Summary of Table for Two by Amor Towles: Fictions

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Summary of Table for Two by Amor Towles: Fictions

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Amor Towles's Table for Two is a collection of short fiction, including six stories set in New York City and a novella set in Golden Age Hollywood. The stories explore the fateful consequences of brief encounters and the mechanics of compromise in modern marriages. The novella, "Eve in Hollywood," follows Evelyn Ross's journey through Hollywood, showcasing her wit, humor, and sophistication. The collection is a must-read for fans of Towles's signature style and transporting fiction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: XinXii
• Release date: Apr 17, 2024
• ISBN: 9783989837782

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Table for Two

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Summary of Amor Towles’s book

Fictions

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Summary of Table for Two by Amor Towles: Fictions

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Copyright 2024. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 9783989837782

Verlag GD Publishing Ltd. & Co KG, Berlin

E-Book Distribution: XinXii

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Table of Contents

NEW YORK

The Line

The Ballad of Timothy Touchett

Hasta Luego

I Will Survive

The Bootlegger

The DiDomenico Fragment

LOS ANGELES

PART ONE

Charlie

Prentice

Olivia

Litsky

Marcus

Eve

PART TWO

Charlie

Olivia

Prentice

Charlie

Wendell

Charlie

Litsky

Finnegan

Charlie

Finnegan

Charlie

Marcus

Eve

NEW YORK

The Line

During the last days of the last Tsar, Pushkin and his wife Irina lived in a small village near Moscow. They farmed their land with patience and persistence, tilling their soil, sowing seeds, and harvesting crops. Pushkin was a poet in his soul, and their life was satisfactory, even if they had uncovered an old bronze lantern while tilling the fields.

Pushkin and Irina belonged to a mir, a cooperative that leased the land, allocated the acres, and shared expenses at the mill. At one meeting in 1916, a young man from Moscow spoke about the injustice of a country in which 10% of the people owned 90% of the land. Pushkin was not a political man or particularly educated man, but the visitor's enthusiasm and colorful expressions made him take pleasure in watching his words float past.

Pushkin was unprepared for the news his wife delivered in May 1918—they were moving to Moscow. Irina demanded why on earth would they be moving to Moscow, as she longed for a life in the capital. She argued that the time has come for Russians to lay the foundations of the future shoulder to shoulder and stone by stone.

Pushkin began carefully formulating a rebuttal, drawing upon the same words that Irina had used: the time has come. He was no stranger to this phrase and was practically its closest relative since he was a boy. The phrase the time has come to sow and the time has come to reap referred to the time to do what one has always done in the manner of the sun, moon, and stars.

On October 8th, a couple arrived in the capital after five days on the road. They arrived in the city center and quickly settled into their new apartment in the Arbat. Irina secured them a job at the Red Star Biscuit Collective, which was housed in a fifty-square-foot facility with five hundred employees. Irina was initially assigned as an assistant to one of the bakers but proved herself adept with a monkey wrench when an oven door came loose.

Pushkin was assigned to the mixing room where the biscuit batter was blended by paddles that clanged against the sides of large metal bowls. He forgot to pour the vanilla into each batch of biscuits whenever a green light flashed. At four o'clock, the official taster asked for a vanilla biscuit without vanilla, and Pushkin was reassigned to the sweeping crew.

On his first day with the sweepers, Pushkin was sent to the cavernous warehouse where the sacks of flour were stacked in towering rows. His job was simple enough, but his motion kicked the flour into the air, causing him to be dismissed from the Red Star Biscuit Collective. Irina, who had been elected to the workers' committee at the factory, was known to boost the morale of her comrades by quoting from The Communist Manifesto at the drop of a hat.

In summary, the couple arrived in the capital, and Irina and Pushkin were both dissatisfied with their new surroundings.

In 1918, the Proletarian Age began with the ratification of the new Constitution. This period saw the rounding up of enemies, forced procurement of agricultural output, prohibition of private trade, and rationing of essentials. Irina, a housemaid, handed her ration cards to her husband, Vladimir Ilyich, and instructed him to replenish the cupboards before returning at ten o'clock that night. Pushkin, a young man, walked to the trolley and walked along the streets, anticipating his task.

Upon arriving at a bakery on Battleship Potemkin Street, he found a quiet, orderly line of women between the ages of thirty and eighty. He learned that the bakery offered each customer only one product: a loaf of black bread. This made Pushkin feel more at ease, as he would wait in line, receive his loaf, and bring it home.

During his time in the line, Pushkin engaged in one of his favorite conversations with the women around him. They discussed the weather, which seemed worthier of condescension in a society in turmoil. The women agreed that it was a beautiful day, and it seemed that the time seemed to pass more quickly.

In summary, the Proletarian Age in 1918 saw the rounding up of enemies, forced procurement of agricultural output, prohibition of private trade, and rationing of essentials. Pushkin, a young man, found solace in the conversation with the women around him, despite the dread of the rationing process.

In the story, Pushkin, a man in Moscow, finds himself in a long line for bread and sugar at Maxim Gorky Street. Despite feeling anxious, he is greeted by friendly women and the Tchaikovsky Conservatory, which he admires for its neoclassical architecture. As time passes, Pushkin's wife, Irina, becomes tense and asks about the situation. Pushkin explains that the lines for bread and sugar had been so long that there wasn't time to wait for milk.

Irina, however, feels a sense of anger towards her husband for not completing three simple tasks and the implied shortcomings of Communism. She eventually agrees to get the milk tomorrow, and Pushkin feels a great sense of joy. The citizens of Moscow realize that Pushkin is the man to stand next to, as he is gentle, never boorish, or condescending.

In the winter of 1921, Pushkin encounters a woman named Nadezhda, who is in distress due to her youngest child's fever. Pushkin suggests that she hold her place while she visits the pharmacy, as it shouldn't be too long. The line at the pharmacy is only thirty people long, and Nadezhda takes a bag of candy sticks as a token of gratitude.

The story highlights the importance of patience and understanding in dealing with long lines and the challenges faced by those in need. Pushkin's gentle demeanor and willingness to help others make him a