Is A Gentleman in Moscow based on a book?

Are you ready for a fun historical drama? A Gentleman in Moscow has premiered on Paramount+, and it is a must-watch. The question is whether it has any source material. Let’s take a look!

The series itself is set at the time of the Revolution in Russia. The whole upper class society has changed with the fall of the monarchy. Now things are changing for the rest of the upper class, and one count returns home from Paris to find that he is now under house arrest.

Ewan McGregor plays Count Alexander Rostov, who has to wait for his Bolshevik tribunal. With no home anymore, he is told to remain in one of the grandest hotels in the country, where he is given one of the attic rooms.

A Gentleman in Moscow book by Amor Towles

Like many other shows and movies at the moment, A Gentleman in Moscow does have source material. It is based on the book of the same name by Amor Towles. That book was published in 2016.

The series will see a change, though. The novel itself is focused on the count. One of the things a book offers is a chance to hear the thoughts of characters. We can be told some things, although being shown them is far better. However, there is a chance to see the growth of a character in the way their thoughts come out on the page.

That’s not always the case for a show. Other characters are needed, and the series opted to make the part of Anna Urbanova bigger. The role has been expanded to give Mary Elizabeth Winstead more material to sink into. That is the only confirmed change from the book right now.

A Gentleman in Moscow has premiered on Paramount+. Episodes will air Fridays on the streamer.