Table for Two: Fictions

A collection of wry, comic, and sometimes dark short stories, each exemplifying Amor Towels ability as a moralist and story teller. And, we learn what happened to Eve from Rules of Civility.

Amor Towles is a great writer. If you enjoyed his other books, A Gentleman in Moscow, Rules of Civility, or The Lincoln Highway, you must read this collection of six short stories and a novella. If you haven't read any of his books, these stories might be an excellent place to begin. Towles has a fantastic ability to create characters that the reader will care about, and it is rare to do that well in short stories. Two of the more memorable stories from this collection are "Hasta Luego" and "The Bootlegger." In "Hasta Luega," Towle introduces us to Smitty, a cheerful, personable man who makes kind gestures and retains his composure at the airport after his flight is canceled. Jerry, the storyteller, meets Smitty at the airport, is allured by his positive attitude, and goes to the same hotel while they await the rescheduling of their flights. Jerry enjoys Smitty's amiable personality and his stories as they hang out in the hotel's bar. When Smitty and Jerry's phones get mixed up, Jerry discovers something about Smitty and his marriage and must make ethical decisions highlighting Jerry's true nature and humanity. In "The Bootlegger," Tommy, the storyteller, notices Mr. Fein, sitting near him at a Carnegie Hall concert, is recording the concert. Of course, this is prohibited, and Tommy decides to report the recording and ensure that Mr. Fein is appropriately reprimanded. When Tommy finds out that Mr. Fein has been recording the concerts for his sick wife, he feels remorseful for not being a more sensitive human being. Tommy sets out to apologize to Mr. Fein, and some poignant events ensue. Again, Towels portrays many aspects of humanity and marriage through these relatable characters. All the short stories take place in New York City, and places in New York, such as Central Park and Broadway, are prominent in some of them. In all of them, he delves into ethics, human nature, and relationships. Two people in each story sit at a metaphoric "table for two," which gives the collection its name. The novella, set in Los Angeles and Hollywood, is not as profound as the short stories but is fun and engaging. It takes place in 1938 and involves Olivia de Havilland before her Gone with the Wind role. It is an entertaining glimpse into movie studio happenings and movie stars' concerns. Again, the one-on-one encounters between the characters lead to many "table for two" interactions that show human beings in situations where they make decisions that affect others as much as themselves.

I'm convinced that Amor Towles could write an ad for a constipation remedy that would be so well-written and interesting that everyone would read it regardless of needing to or not. Table for Two is full of fascinating characters and places, well-written descriptions of the why behind all manner of feelings and actions, and keeps your interest very high without stressing you out. Such great stories and interesting people.

When Amor Towles drops a new book, it’s an automatic buy in hardcover for me. Then, I take my time reading it, savoring every well thought out word, turn of phrase, and plot point. Towles books are always a slow read for me, never one that I rush through. Table for Two is spectacularly well suited for a slow read, being a book of mostly short stories, with a novella at the end that is a sequel to Rules of Civility. And, what a perfect sequel it is. I need to go back for a reread of Rules, I don’t remember loving Evelyn as much as I do now that her story has evolved. I don’t typically enjoy books with women characters drawn by male authors, but Towles is a master, and portrays her perfectly. Eve travels cross country to LA, befriends and champions a young Olivia de Haviland, and the rest is just… well, magic. There’s not a sour note in this book anywhere, and I’m sure I’ll be rereading it at some point down the road.

What a craftsman! He creates an atmosphere and real characters about as well as anyone can, and he’s particularly good at period pieces - i.e., stories about a different era, in this case the 1930s. But (1) I’m not a huge fan of short stories (in fact I avoid them, knowing that I’ll likely not like them), and (2) the stories and novella in this work tend to end peculiarly - no resolution, just a clever observation. In addition, I found the novella frustrating because I didn’t remember the character from Rules of Civility and didn’t like it enough to re-read it and because there were too many characters thrown at the reader with no differentiation between them. So, while the book was pleasant to read, it left me saying “so what?”

This author writes in a way that makes it effortlessly to read. Plus his stories are exceptionally interesting and his characters interesting. I’m putting his books on my “must read” list.

Always enjoy the excellent writing of Mr Towels. His story telling and command of the English language inspires me to learn and explore his words and topics. This seemed to be a bit different, it was nonetheless quite enjoy. Good character development and interesting stories

Towles makes his characters vividly come to life, and his short stories seem both believable and fantastic. My favorite character is a young boy, Lukas, the nephew of the story's main character. Precocious and well mannered beyond belief, on a visit to the Metropolitan Museum they order lunch. As the waitress is about to leave with their order, Lucas furrows his brow, and his uncle asks if anything is wrong. Lucas replies, Uncle Percival, don't you want a glass of wine with your lunch? The characters in the other short stories are all beautifully drawn, and idiosyncratic. Plots are all unexpected. One of my favorite books.