Compelling set of short stories - my favorite was the last, The Didomenico Effect - and a novella utilizing a character from ‘Rules of Civility,’ Evelyn Ross. The novella is a real page turner, as Evelyn, landing in LA, befriends Olivia de Havilland and helps her deal with a set of compromising photos that could damage her reputation (and that of many other actresses, by the way). It becomes a detective story, of sorts, with Evelyn showing surprising grit.

I continue to be amazed at Towles’ writing ability, his cleverness in relating a story. I rarely find another author that speaks to me the way he does. Someone who has a story to tell, and who can tell it so beautifully…that’s hard to find. I hope he continues to publish - I look forward to anything he sends out in the future. ( )

Table for Two - Towles
Audio performance by Eduardo Ballerino and J.Smith-Cameron
5 stars

To begin with, in the section called New York, there are six excellent short stories. I enjoyed every one of them. They were full of interesting characters, wonderful New York City atmosphere, humorous situations, and surprise endings. The audio performers, especially Ballerino, were able to express every sly nuance.

Part two of this book, Eve in Hollywood, begins as a series of connected short stories. These stories were previously published as an ebook. The stories are a continuation of events from Rules of Civility. They follow Evelyn Ross after she leaves New York City. I’d read these stories before. I was lucky enough to purchase a kindle copy before the author removed it from distribution. They were very good stories, but they left Eve before her Hollywood adventure really began. Towles was right to extend her story. With a few alterations and some additional content, Eve has the chance to really leave her mark on Hollywood. Towles connects the dots of the original sequence of stories to tie all the characters together for a very satisfying revenge caper.

My only regret in reading this book was that I didn’t reread Rules of Civility first. ( )

This delightful collection, six short stories and a novella, seems like an in-between the big novels for Towles, who is a writer who can perfectly balance character study with slimmer plotting. The stories all have little twisty endings that you might or might not see coming, but either way, they add up to a most enjoyable journey. The Line is about a muzhik who transfers his genial customer skills from Russia to NYC; The Ballad of Timothy Touchett features a forger and his employer; Hasta Luego’s main character is a lovable man who falls off the wagon and relies on a stranger to catch him; I Will Survive centers the joy of roller disco; The Bootlegger takes place at Carnegie Hall, where a noveau riche couple encounters a devoted symphony lover; and The DeDomenico Fragment describes the difficult splitting of an inherited painting. The novella, Eve in Hollywood, is a sequel to Rules Of Civility, his outstanding first novel, and can be read joyously as a stand-alone. Those of us who savor every word Towles writes will be pleased to sink into the warmth of his writing and into his obvious love for humanity without judgment, quite rare these days. ( )

I am not a fan of short stories, but having read and loved Rules of Civility, I decided that Amor Towles' short stories and a novella in Table for Two must be worth reading. It definitely is. There are six short stories with remarkable story lines and characters; throughout the stories, the table for two theme is key to the trajectory of the story. The novella involves Eve Ross from Rules of Civility. It is set in Hollywood in the 1930s with noteworthy names from that time. Amor Towles is a master wordsmith with a grasp of historical fiction that is captivating. ( )

The Line: A dedicated Communist and her husband move from country to city, then, almost accidentally, emigrate to New York.

The Ballad of Timothy Touchett: A young wannabe novelist becomes a forger of signatures and is betrayed by a rare bookseller.

Hasta Luego: A man whose flight is cancelled becomes the de facto caretaker for extroverted alcoholic Smitty while they wait to return to their respective homes.

I Will Survive: When a woman learns of her stepfather's secret roller skating hobby, it leads to the disintegration of his marriage.

The Bootlegger: A man is irritated by an elderly concertgoer who appears to be taping performances at Carnegie Hall, and gets him thrown out before learning he was taping them for his bedridden wife.

The DiDomenico Fragment: A Manhattan man tries to get a relative to tell a valuable painting, but they cut out the middleman and negotiate for the painting's conservation.

Eve in Hollywood: Enigmatic Eve (Rules of Civility) meets a retired policeman, Charlie, on the train west, and calls him when her new friend, actress Olivia de Havilland, is blackmailed with nude photos.

Quotes

He rolled about the city like a marble on a chessboard. ("The Line," 9)

...the music began to climb.
But the word climb isn't quite right....Rather than climbing it was....it was the opposite of cascading - a fluid and effortless tumbling upward. An ascension. ("The Bootlegger," 178)

But history has shown that the best alliances are often forged by the most unlikely of allies. ("The DiDomenico Fragment," 205)

"In fine hotels the desk is always manned by snobs." ("Eve in Hollywood, 329)

The personality of a man always poses the biggest obstacle to his own education, thought Charlie. (331)

It is a funny aspect of life, thought Charlie, how a group of grown people can convince themselves to do something that none of them really want to do. (334)

"I just got worn out by all the fairytales." (Eve to Charlie, 356)

"Out here there are fairytales, but it feels like everyone is making them up as they go along."
"I think they call those delusions." (356)

"Because if we don't stare down the things that make us want to look away, then the world is just a mirage." (Eve, 440) ( )