Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, Bookish Wisdom earns from qualifying purchases. This doesn't change our picks or your price.
Quick answer: If you loved Rules of Civility, read Amor Towles's A Gentleman in Moscow and The Lincoln Highway, then The Great Gatsby, The Paris Wife and Breakfast at Tiffany's. All are elegant novels about ambition, friendship and the glamour of another era.
Amor Towles's 2011 debut follows Katey Kontent, a young woman from a modest background who navigates Manhattan society in 1938 after a chance meeting at a jazz club. It is stylish, witty and nostalgic. The books below share its period glamour, sharp dialogue and sense of a city full of possibility.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Gentleman in Moscow | Amor Towles | Adult | more Towles |
| The Lincoln Highway | Amor Towles | Adult | road novel |
| The Great Gatsby | F. Scott Fitzgerald | Adult | longing and loss |
| The Paris Wife | Paula McLain | Adult | Hemingway's first wife |
| Breakfast at Tiffany's | Truman Capote | Adult | New York charm |
| The Dud Avocado | Elaine Dundy | Adult | Paris comedy |
| Brooklyn | Colm Toibin | Adult | quiet emigration |
| The Chaperone | Laura Moriarty | Adult | 1920s road trip |
| Revolutionary Road | Richard Yates | Adult | suburban tragedy |
| The Group | Mary McCarthy | Adult | women of Vassar |
| Beautiful Ruins | Jess Walter | Adult | Hollywood and Italy |
| The Other Typist | Suzanne Rindell | Adult | 1920s noir |
| Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald | Therese Anne Fowler | Adult | jazz age marriage |
| The Sun Also Rises | Ernest Hemingway | Adult | lost generation |
| The Age of Innocence | Edith Wharton | Adult | society and desire |
1. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Count Rostov is sentenced to house arrest in a grand hotel for decades. Charming, witty and beloved.
Best for: more Towles.
2. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
Three boys set out across 1950s America. Large, warm and inventive.
Best for: road novel.
3. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A man reinvents himself to win back a lost love. Short, shimmering and tragic.
Best for: longing and loss.
4. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
Hadley Richardson tells the story of her marriage in 1920s Paris. Romantic and sad.
Best for: Hemingway's first wife.
5. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
A narrator recalls his mysterious neighbour, Holly Golightly. Short and glamorous.
Best for: New York charm.
6. The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy
A young American woman goes wild in 1950s Paris. Witty and breezy.
Best for: Paris comedy.
7. Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
An Irish girl moves to 1950s Brooklyn and has to choose between worlds. Gentle and moving.
Best for: quiet emigration.
8. The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty
A chaperone takes a young Louise Brooks to New York. Warm and observant.
Best for: 1920s road trip.
9. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
A couple's dreams curdle in 1950s Connecticut. Brutal and exact.
Best for: suburban tragedy.
10. The Group by Mary McCarthy
Eight classmates navigate life in the 1930s. Sharp and ahead of its time.
Best for: women of Vassar.
11. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
A young Italian innkeeper meets an actress in 1962, and the story spans decades. Charming and bittersweet.
Best for: Hollywood and Italy.
12. The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell
A typist in a police precinct falls for a glamorous new colleague. Dark and unsettling.
Best for: 1920s noir.
13. Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler
Zelda Fitzgerald tells her side of her famous marriage. Vivid and sympathetic.
Best for: jazz age marriage.
14. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
A group of expatriates travels from Paris to Pamplona. Spare and moving.
Best for: lost generation.
15. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
A man in 1870s New York is torn between duty and passion. Sharp and bittersweet.
Best for: society and desire.
How to Choose
For more Towles begin with A Gentleman in Moscow. For jazz age glamour choose The Great Gatsby, The Paris Wife or Z. For New York charm pick Breakfast at Tiffany's. For witty heroines try The Dud Avocado. For something darker read Revolutionary Road or The Other Typist. Rules of Civility is best enjoyed with a good ear for dialogue, so audiobooks work well. Towles's novels often feature lists, aphorisms and period details, so readers who enjoy them may also like memoirs and nonfiction about the same era, such as Hemingway's A Moveable Feast. If you love the setting, books and films set in Jazz Age and Depression-era New York make good companions. If you love the voice, Towles's other novels share his gentle wit. If you prefer a darker view of the same period, Revolutionary Road and The Other Typist offer sharper edges. Audiobooks with strong narrators suit the book's rhythm.
Related: 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson: Summary and Key Takeaways · 12 Dystopian Books Like the Hunger Games | Best Books to Read Like Hunger Games
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Rules of Civility about?
A young woman in 1938 New York is pulled into high society after a chance meeting.
Who wrote it?
Amor Towles.
When was it published?
2011.
Is it a historical novel?
Yes, set in Manhattan in 1938.
Is it a romance?
It has romance, but it is more about ambition and friendship.
Is it similar to A Gentleman in Moscow?
It shares the elegant style, but the setting and tone are different.
Is it a quick read?
It is around 350 pages and reads smoothly.
What should I read next?
Try A Gentleman in Moscow.
Does the book end happily?
It is bittersweet, with a reflective, open ending.
Is it a mystery?
There are secrets and turns, but it is mainly a character-driven novel.