Rating: 
Summary: Kaleidoscopic coincidences
Review: Paul Auster's Moon Palace is an interesting book, but it is difficult to grab hold of the main story, because the book consists of a large number of small stories. The narrative is a description of Marco Stanley Fogg's life connected with the stories of the various odd characters whom he meets. Throughout the novel the events happen by coincidence, but all these coincidences correspond, and many of them refer to the moon. This structure makes the book very confusing and sometimes these kaleidoscopic events get too much. E.g. the name of the maincharacter; M.S. Fogg. If the MS means manuscript, the result is a foggy manuscript, which is a good characterization of the novel.M.S. Fogg compares himself to the moon, and an important quote is, "the sun is the past, the earth is the present and the moon is the future" as said by the scientist Nikola Tesla. What this means becomes clear in the last two pages, so hang on for a crazy ending! We, as high school students, think that the novel is quite complicated, because of all these coincidences and referments. The novel includes many people (mostly artists and scientists) from this century, and it tells the reader much about the city of New York and the American way of living. Moon Palace is also a story about loneliness and the lack of a father, and what hard times can do to a man. We recommend the novel, but be prepared to be confused!
Rating:
Summary: Foggy manuscript
Review: Moon Palace is the story of Marco Stanley Fogg, a fatherless boy who finds his long lost father and grandfather at the age of 20. He is nearly killed at one point while pursuing a philosophical quest, trying to forsake the physical world like some buddhist monk. The end is strange and leaves you with a feeling of emptiness. I think that Moon Palace is a very interesting book, Paul Auster's great writing skills make this an unputdownable book. After a slow start the action proceeds at a rapid rate with something new happening on every page. Paul Auster weaves many stories into each other, however, making it difficult to keep track of the plot. All of these coincidences form the leitmotif of the novel, but in the end Paul Auster goes overboard. There are simply too many coincidences for the reader to accept causing the book to lose its integrity, therefore only three stars.
Rating: 
Summary: This is an unputdownable book
Review: "Moon Palace" is the story of M.S. Fogg. We would never have started to read this book if our teacher hadn't told us to, but we are glad we did, because as we got going, we couldn't put it down again. We think that 95 percent of the book is excellent, because Paul Auster draws us into the thoughts of Marco and we get the feeling that Marco is living in our thoughts. We find the book very exciting, because there is always something going on.
Rating: 
Summary: MAGNIFICENT!
Review: Auster is one of the greatest authors alive. He writes with love for his characters and stories. Moon Palace is his best novel till this date. Perfectly formed, his journey through American history, seen by the eyes of an average American, couldn't be better written by history itself.
Rating:
Summary: the best auster
Review: Even better than NY trilog
Rating:
Summary: for intelligent readers who can stand solitude
Review: I thought this is one of the most intelligent books I read in a while in how directly he describes situations and characters. It's a very intriging story, I couldn't out it down. Some people might find it depressing though so it's more for people who enjoy good literature over bestsellers. I also read the New York Trilogy, this book is way better.
Rating: 
Summary: Weird!
Review: I admit Auster can tell a story, can tell several stories in a book. And he tells them well; he has a rich and imaginative language full of subtle metaphors and surprising lingusistic turns. But what kind of stories are these? What is this book about? Is it about the importance of accident in our lives? Is it about existential problems? I could not find any logically relevant discussion about these problems in this book. Is it against society? Certainly not because nothing in this book is as strong as its emphasis on the fact that you cannot survive without money, and the more money you have the better. Without money your existence is in danger. What is striking in this book, too, is the complete absence of moral values. People do what they want, take from others what they need. There is no visible encouragement for people to show solidarity with their fellow human beings. The love story that accompanies the main action is - as a consequence - illogical and neither supports the main stories nor does it form a counterpoint to them. A weird book!
Rating:
Summary: Still in my mind
Review: Some of the books that you have read years ago will stay somewhere in your head, sometimes because of the character or plot, sometimes because of the atmosphere. Moon palace is such a book, mainly because of its atmosphere.
Rating:
Summary: A melancholy masterpiece.
Review: Paul Auster's writing has the ability to linger long in the thought of his readers by virtue of its exquisite construction of sentences and rhythm. His plot inventions, such as the countless coincidences that happened to Fogg in this book (or those metaphysical characters in the New York Trilogy) are minor irritiation in an otherwise wry, melancholy and highly absorbing story. I could not put down the book even at three am in the morning before work. It will stay with you for a long time.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT READ
Review: Auster does a good job of weaving the story of M.S. Fogg into contemporary America.
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