Comments on: Enthralling Books: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, by Michael Chabon

By: void_ptr

void_ptr — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 22:02:00 +0000

So… good then?

By: Kaleberg

Kaleberg — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 20:55:00 +0000

Here’s another vote for Kavalier & Clay. It’s a wonderful yarn. It really evokes the era. I’ll also put in a vote for the Yiddish Policeman’s Union, and if you want a simple adventure movie, try Gentlemen of the Road.

By: Steve Taylor

Steve Taylor — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 12:14:00 +0000

I haven’t read Kavalier & Clay but loved The Yidddish Policeman’s Union so much I can’t shut up about it. Does that mean I’ll hate Kavalier & Clay? We’ll see…

By: petite poubelle

petite poubelle — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 02:39:00 +0000

I loved Kavalier & Clay but I couldn't finish The Yiddish Policeman's Union. I can, however, recommend the latter as a cure for insomnia.

By: Tim Nolan

Tim Nolan — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 01:53:00 +0000

One of my favorites, and the first to mind when someone asks for book recommendations. I truly believe it is the Great American Novel, covering immigration, invention, comic books, WWII and the creation of suburbia, all huge parts of the armature of the collective mythology of the United States.

By: Nicholas MacDonald

Nicholas MacDonald — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 01:02:00 +0000

That sounds awesome… now I have to pick it up!

By: MarkV

MarkV — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 22:10:00 +0000

Maybe it would’ve been enthralling at half its actual length (639 pages). As is, I can’t agree that it’s enthralling. Several parts were a slog. As a lifelong comic fan, I was disappointed.

Incidentally, this may be the only mainstream novel to describe the “flavor” of a character’s rectum.

By: Tynam

Tynam — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 21:56:00 +0000

Yes, I love this book because it’s so brilliantly self-contradictory. It’s a novel about the great early Jewish comic book authors that doesn’t mention any of them (sort of). It’s a Holocaust novel that doesn’t contain the Holocaust. It’s a WWII army novel with no fighting. It’s a McCarthy era novel that’s not really about that.

It’s not always brilliant prose, but it’s always a brilliant world.

By: Brainspore

Brainspore — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 21:17:00 +0000

I hope to see a movie adaptation some day. I think a good filmmaker could have a lot of fun with the sequences where the lives of the characters begin to blur with the stories in the Escapist comics, maybe something akin to Tarsem Sing’s “The Fall” (a gorgeous and underrated film IMHO).

By: kurt kress

kurt kress — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 20:52:00 +0000

I’m glad that people enjoyed the book but I couldn’t stand it. The book was a chore to read and I finally had to put it down. Chabon is to in love with his words and his own writing to the point that it gets in the way of story telling. At one point he takes a page and a half to tell you that the character walked across the room. Sorry, couldn’t finish it.

By: Pink Frankenstein

Pink Frankenstein — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 20:40:00 +0000

Such a good book it hurts.

By: Flarn Buckholter

Flarn Buckholter — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 20:31:00 +0000

I got through 50 pages before I had to stop. Chabon’s books are like putting on a temp tattoo and etching around it with battery acid.

By: Reed Savory

Reed Savory — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 20:08:00 +0000

I couldn’t agree more. This is a fantastic book, and well deserving of the Pulitzer it won.

For those into comic books (like myself) after you’ve ready the novel there’s a series of “The Escapist” comics that Chabon collaborated on that are also a heck of a lot of fun.

I also agree with jackrabbitslim, “The Yiddish Policemen’s Union” is Jewish Noir at it’s finest.

By: jackrabbitslim

jackrabbitslim — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 19:56:00 +0000

This was the first Pulitzer-winner I read and I honestly dreaded it a little. Kind of thought I might be “taking my medicine” and reading a book I “should be” reading. And holy moly was I wrong!
This book is great but also- REALLY goddamn fun! Adventure! Sex! Field expedient aircraft repairs!
Fabulous.Chabon is now one of my favorite writers.

Also, if you like noir -at all- get The Yiddish Policemen’s Union right fucking now. You will thank me.

By: McDrunk

McDrunk — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 19:50:00 +0000

Great book. I read it around the time it was first released. Thank you for reminding me I need to pick it up again.

By: Sean Mangan

Sean Mangan — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 19:47:00 +0000

+1 – I heartily recommend this wonderful book. I spent a few nights up way too late because I couldn’t put it down.