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Summary: A unique take on the coming of Age Novel
Review: I read MC's Cavalier & Clay and decided to get one of the author's earlier works.Although, I found the first 50-or-so pages a bit wordy, it really set the tone for this book, about Art Bechstein, a recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, who is struggling to find a definition of love, sexual identity and his place in the world, in his post-graduate summer. The book, while beautifully written, can be a bit wordy at parts (which Chabon tightens up in later works). Each of the characters in the story, stuggles with their identity, while re-inventing themselves. The story captivated me.
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Summary: Great debut novel.
Review: If you've read or seen Michael Chabon's "Wonder Boys," you know that Grady Tripp, the author at the center of that book, had written one masterpiece of a debut novel and was unable to finish a second book that he considered a worthy follow-up. Well, Chabon's writings are all a bit autobiographical and since "Wonder Boys" is his second novel, I decided to track down his debut piece, the one that set Chabon's own bar so high. And after reading "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh," which is still one of my favorite novels, I can see why it would be so hard to follow. Though elements of the plot are, as with most books, a bit preposterous (for the lead character Art is the "son of a gangster" you don't usually find on the street), "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh" cements these elements in the real emotions and situations surrounding a coming-of-age. In the summer after you finish college, you do find all of these confusing choices in front of you: what you want to do with your life, how you want to fill your time, who you want to sleep with, what your relationship with your parents should be and where you stand among your friends. None of these choices, in life or in this book, are easy ones. Often, the decisions Art makes have heartbreaking consequences. Sometimes, he operates on a whim that doesn't make sense to him. He lies, he deceives, he hurts himself and others, but he's young, he's learning and he means well. Chabon's complex and poetic sentence structure, his somewhat-bisexual hero, his approach to the coming-of-age novel and his sense of humor were on full display in "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh," which signaled the arrival of an important literary talent.
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Summary: Quick and Enjoyable
Review: Reading the other reviews, it seems that fans of Chabon are a little harsh in their reviews of this book ... although it does not compare to Wonder Boys or Kavalier & Clay, the Mysteries of Pittsburgh is a fun read and a charming tale. The larger-than-life personae in this book and the general course of the novel draws immediate comparisons to F. Scott Fitzgerald, and of course while such comparisons will come up short, Mysteries of Pittsburgh is an enjoyable, artfully constructed book full of unforgettable characters. The themes central to this story- love, ambition, uncertainty of oneself as an individual, the futility of running away from one's personal demons to name a few- are more fully developed in Chabon's later works, but they are no less a presence in Mysteries in Pittsburgh. Others have been a bit dismissive of the "first novel" label on this book, but still when looking at a book and at an author it is important to recognize where he or she started creatively and what direction they have moved in. As such, while Mysteries of Pittsburgh is not Chabon's greatest work by any means, it is a good start to the rest of his books and even on its own merits, is certainly worth the time taken to read it.
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Summary: Just a Book
Review: It is probably my fault for expecting too much of a first novel. After reading Kavalier and Clay, I fell in love with Chabon's superb style and eloquence, and decided to read The Mysteries of Pittsburgh. I was disappointed. The story is a simple one. Art Bechstein a recent college graduate and the son of a Jewish Gangster, spends a summer working in a bookstore and struggling with issues of sexual identity. The characters are interesting, well crafted and definitely show a glimmer of Chabon's future skill, but the story is not handled as well. In fact, at points the story is downright boring and I only got truly interested in the plot in the last 100 pages or so. In addition, I disliked Chabon's use of imagery in the book. I realize that Chabon is trying to craft a picturesque and naive image of the world which is aligned with the book's coming-of-age theme and with Bechstein's nostalgic look at his past, but in my opinion the imagery is over done and at times is ridiculously exaggerated. Bottom line: this is a simple book, with a simple storyline written by someone who would later become a master story teller. If anything, after reading The Mysteries of Pittsburgh I am now even more appreciative of the phenomenal craftsmanship Chabon displays in his later works. The Mysteries of Pittsburgh is a decent read, but no more than that.
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Summary: Helped me come of age...
Review: I read this book when it first came out, years ago, and felt compelled to response to some of the comments here. This is my first Amazon review. This book first drew me BECAUSE of the lyrical nature of the writing and the theme of coming-of-age. Yes, Chabon is a walking thesaurus, as others have said of his books, but gee -- LOOK IT UP! Want your books to be pap? Read Dick and Jane, then. Want your language to be simple? Read Hemingway. This is neither. But, if you want a thoughtful, lyrical story that captures a moment in a young man's life, read this. Then read Chabon's other books. You won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Quick and Enjoyable
Review: Reading the other reviews, it seems that fans of Chabon are a little harsh in their reviews of this book ... although it does not compare to Wonder Boys or Kavalier & Clay, the Mysteries of Pittsburgh is a fun read and a charming tale. The larger-than-life personae in this book and the general course of the novel draws immediate comparisons to F. Scott Fitzgerald, and of course while such comparisons will come up short, Mysteries of Pittsburgh is an enjoyable, artfully constructed book full of unforgettable characters. The themes central to this story- love, ambition, uncertainty of oneself as an individual, the futility of running away from one's personal demons to name a few- are more fully developed in Chabon's later works, but they are no less a presence in Mysteries in Pittsburgh. Others have been a bit dismissive of the "first novel" label on this book, but still when looking at a book and at an author it is important to recognize where he or she started creatively and what direction they have moved in. As such, while Mysteries of Pittsburgh is not Chabon's greatest work by any means, it is a good start to the rest of his books and even on its own merits, is certainly worth the time taken to read it.
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Summary: a solid, enjoyable effort
Review: "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh" was Michael Chabon's first novel, and it certainly feels like it. The writing is delicate, well-considered, and just a bit precious. The epic, pitch-perfect sentences that color "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" are nowhere to be found in "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh." The story is standard novice-novelist fare: A sweetly nostalgiac coming of age story, with an obligatory crisis of sexuality. The book's biggest strength is in its characters. They're strong and memorable, and the conversations between them hint at the flair for whip-smart dialogue that is so prevalent and effortless in Chabon's later works it's easy to take for granted. A few of the characters pop up, albeit in different skins, with different context, in "The Amazing Adventures of Kavlier & Clay" and "Wonder Boys." "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh" is a very enjoyable book. The characters ring true, and the story, though it tends toward stasis, is one of the best of its kind. For fans of Chabon, it highlights just how much he's grown as a writer and storyteller. It's profound in a subtle, understated way, and while it is hardly as masterful as the novels that would follow it, it's a solid, pretty, consistent effort from one of modern fiction's greatest writers.
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Summary: Not for a first time Chabon reader.
Review: This was my second read from Chabon and while "Wonder Boys" made me a fan, I was a little disappointed with this one. Once again, I found the characters were well developed but the bizarre love triangle between Art, Arthur, and Phlox got to be boring after a while. There were moments I just wanted to scream out loud for him to pick someone and stay in their bed for petes sake!
While I won't recommend this for a first time Chabon reader, it is good if you're bored with nothing else to read. Will I read it again - probably not. But I loved the idea of a family of Jewish gangsters. Plus, Cleveland was what made me really want to finish the novel in the end.
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Summary: Mysteries of Beckstein
Review: Part straight, part gay, part student, part bookstore employee and full time narcissist, Art Beckstein spends his summer after college graduation looking for love, I mean friends, I mean direction I mean . . .? From a lovers spat on a street corner where he meets Art Lecomte (who looks at the couple fighting and remarks "Some people really know how to have a good time") to the basement library where Phlox lies in wait, to the once regal Pittsburgh Hotel where he father's mob gang hangs out, Art's summer becomes full of booze, small time crime and back-alley liaisons (more ways than one). Is this a coming of age book? Indeed the reviews on the cover lift this work up with Fitzgerald, Caulfield, Twain, Dickens and, be still my heart, Kerouac. What? Sorry, this does not belong to that club.Were these obsequious comparisons lifted off the cover of The Wonder Boys or Kavalier & Clay? This tale is a sometimes funny, sad, silly and ugly one, but an always entertaining account of that summer.
Upon reflection did he learn anything? Grow at all? Did he find where friendship ends and love begins, or vice-versa? Or what the difference between lusting and making love is? I don't think so. He explored pleasures and found his gangster father, an outlaw biker (the father has a strong opinion on this friendship), a liberated librarian (Phlox) and a male friend (Art Lecomte) that challenges his sexual persona while aching to prove that "he really knew how to have a good time."
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Summary: Wincing and Laughing
Review: I am such a big fan of Wonder Boys (ha! you thought I was going to say Kavalier & Clay, didn't you?) that I've been wanting to read this book for a while, but after I read Chabon's interview with Barbara Shoup in the craft collection Novel Ideas (I do recommend this book), I was even more inspired to buy a copy-- Chabon reports that he went into Workshop with the novel already written (though it was all but completely re-written) and, being roughly the same age as Chabon was then and of roughly the same aspirations, I wanted to see what was worthy of such praise as "solid writing" and a "brilliant first effort." I have to warn you that I just also re-read that undermining little black book called "A Reader's Manifesto" (Myers) (I definitely recommend this book), so I was on attack mode. I can honestly say that Pittsburgh had me laughing and wincing in equal amounts. First effort or not, it's a book and you don't make excuses for books that are published, best-sellers and critically acclaimed (It doesn't really help a reader of reviews to know that "this is his first book"- you're basically telling them "let's cut him some slack" and that's why you're giving him 5 out of 5 stars). Let's say the prose here is wordy and tries too hard to funny- it's like a new perm on the first day: really tight and kinked up until you sleep on it. After a while, it loosens, relaxes a little and the "style" looks more natural. That's the Chabon chronological reading experience.
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