I read this as part of the NBRC Book Of the Month May and is a 3.5 star. 
 I picked this book up reading the blurb and I was expecting the story of the political turmoil Soviet Union/Russia underwent through the eyes of a man who is under "hotel" arrest during the period 1922-1954 interspersed with personal anecdotes of Count Rostov, out protagonist. This book felt like a collection of memories and to me the book did not try to build up to any gripping climax. 
 It starts of with Count Rostov being sentenced to spend the rest of his life inside the Metropol hotel. If he steps out he will be shot. Now I know that may not sound terrible and of course it isn't as bad as jail but I felt it was quite close to it. Because you may have all the luxury at your fingertips but I couldn't help wonder how it would feel to watch people everyday go about their lives, people with dreams and aspirations they could achieve because they aren't trapped in a place, people who can have relationships outside of those confines. 
 For a man who had traveled far and wide and done as he pleased it sounded like the end of his life but the Count just takes this in his stride and accepts his fate without sulking or throwing a tantrum and I admired that. The book takes us through 32 years of his life and the people he meets and how he manages to have a life despite his confines. There are a lot of references to food and wine throughout the story which I oddly liked. I also loved the humor in the book and I think without this it would have been a bore. 
 The problem I had was with the way the author has described the Count's story, it shows he had no regrets, no yearnings for the world out side which really does not seem humanly possible. 
 There is no outright mention of the political turmoil the country or the people were facing. Through small anecdotes the reader is forced to expand his mind and infer what was the actual state of things. I found this OK as I was definitely expecting more than just subtle references and it left me wanting more. 
 I would have loved to have read more about what he observed through the hotel windows, to have him describe the changes he saw. I think the same in terms of technological advances or fashion. In fact now that I think about it there was no mention of anything he observed on a television. 
 The ending really did not leave me satisfied. The sudden change in the Count and his decision did not agree with whatever I had read about him. It felt forced and unresolved. 
 Also it does drag in the middle and some of the anecdotes do nothing to contribute to the story. 
 In the end the book is only about the Count and his life with little information about anything else. I felt like I was looking into the life of a gentleman at various points in his life but through a window. Every window I opened I saw a new scene but never the whole picture/life.