Rules of Civility is the highly acclaimed debut novel by New Yorker Amor Towles. The cover of the August issue of Oprah magazine referred to this book as “the one we couldn’t put down.” The first portion does take off with gusto, but loses steam (or maybe I did) halfway through. This story explores the not always civil relationships between several 20- something acquaintances making their way in NYC during the late 1930’s. The story is told by Katey Kontent a smart young gal from a working class family who finds herself in the midst of friends with more privileged backgrounds. After a stint in a secretarial pool, Katey lands a glamorous, but demanding job as the assistant to the editor of a glossy new Condé Nast magazine. This period novel provides a vivid description of a sparkling NYC; the night spots, the posh Manhattan apartments with discrete doormen, the dry martini’s, the parties, the fashions. Interestingly enough the title is derived from the Rules of Civility written by a young George Washington in the 1700’s. The entire list of rules (110 in all) is printed at the end of Towles’ novel, and includes some gems like; “Put not off your Cloths in the presence of Others, nor go out your Chamber half Drest.”