoples knowledge. Weren't cameras pretty large & slow in that time period. Why was the photographer so reluctant to show them?

You write that "[in our twenties] we have a few brief periods when we are offered a handful of discrete options..."Given our modern propensity for rediscovery and remaking ourselves; would you have drawn the same conclusions had the story been set in the present?

Q: what's next, I'm sure everyone is waiting for your next book

Thank you all for joining the discussion. Great questions! I will get a recording of the video posted soon in case you missed it.

If you want to take Amor up on his offer of a free short story about Eve, you can email him here: http://amortowles.com/contact/

Thank you Patrick, for a fine presentation with Amor Towles. This video discussion group is a terrific idea. Looking forward to more!
Virginia

I actually feel that Katey does not reveal herself to us, her readers. We know a lot about her activities, but not a lot about her heart. We know how she reacted/responded to insults, kindnesses and double crossing, but we don’t know much about her inner turmoils. Maybe that’s the hardest thing to write. Maybe when we use ourselves as even a thin container for our fictional characters, we are so self-preserving that we must keep back some of the visceral responses to pain and ecstasy. If I were to have met Katey Kontent, I would not have found her interesting. Rather I would think she was accommodating, like a concierge or a hostess, but I would not feel drawn to hang out with her. she seems cool and distant, not engaged, just an observer. Was that your intention? Was she just your "eyes?"

I don't think Katey was accommodating. Given her background and persona in the thirties, she moved cautiously. While she was in awe of the glamorous life she was in, she was always her own person thinking and studying her surroundings, absorbing everyone and everything then making her own decisions and choices. The final two paragraphs in Few Are Chosen reveal her as an emotionally engaged person. Thank you Amor Towles for a brilliant first novel. Yes let's follow Eve to Hollywood!!!!!

Patrick wrote: "Thank you all for joining the discussion. Great questions! I will get a recording of the video posted soon in case you missed it."

how do we access the video? I missed the discussion but would like to hear his answers to the questions...