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A Glimpse of Stocking
An essay by Amor Towles, which in part appeared on Oprah.com
Unknown Binding
Published August 1, 2011
About the author
Amor Towles
27 books25.4k followersBorn and raised in the Boston area, Amor Towles graduated from Yale College and received an MA in English from Stanford University. Having worked as an investment professional in Manhattan for over twenty years, he now devotes himself fulltime to writing. His first novel, Rules of Civility, published in 2011, was a New York Times bestseller in both hardcover and paperback and was ranked by the Wall Street Journal as one of the best books of 2011. The book was optioned by Lionsgate to be made into a feature film and its French translation received the 2012 Prix Fitzgerald. His second novel, A Gentleman in Moscow, published in 2016, was also a New York Times bestseller and was ranked as one of the best books of 2016 by the Chicago Tribune, the Miami Herald, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the St. Louis Dispatch, and NPR. Both novels have been translated into over fifteen languages.
Mr. Towles, who lives in Manhattan with his wife and two children, is an ardent fan of early 20th century painting, 1950’s jazz, 1970’s cop shows, rock & roll on vinyl, obsolete accessories, manifestoes, breakfast pastries, pasta, liquor, snow-days, Tuscany, Provence, Disneyland, Hollywood, the cast of Casablanca, 007, Captain Kirk, Bob Dylan (early, mid, and late phases), the wee hours, card games, cafés, and the cookies made by both of his grandmothers.
Mr. Towles, who lives in Manhattan with his wife and two children, is an ardent fan of early 20th century painting, 1950’s jazz, 1970’s cop shows, rock & roll on vinyl, obsolete accessories, manifestoes, breakfast pastries, pasta, liquor, snow-days, Tuscany, Provence, Disneyland, Hollywood, the cast of Casablanca, 007, Captain Kirk, Bob Dylan (early, mid, and late phases), the wee hours, card games, cafés, and the cookies made by both of his grandmothers.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 2, 2020
“For a young, uninformed listener, Porter’s lyrics weren’t emblematic of an era, or a specific locale; they were emblematic of a sensibility. Thanks to that record, I loved the wee hours long before I was allowed to stay up until ten; and I loved Paris in the springtime, long before I knew who, what or where Paris was.”
Towles pays tribute to the songs of Cole Porter, to the musical instrument that was Ella Fitzgerald’s voice and to his father. “...secretly, I knew that part of him was hoping I just pursued my dreams.
Thanks, Cheri. Reading this short reminiscence makes me understand why Towles is one of my favorites. Link to it : http://www.amortowles.com/a-glimpse-o...
Towles pays tribute to the songs of Cole Porter, to the musical instrument that was Ella Fitzgerald’s voice and to his father. “...secretly, I knew that part of him was hoping I just pursued my dreams.
Thanks, Cheri. Reading this short reminiscence makes me understand why Towles is one of my favorites. Link to it : http://www.amortowles.com/a-glimpse-o...
June 8, 2020
When I was growing up, there was music all over my house, all the time. My father fiddled, so there were often the strains of grass-roots country coming from his bedroom; my mother liked Sinatra, so she would likely be humming "Fly Me To the Moon" while washing dishes; my sister was besotted with the Beatles, so the sounds of the British invasion would be creeping under her door sill. I became an amalgamation of them all--so I am equally at home and in love with Cole Porter, Hank Williams or Joni Mitchell.
In this enchanting essay, Amor Towles gives us a glimpse into his musical influences and how they shaped his dreams and his future. I grow a little more in love with this man each time I read the words he writes.
Another day to owe a debt of gratitude to Cheri for passing this along:
Read it here
In this enchanting essay, Amor Towles gives us a glimpse into his musical influences and how they shaped his dreams and his future. I grow a little more in love with this man each time I read the words he writes.
Another day to owe a debt of gratitude to Cheri for passing this along:
Read it here
June 7, 2020
A lovely walk down Amor Towles Memory Lane…
Reading this reminded me of the music, and even the movies I’d grown up listening to, and watching, and I was taken in by the nostalgia of it all.
I grew up playing my parents old records, that even they no longer listened to, and watching old Fred Astaire movies, although sometimes my older brother took control and we watched other movies with Laurel and Hardy, or dinosaurs, still old movies in black & white. Left to my own choices, I’d choose old musicals, or anything at all with Katherine Hepburn or Audrey Hepburn. And because we lived close enough to NYC, occasionally a Broadway Musical or play was a treat. But other than that, my parents weren’t particularly interested in listening to music, and their old records had been moved from our basement, where they used to throw their parties, into boxes in the garage, which I would rummage through for new music occasionally.
He shares a story about his babysitter, and the music she would turn on when he was young. Dylan, Seeger, Hendrix, and I was reminded of the summer when a neighbor’s niece came to stay, and would occasionally babysit for several families in our neighborhood, her name was Debbie. Deborah Harry, although that name meant little at the time to anyone outside of our small neighborhood. I remember that my younger brother was barely walking, and still in diapers, so I was probably five, going on six come that fall. I remember that the first thing she wanted to do was, of course, listen to music, so I pulled out some Cole Porter, some Ella Fitzgerald, probably something along the lines of Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar, an old boogie-woogie song among my father’s favourites, and mine, from the 40’s.
So, for me, this was a walk down Towles’ memory lane, as well as my own.
This story may be read here:
http://www.amortowles.com/a-glimpse-o...
Reading this reminded me of the music, and even the movies I’d grown up listening to, and watching, and I was taken in by the nostalgia of it all.
I grew up playing my parents old records, that even they no longer listened to, and watching old Fred Astaire movies, although sometimes my older brother took control and we watched other movies with Laurel and Hardy, or dinosaurs, still old movies in black & white. Left to my own choices, I’d choose old musicals, or anything at all with Katherine Hepburn or Audrey Hepburn. And because we lived close enough to NYC, occasionally a Broadway Musical or play was a treat. But other than that, my parents weren’t particularly interested in listening to music, and their old records had been moved from our basement, where they used to throw their parties, into boxes in the garage, which I would rummage through for new music occasionally.
He shares a story about his babysitter, and the music she would turn on when he was young. Dylan, Seeger, Hendrix, and I was reminded of the summer when a neighbor’s niece came to stay, and would occasionally babysit for several families in our neighborhood, her name was Debbie. Deborah Harry, although that name meant little at the time to anyone outside of our small neighborhood. I remember that my younger brother was barely walking, and still in diapers, so I was probably five, going on six come that fall. I remember that the first thing she wanted to do was, of course, listen to music, so I pulled out some Cole Porter, some Ella Fitzgerald, probably something along the lines of Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar, an old boogie-woogie song among my father’s favourites, and mine, from the 40’s.
So, for me, this was a walk down Towles’ memory lane, as well as my own.
This story may be read here:
http://www.amortowles.com/a-glimpse-o...
February 21, 2022
Amor Towles shares with us his experience of music in his growing up years.
This is a VERY short essay and can be found on Towles website:
https://www.amortowles.com/a-glimpse-...
5 stars (I LOVE Amor Towles)
This is a VERY short essay and can be found on Towles website:
https://www.amortowles.com/a-glimpse-...
5 stars (I LOVE Amor Towles)
March 20, 2022
A short essay on the author’s musical influences of his childhood. It was wonderful to read and it introduced me to a great album. You can red the story here https://www.amortowles.com/a-glimpse-...
October 13, 2022
… the hour was eternally twilight, and the sights to be seen included all things delightful, delicious *and* delovely.
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https://www.amortowles.com/a-glimpse-...
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https://www.amortowles.com/a-glimpse-...
Want to read
July 20, 2024good read
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews