Rules of Civility: A Novel

From the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Lincoln Highway and A Gentleman in Moscow, a “sharply stylish” (Boston Globe) book about a young woman in post-Depression era New York who suddenly finds herself thrust into high society—now with over one million readers worldwide

On the last night of 1937, twenty-five-year-old Katey Kontent is in a second-rate Greenwich Village jazz bar when Tinker Grey, a handsome banker, happens to sit down at the neighboring table. This chance encounter and its startling consequences propel Katey on a year-long journey into the upper echelons of New York society—where she will have little to rely upon other than a bracing wit and her own brand of cool nerve.

With its sparkling depiction of New York’s social strata, its intricate imagery and themes, and its immensely appealing characters, Rules of Civility won the hearts of readers and critics alike.

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Published Jun 26, 2012

368 pages

Average rating: 7.71

617 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

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Readers say *Rules of Civility* offers a vivid, glamorous portrait of 1930s New York, with a richly drawn social landscape and stylish setting reminis...

Sue Dix
Mar 14, 2026
10/10 stars
This was an astoundingly wonderful book. I couldn't put it down.
nfmgirl
Mar 08, 2026
10/10 stars
This book was the November selection for my book club, and I really loved it! The characters were so well fleshed out, and there were layers to each of them. There were a lot of characters, yet all of them were invaluable to the story. There were many little tidbits that I felt showed brilliant insight into the human condition. My final word: I loved this book! The characters were so full and rich, that I mentioned at our book club that I could read additional books based on each of the other characters. Brilliant, sweeping, intriguing, fast moving. This is one grand tale! Follow my reviews on https://cerebralgirl.blogspot.com (Cerebral Girl in a Redneck World)
Cresta McGowan
Dec 25, 2025
8/10 stars
Tried this back in 2015 and didn’t love it. Just reread it this week and found it wonderful. Sometimes the timing needs to be right. A great story.
boyleschris
Jul 21, 2024
Chris's pick. 👍🏻 Fiction. A Fitzgerald-like story of three people reinventing themselves in late 30s NYC.
Khris Sellin
Jul 05, 2024
10/10 stars
I LOVED this book. Could not put it down. Set in New York in the late 1930s, it evokes images of old black & white movies, where everyone and everything is glamorous, even the poor folk.

Brooklyn-born Katey Kontent and her roomie, Evey Ross, a Midwestern transplant, are single girls living it up in NYC. As they are ringing in the New Year of 1938, they meet dashing Tinker Grey and they become an inseparable threesome.

As we move through 1938 with Katey, we get to meet all the people who weave in and out of her life and see how they influence her, and how some of them may not be exactly as they appear...

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