I’ve enjoyed both A Gentleman in Moscow and The Lincoln Highway, so was pleased to pick up Amor Towles’ new offering – this is very different, a selection of stories with a thread of characters that draw the stories together at points.
I particularly enjoyed ‘The DiDomenico Fragment’ about a painting split into several pieces as an inheritance, and the quest to find the pieces.
I always forget how much I do like a shorter story, and this is a great book to be able to pick up and put down as you work your way through the different stories.

An enticing buffet…

I’ve been a fan of Amor Towles since his first book, Rules of Civility, appeared back in 2011. His writing is always a delight, and he has the gift of creating characters who become friends we care about. My one criticism of him has been that sometimes he strikes too whimsical a note for the story he is telling or the setting he has chosen. This book is a collection of six short stories and a novella – a short novel really – and I suspected his style might work very well in a shorter format. I’m delighted to say that my suspicion was confirmed! Here’s a taste of what the collection includes:

The Line – this is a fable-like story set first in Moscow during the Russian Revolution and then moving for its climax to New York. Pushkin and his wife Irina are farmers when the revolution begins but Irina becomes fired up by the ideals of communism and insists on them moving to Moscow. Once there, she becomes a workers’ leader, but Pushkin is out of his element and soon out of work. So he takes to standing in the various queues for food and other essentials while Irina works, and soon begins to wait on behalf of other people too, thus making a little money and also becoming well liked. This story shares the weakness of A Gentleman in Moscow – Towles clearly thinks the Russian Revolution is a subject suitable for whimsy, fairy tales and humour. I don’t. It’s well written but the tone sets my teeth on edge. 3½ stars.

The Ballad of Timothy Touchett – Timothy is a young aspiring writer, who spends his free time in the library ostensibly reading the works of the masters in order to hone his craft. However, his mind frequently wanders, and he finds himself instead doodling the signatures of the greats of American literature. He is discovered by a bookseller who puts his signature-forging talent to work by having him sign first editions of famous books, thus increasing their value. At first Timothy is naive enough not to see a problem with this, but gradually he realises what’s going on. A witty story, full of literary references and with the extra touch of featuring a real famous writer, Paul Auster. This is one where Towles’ whimsy is perfect for the story. 5 stars.

Hasta Luego – An accidental meeting with a fellow traveller when their flight is cancelled due to a snow storm leads our narrator, Jerry, into spending the evening with Smitty, a gregarious and cheerful chap who creates a party atmosphere wherever he goes. But it transpires that Smitty has a problem – he is, or was, a recovering alcoholic, and Jerry finds himself tasked by Smitty’s wife to make sure Smitty gets his flight home next day. Great writing and a nice heart-warming story. 4 ½ stars.

I Will Survive – The story of a wife who suspects her husband is having an affair. He isn’t but when it is revealed what he is doing on those Saturday afternoons, the wife feels betrayed anyway. This is an odd one, and it didn’t really work for me. I felt the wife over-reacted and no one really behaved in a way that I found credible. As always, the writing and storytelling carry it, but I found it unsatisfying and thought the ending was weak. 3 stars.

The Bootlegger – Tommy is one of those insufferably self-righteous types, so when he sees an old man apparently recording concerts at Carnegie Hall he reports him, leading to the old man being told never to return. But when Tommy learns of the reason the old man was recording them he feels guilty and decides to find the man and apologise. This one is a lovely mix of humour and heart-warming, and the characterisation of Tommy is great – not a bad person, just rather full of himself. The ending is a little too neat, perhaps, but not enough to spoil the effect. 4 ½ stars.

The DiDomenico Fragment – Our narrator, Percival Skinner, one-time Renaissance expert at Sotheby’s, is approached by a dealer looking to buy a DiDomenico fragment. The painting had been owned by Skinner’s great-grandfather who, unable to decide which of his children to leave it to, had had it cut into quarters so that each of his children could have part of it. The children had followed his lead, each dividing their portion for their own children, so that Percival’s eventual portion had been tiny. He had sold it long since, but thought he knew of a cousin who still had his fragment. This is a charming story, that reminded me rather of the message of A Christmas Carol – that true richness comes not from money but from the doing of good deeds and the love of family. There’s even a little boy as catalyst, who thankfully doesn’t quite say “God bless us, every one!” at the end. 5 stars.

Eve in Hollywood – the star of the show and it really deserves a full review of its own, but I don’t have room. This novella is a follow-on from Rules of Civility but you don’t need to have read it to enjoy this. Eve has left New York and on a whim decides to go to Hollywood. The first section is a series of sketches of people she meets and in some way affects and changes their lives. Each of these is a short story in its own right, and all are very well done. Then the second section becomes more plot-driven, where all these disparate people come together to help Eve foil a blackmailer. Lots of real people from Hollywood’s Golden Age appear or are referenced – Selznick, Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, et al, and Olivia De Havilland becomes a main character in the story. There’s lots of references to her career which I didn’t know, but which wikipedia confirms are accurate. Wonderfully done, and again heart-warming despite the darkness of parts of the story. A real treat too for fans of the movie stars of that era (like me). I’d love to read more of Eve’s adventures in Hollywood. 5 glowing Hollywood Walk of Fame stars for this one.

So overall, a great collection which is a treat for existing fans but would also work well as an entry point for newcomers to his work.

Readers are in for a treat with this sparkling collection of short stories from the author of A Gentleman in Moscow. The book is divided into six stories centred on New York and a noirish novella, Eve in Hollywood, based in Tinseltown Los Angeles during the filming of Gone with the Wind. Eve, a character plucked from the pages of his former bestseller Rules of Civility, is a heroine with lashings of chutzpah and an unnerving ability to “get things done”. When someone threatens to publish nude photos of her friend, the starlet Olivia de Havilland, Eve ruthlessly sets to work amid the moguls and low-lifes of Tinseltown to rescue her pal.
In the New York tales, we follow the delightful adventures of a resourceful Russian worker who lands up in Manhattan; sly forgery is the name of the game in The Ballad of Timothy Touchett and a husband’s secret Saturday afternoon assignations yield a joyful surprise. In Hasta Luego two men who become stranded in an airport when their flight is cancelled become thrown together in a distressing and unbearably moving way. And in The Bootlegger, a Carnegie Hall concertgoer’s preconceptions about a fellow audience member are turned on their head.
Told with verve, wit and huge compassion, these tales are as good as short stories get, leaving you looking at the world a little differently after every single one. Amor Towles is just getting better and better. Supremely satisfying.

Amor Towles is a favourite author of mine, so I was excited to read his collection of short stories. That said I’m not generally a fan of short stories but the novelist writes such great prose with not a word wasted that these were a joy. The novella at the end of the book revisits Evelyn Ross who we first met in Rules of Civility and introduces us to her new life in Hollywood. A story full of fabulous and fascinating characters showing not just the glamour, but the darkness of Hollywood. I would highly recommend this to fans of the author but also to those who haven’t yet discovered his work yet. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this novel in return for a honest review

A great collection of short stories followed by an extended story. As always with Amor Towles' writing the story flows effortlessly with quiet amusement, I often found myself smiling wryly to myself.

I had only read Lincoln Highway by Towles and I’m not a huge fan of shor stories but I admired his writing style so much I thought I would give it a go. I’m delighted that I did as this collection was simply lovely.

I'm a great fan of Amor Towles, a wonderful author whose novels I would highly recommend. This is a collection of short stories, mostly set in New York, plus the Los Angeles based novella 'Eve in Hollywood'. The stories are all well written, as you'd expect, but the collection lacks the special magic of his novels. Perhaps it's because the short story format doesn't allow for the reader to build up an affection for the characters, in the way that you can in his novels. And as that's what makes Towles a really great writer, this collection doesn't have the same sparkle.

The stories are interesting enough and feature a good variety of topics and characters. The novella features Eve, a major character in his first novel 'Rules of Civility'. I'd recommend reading that first to appreciate the novella more (and because it's a great story). As the novella has already been published separately some Towles fans may have read it already, If that's the case, I'm not sure it's worth buying this collection on the strength of the short stories alone.

If you enjoyed Towles novels and haven't read 'Eve in Hollywood' already, you may well like this collection. If you haven't already read his novels, I suggest investing in those as a priority and leave this collection for a later date.

What a wonderful collection of short stories. I’m not a huge fan of shorts, but somehow Towles has perfected the art of packing everything in to this format and each one is perfectly formed. I loved A Gentleman in Moscow and Towles has a keen eye for detail and effortlessly portrays all human nature with wry observations. The human condition is explored with stories that are so relatable and very readable. Towles is genius. The stories are all set in New York around the millennium. The common theme is the table for two; out of that springs a range of conversations. There’s a novella which further develops a character from an earlier book too. Loved this and my only disappointment was that it was quickly finished.

I have been waiting to get my hands on this book since I knew of its existence!! Table for Two by is an impressive collection of short stories and a novella. It’s an absolute must-read for literary fiction fans - those familiar with the authors’ previous works or those new to it. If this is your first Amor Towles read, you’ll be wanting to get your hands on Rules of Civility,A Gentleman in Moscow, and The Lincoln Highway in no time.

A really great collection of short stories. Well paced with a very strong sense of setting, I absolutely adored Towles's writing style. I tore through this book so quickly that A Gentleman in Moscow is now my next read. Moving, witty and thought provoking - one to add to your list.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

It was the first time I’ve read anything by the author and I was intrigued since her books are so loved all over the world.

A collection of short stories that felt like a real life adventure. The writing is exquisite, these alluring characters making me want to be their friend, even in the not so great moments and the overall experience reading these stories was something that i didn’t expect.

I can’t say I liked one story more than another, they all bring something new and different to the table and probably that’s why i enjoyed them so much.

Very grateful to the publisher for my copy, opinions are my own.

Despite the many, wonderful reviews regarding Amor Towles's recent novels, Rules of Civility and A Gentleman in Moscow, I've never had a chance to read them so I grabbed the opportunity to read this latest publication, comprised of six short stories and a novella.

The six short stories are all centred around New York and are vignettes of human nature, overlaid with a subtle, wry observation. My favourite was The DiDomenico Fragment, which included the quote, ‘Spatchcocking, in which the bird is drawn and quartered like a heretic’, when discussing Thanksgiving dinner options. In all the stories there is a certain emphasis on the lengths some go to in maintaining a facade of perfection, believing it will lead to respect, power, and money. But human nature isn’t that formulaic.

The novella is set in Los Angeles and follows Evelyn Ross, who was a central character in The Rules of Civility. However, you don't need to be familiar with the book to enjoy this one. We may be on the West Coast of America, amongst the gauche, nouveau rich but in this city of make-believe, the power of perception is just as paramount. This story is a real page-turner and gives a lot in just a small number of pages.

'Table for Two' is a highly enjoyable book. There's sure to be something for everyone here. I know some believe that short stories can't deliver enough development and complexity to adequately satiate a reader's appetite. I beg to differ.

'call it Schadenfreude. Litsky called it human nature - which is just a fancy term for the God-given flaws we have no intention of giving back'.

I’m not usually a short story fan, but anything Towles writes I will read. I instantly fell back in love with his easy writing style and effortless storytelling. I do wish the stories were a bit longer, but alas I still enjoyed each and every one. The way he creates characters and stories is so admirable and I love how he transports the reader.

It is s a joy to read Amor Towles short story collection and novella, so exquisitely written, shifting from different time periods, with the wonderfully drawn wide cast of distinctly different characters. There is lyricism, wit, charm, irony in the following stories that bewitch and captivate:

The Line
The Ballad of Timothy Touchett
Hasta Luego
I Will Survive
The Bootlegger
The DiDomenico Fragment
Eve in Hollywood (In which we once again meet up with Evelyn Ross, from The Rules of Incivility)

I was profoundly moved by the artfully woven tales, the human flaws and condition, the complexities, and range of people, a spectrum of people from the ordinary, notorious, and famous. There are connections and relationships people form, including the compassion and kindness in harsh times, immigrants, marriage, the picture of the art world, the ageing process, choices made, family, ambition, scams, love, loss, grief, intrigue, self righteousness, secrets and more, including the multiple perspectives to be found in the novella. A glorious, thoughful collection of short stories, stylish, astutely observed, there are tables for two, from a remarkably talented writer. I cannot recommend this highly enough! Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

An absolutely wonderful book that I just couldn't put down! The first half is made up of short stories mostly centred around New York, the second a novella about a blackmail case in old Hollywood. As you’d expect, the stories are beautifully written, all the characters have depth and the novella in particular is hugely entertaining. Amor Towles writes so effortlessly you forget sometimes just how skilful he is but he creates whole worlds in those short stories and fits in more character development than many full length novels. Very very highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

So excited for this gorgeous gorgeous book! I love anything to do with Old Hollywood and glamour and I just know I as well as upcoming readers are in for a divine treat! Th3 beautiful cover drew me right in and is the perfect complement to the story. I love how we are going to get to follow the protagonists journey throughout the novel. I absolutely cannot wait to share my full thoughts and review. I’m a bit behind due to an unexpected health emergency, but I know this book will be the perfect medicine to keep me company. Much more to come.

This is my MOST anticipated book of the year! I just about cried when I saw I'd been approved, and I immediately started reading it.

I love Amor Towles so much. His books always leave me yearning for more, but in the best possible way. I just can't get enough. I've had the pleasure of meeting Towles on several occasions, and he speaks just as articulately and wonderfully as the way he writes. The stories in this collection are rich with depth and meaning, full of characters I fell in love with and vivid with details that left me grinning, cringing, crying, smiling, laughing.

If you're a fan of Towles' other books - A Gentleman in Moscow, Rules of Civility, and The Lincoln Highway - you'll immediately fall in love with this collection too.