Summary of Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

By Condensed Books

A high-quality summary of Amor Towles ́s book Rules of Civility, including chapter details and analysis of the main themes of the original book.

About the original book:

A "sharply stylish" (Boston Globe) book about a young woman in post-Depression era New York who finds herself thrust into high society—now with over one million readers worldwide—from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lincoln Highway and A Gentleman in Moscow.

Katey Kontent, twenty-five, is in a second-rate Greenwich Village jazz bar on the last night of 1937 when Tinker Grey, a handsome banker, sits down at the next table. Katey is propelled into the upper echelons of New York society by a chance encounter and its startling consequences, where she will have little to rely on but a bracing wit and her own brand of cool nerve.
Rules of Civility won readers and critics alike with its dazzling depiction of New York's social strata, intricate imagery and themes, and immensely appealing characters.

• Language: English
• Publisher: C.B. Publishers
• Release date: Jul 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005788100

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Condensed Books

Summary of Rules of Civility

© 2022, Condensed Books

Self-published

This is an unofficial summary of Rules of Civility by Amor Towles, designed to enrich your reading experience.

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OVERVIEW

Rules of Civility, Amor Towles' debut novel, was a critical success. The story follows lively roommates Katey Kontent and Evelyn Ross as they work their way up the social ladder in New York society during the Great Depression at the end of the 1930s.

Even though much of the story takes place near the end of the 1930s, the introduction and epilogue are set in 1966 and provide a bookended point of historical reference via a Walker Evans photography exhibit. Towles' story explores themes of identity, class struggle, love, betrayal, choice, friendship, and wants versus needs through noirish writing. Many publications have praised this New York Times Bestseller, including O, The Oprah Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal, both of which named it Best Fiction 2011.

When Katey and Eve, best friends and roommates, go to a jazz bar on New Year's Eve in 1937, they have no idea how this seemingly insignificant gesture will change their lives forever. The girls are trying to carve out a name for themselves in New York, and they only have a limited budget for drinks, food, and entertainment on this particular night.

They've already squandered their funds on booze. At that point, Tinker Grey, a wealthy, beautiful, and shy bachelor, walks into the bar. Eve has first dibs, while Tinker and Katey are also in a relationship. The girls observe his demeanor and attire, assessing him as a potential moneymaker.

Tinker is mysterious right away, with his gold lighter bearing his initials and rudimentary date stamps, as well as his mention of his brother Hank Grey, whom he thinks Katey would get along with. As one of their favorite establishments' old owners later observes, the three quickly form a close bond that can't possibly last long.

When Eve is disfigured in a terrible accident, her life, and the lives of Katey and Tinker, are forever changed. Tinker's guilt over driving is so strong that he refuses to leave Eve's side, effectively ending any chance of a romance with Katey. For the time being, Eve must cling to her position in society. Tinker asks Katey to look after Eve one night while he goes to work and the three are thrust back into a game of chance and choice. As Eve and Tinker grow closer, Katey fights any feelings she may have for him.

She begins her upward social ascent as a result of changes in her job and circle of friends. Katey meets both old and new money, and as she rises in the ranks, she forms friendships and alliances with both types.

Early one morning, Katey is visited by the police and is forced to bail out a drunken Eve from jail. Tinker made Eve an offer, but she turned it down. Tinker only proposed to Eve because she was expecting a child, and the two had never been in love (she had an abortion while in Paris). Eve then takes a train to Los Angeles and does not return to New York.

Now that Eve is gone, Katey and Tinker rekindle their friendship—and love relationship—with disastrous results. Katey takes a chance by falling