#4 Rules of Civility

By Amor Towles

There seems to be a lot of books out there that basically tell you what book the book you are reading is a retelling of.  I fail to understand the purposes behind this in many situations.  (Yes, I get that your YA novel is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet.  Your main characters don't have to be studying it and referencing it through out the book.)  Some books do it in an annoying way, even well written ones, but  Rules of Civility is an exception to this.  Yes, there are plenty of references to other works of literature, but they aren't used as an explanation of the plot, they are used to drive the plot.  I've never been so satisfied with the weaving of other works into another story.  The characters were driven by ideas that they read about.  The references didn't guide the reader, they were there to show you the road signs that were important to the characters decisions.  Towles is able to reference Walden in explaining the change of heart of one of the main characters.  He uses George Washington's Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior as the back drop for the entire book, making its introduction early on, and its importance came into focus not at the end, but when the characters needed it.
Beyond the smaller references, Rules of Civility is basically a retelling of The Great Gatsby, which I have yet to read, but I know the basic plot.  Rules of Civility is about young girl living in excitement of Manhattan at the end of the 1930's.  1938 is a significant year in her life, when so many people that she holds affinity for entered and left her life.
I hope that when my daughters are in their early twenties that I'll remember this little gem.  It's bound to help at a time when relationships are quickly forged and life has a way of whisking you away to something else, no matter how much you try to stay.