The rare but deadly 5 stars. Books like this one are the reason I'm in a book club, it encourages me to read books I would otherwise never pick up.

The central figure and main narrator is Count Rostov. In the first chapter Count Rostov is called before the authorities and questioned concerning his allegiance to the revolution, its Moscow 1922. Due to circumstances he is put on house arrest in the Hotel Metropol, where he has been living. He will be shot if he is found outside the Metropol. The twist is he can't stay in his suites, he and what effects he can fit in his new garret are moved to the abandoned 6th floor. After one and only one evening of despondency after 3 days of monotonous routine he makes a plan to adjust to his new captivity.

Count Rostov meets Nina, an 8 year old, who becomes a friend and co-adventurer. He looks forward to visits from friends and makes new friends. All the time staying true to himself. He has a positive outlook, without being a Russian Pollyanna. By the end of the book you want him to be real so you can find a biography to read about the man. The book has amazing characters and manages to illustrate the human toll of the Bolshevik revolution up through Stalin's reign.

Highly recommend. Even though the ending was not as I expected but it fit the Count perfectly.