The Sport of Kings was a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize.
I always read Kirkus book reviews but know little about the Kirkus Prize.
I am soooooo disappointed!! Look what’s coming to a library near me:
It happens to be the Thursday before my son’s wedding, and I will have a house full of guests. 
6:30-8:30 pm? Just order them a couple of pizzas and slip out!
@Mary13 , since this thread is not officially closed yet, and I just finished both A Gentleman in Moscow and Rules of Civility … I’m poking my head in to say your guess about the crossover character was spot on:
“I didn’t read Rules of Civility, but only Richard Vanderwhile makes sense to me as a crossover character. Anyone read the book? How was it? Worth reading?”
Richard Vanderwhile appears in Rules of Civility as “Dicky” Vanderwhile, a young wealthy man, recent Yale grad, running with a hard-drinking crowd in New York. Katey, our heroine in Rules, becomes part of that crowd, and so we see Dicky on a number of social occasions in 1938. Until I read your conjecture, I didn’t make the connection!
Those who like Amor Towles’s way with words will enjoy Rules, too. The protagonist, gold-digging upward-scrabbling Katey Kontent, is no Count Rostov, however, so if you want to like/identify with your main character, Rules won’t satisfy. It’s a wonderful portrait of New York in 1938-39, and a certain social milieu just before the war. I gave Gentleman five stars on Goodreads, wavered between three and four for Rules, but I’m tough. 
Thanks for the report. I like Towle’s way with words, but I also really like to identify with my characters. So hmm…
Oh, I enjoyed Rules. very much. The main character’s observations about people are fun, and reading about the “milieu” was delightful. Lots of drinking in those days.
@jollymama thanks for the catch in the crossover character.
I’m 100% with you on Rules of Civility. I didn’t like it nearly as much, finding it shallow and superficial compared to the rich depth of Gentleman.
Speaking of drinking, you can get drunk watching a Thin Man movies.
I didn’t like Rules as much. It seemed much more surface to me. Probably I wanted another Moscow.
“Remember, there was some speculation from the “bad guys” that Sofia might be her daughter with the official, which is why they backed off when the Bishop reported on the girl’s existence.”
Yes @Mary13 … this is the part that confused me the most!! I was certain that this was the case (i.e. that Sophia was Anna’s daughter) but it was never confirmed in the book and no one is talking about it in these discussion groups. I assumed we would find out how/why Anna convinced Nina to drop off the child and when Sophia & the count found out.
Although never stated, I do think in the year we missed, there was some acknowledgement between the three of them that Anna was in fact Sophia’s mother. That is why she built the relationship behind the Count’s back and why she stayed around the hotel. It is also why Anna was as invested in Sophia’s success as the Count and why the two ended up together at the end.
Thoughts?? Hopefully someone is still reading these posts.
Dross
I actually just read this book in February. I loved it. Honestly, I just took it at face value at Sophia was Ninas. I didn’t read anymore into the story. Anna loved the Count. The Count loved the child. Anna has no children and has just grown to love the two of them.
I took it at face value also.
No, I don’t think Anna was the child’s mother.
I agree with he others - I think Sophia was Nina’s daughter.
@Dross3667, I’m on board with the others. The authorities may speculate about Sofia’s parentage, but we (the readers) know the relationships in the Count’s inner circle better than they do. I don’t think Towles is trying to fool his readers. For what it’s worth, this is a trivia question on Goodreads and 83.1% of readers agree that Nina is the mom! https://www.goodreads.com/trivia/show/299554-in-a-gentleman-in-moscow-who-is-sofia
I loved Rules of Civility, and I STRONGLY object to the description of Katey as a “gold digger.” She is in fact a highly intelligent and witty, and capable young woman from a very modest background who makes her way professionally because of her superior skills. The fact that she’s good-looking and runs with a privileged crowd part of the time helps her make connections, but that’s it.
@mathmom, I have the feeling that you would like her very much.
I see someone mentioned Sport of Kings. I read it last year and was very disappointed, ultimately. I hadn’t found anyone else who read it to discuss it with.
Oh, and as regards the Count and the poem, several has suggested that his friend felt guilty for letting the Count pass as the author, because it resulted in his house arrest. I think that is getting things backward: the only reason the Count was not executed or at best imprisoned in Siberia was that his authorship of that poem made him a hero of the revolution. So in fact it saved his life.
Thanks all. Guess I read too much into what the authorities thought they knew … or maybe was just waiting for the bombshell to drop. As @Mary13 states, we did know the inner circle better than they, although the authorities did have a pretty good pulse on the goings on in the Metropol. But I am sure they we surprised by Sophia’s sudden arrival.
@Mary13 I did see that quiz and thought it was interesting that they would so confidently include that question/answer.