Rating: 
Summary: Enthralling, but slightly disappointing
Review: I must say this is an extremely enjoyable, lightning-quick read, but I was a little disappointed overall. I'm giving this 5 stars because it was so much fun and so darned good-hearted, but some of the writing is a bit... er... klunky. A lot of it is written beautifully, but it has an unfinished quality to it. The constant similes - some of them awfully clever - keep much of it from flowing as smoothly as one might like. Chabon also tends to be a bit more obvious than he really needs to be at times. Many sentences seem to have blinking, neon signs pointing to them, saying "This is the book's theme". Those are relatively minor complaints, though. The characters are so likeable and well-developed that I could have forgiven even more.
Rating:
Summary: amazing
Review: Can't contribute much more to what's already been said, other than another number with 5 stars - this incredible, complex, imaginative, heartfelt, painful and funny book kept me up for several nights - I simply couldn't put it down and turn my bedside lamp off!
Rating: 
Summary: Don't miss it
Review: This is a beautiful novel and a joyous read. The characters all felt so real and the story was complex yet spoke very simple truths. After the first 200 pages, I found I could not put it down. My only complaint is that the ending is a tad too corny and neat. I am more a comic book geek than a literary one, so take my word with a grain of salt. And then read the book!
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent
Review: I was enthralled by this epic novel from the beginning, in spite of my hesitations after my indifference over Chabon's "Mysteries of Pittsburgh". From the 1930s to the 1950s, we follow the lives of Joe Kavalier, a refugee Jew from Prague, and his cousin Sam Clay as they explore the full, malleable, limitless possibilities of being American. Kavalier and Clay create the comic book sensation called The Escapist, which brings them both love and tragedy, richness and poverty, but always opportunities. Part of my devotion to the story is my nostalgic love of comic books, and part is the heartening (yet tragic) love story between Clay and the actor who plays The Escapist on the radio, and another is the sheer vast scope of Chabon's novel. Yes, he does meander a bit here and there, giving the readers almost a hundred pages of superfluous story, but this does not take away at all from the book. Strangely, this creates a sense that this is more than the story of Kavalier and Clay. This is a truly American story at heart. A story of dreaming big and tenaciously holding on to that dream.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping Novel
Review: I loved this book because Chabon allows you to be pulled into his characters. You love all of them by the end of the book. The plot took twists and turns I didn't expect especially in the end. My only criticism is with the ambiguous ending, but like any great magacian, there should always be a hint of mystery.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: Quite simply, this is the best book I've read in several years. The prose is powerful, the characters are engaging and the plot more than keeps the pages turning. A truely well-crafted bit of literature. I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't like this book.
Rating:
Summary: Very good, but not a very easy read...
Review: This book deserved its Pulitzer Prize, but it is not a breeze to read through. As I've told many friends, it is an easy book to put down, but not so easy to pick up again. It doesn't mean it's bad. I found it very rewarding, but it demands a lot of attention and thought from the reader. You will get more out of it, the more you know the City of NY and some of its 20th century history.
Rating:
Summary: Being a comic enthusiast helps
Review: Even if you're not a huge fan of comic books this book still stands well on its own, but it sure helps. I think that fact that I once read comics very frequently and occasionally do to this day helped immensely as far as keeping the plot rolling along. I took interest in the state of the comic industry at the time of the so-called "Golden Age" and that wrapped together with the character developments proved to be an above-average read for me personally. I really felt for Joe and his situation however I felt Sammy at first appears to be the focus of the book yet his development further in the book is supplanted by Joe's. Why can't both characters get their due? Anyways I'd say in short a mild interest in comics enhances the plot but the rest is enough to warrant a purchase of the book. Contrary to what another reviewer said, I didn't find the ending flat.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best I've read in a while
Review: In looking at some other reviews, I caught myself momentarily wondering if I read the same book as people who were declaring it so mediocre. Cavalier and Klay is incredible. It could have gone on even longer for me. It does skip around in some places, but I don't think it hurts the book any. The writing is clean, but heartfelt. It's the polar opposite of Dave Eggers heartless (albeit funny) prose. I also recently read The Brothers K and I would have to say both books are forcing their way into my favorites.
Rating:
Summary: Great, if not a bit pretentious
Review: Although I have not yet finished Kavalier & Clay, I am thoroughly enjoying the book. Chabon is truly gifted -- while reading this, I find myself saddened now and then at the knowledge that I will never write like he does -- although at times his word choice and obscure allusions are somewhat pretentious. In other words, this is a great story that could be told in "not so many words." Nontheless, with 100 pages to go, I know I will be awake most of the night trying to finish. I find myself sucked into 1940s and 50s NYC, and involved in the lives of these characters -- all of whom I could befriend -- and it's difficult to put the book down once the plot gets rolling. I recommend Kavalier & Clay to anyone who enjoys well-crafted writing.
|
