Rating: 
Summary: A brilliant story, period
Review: I picked up the novel only because the author also wrote the Wonder Boys. I, however, loved the great and powerful tale that followed. I rarely could put the book down, drawn to the intense story and the cast of two jewish kids (hardly batman and robin because of their deep past and interesting growth). The novels explains the effect of magic and hope on all life. In my mind, the book is interesting at many levels and is well worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: A Home Run!
Review: I hate to disagree with my fellow reviewers, but this book starts strong and ends stronger. A very moving intricate novel that weaves themes from the Holocaust, McCarthyism, homosexuality, and post-war America. A very emotionally moving book that I could not put down. As an avid reader, this is one of the best and certainly better than anything else M. Chabon has written to date.
Rating: 
Summary: A fantastic tale
Review: I got this book as a Christmas present, and to be honest, was a little skeptical of it at first. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the writing was never overbearing, the characters were believable, quirky, and a little complex. Many authors would have taken the opportunity of the background of WWII to be overly preachy, but Chabon kept on track by showing how the events affected his characters. The only thing that prevented me from giving the book five stars was the section in Antarctica, which didn't really seem to have much to do with the rest of the book. It was the hardest part for me to read. But at any rate, I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Almost overwhelming...
Review: While reading this novel I imagined the real life and times of the most famous of all comic book teams - Joe Simon and Jack Kirby; ah, but if only Jack's life had been so exciting, so alight with verve and vibe. Other readers might also pick up references to Julie Schwartz, Wally Wood, Mort Meskin, Jack Lebowitz, Martin Goodman, and a host of other real American comic book ink slingers and pioneers. No doubt, the authorship is impeccable; the research and attention to detail is breathtaking. I gave "Kavalier & Clay" four stars because I felt that Chabon tried too hard to impress me with his command of language, but these spells were thankfully infrequent. Readers may be aided by a minimal understanding of American comic book history or the creative process otherwise some situations might seem a bit esoteric (note the previous 'lost' reviewer). Nevertheless, the author triumphs with a magnificent and thoroughly enjoyable story.
Rating: 
Summary: A party guest that stays too long
Review: The early sequences of the book (I'm particularly fond of the Golem) set a foundation for a sweeping and exhilerating story, but the author inexplicably takes us to Antarctica, leaving his foundation to moulder. By the time he get back, he can't build on his earlier work and his characters wander aimlessly. This book is a wonderful joke with no punchline.
Rating:
Summary: WOW! It was amazing!
Review: I finished "The Adventures..." last night and probably won't pick up another book for a few days. When I read a book of this caliber, I like to reflect on it for a few days. I was so impressed by this book! I was interested for the entire 600+ pages. It was exciting, funny, serious, and incredibly descriptive. Sometimes it gave the feeling of a comic strip and I could visualize NYC in the 40's. The characters were well written, I cared about what happened to them. I see that some reviewers complained about a bit of ambiguity, but I prefer that a writer not tell me every detail. Instead we are trusted to know the characters well enough to make draw our own conclusions on the unsaid. I believe Chabon accomplished this, as I did not feel "left in the dark" at all. I would recommend this book to anyone who is not intimidated by it's length, regardless of whether or not they are interested in comics. This book is not "fluff," it is deep and intelligent.
Rating: 
Summary: Can't give it one star...
Review: I can't in good faith give this book one star, because I only got to page 300. It is possible that, starting on page 301, this book became insightful, punchy, pithy, and entertaining, all the things I was expecting from it. I was going to finish it -- showing Herculean discipline given how much I did not enjoy it-- until I hopped on ... and saw reviews saying in the last half one character goes to Antarctica for 70 pages. Good grief. I did skip to the final chapter to see how it came out, and can't say I seem to have missed much. I guess I'll wait for the movie -- I certainly enjoyed "Wonder Boys". Too damn much. If you get to page 50 and don't like it, give up. I wish I had.
Rating:
Summary: A book alive and rich with magic
Review: This is truly an amazing book. In my mind, I can separate good books into two general categories: books that I enjoy because the plot and dialogue is intriguing and fun, like a mystery or thriller; then there are books that are rich in characters and there lives, people whose lives aren't very exciting but who are created so completely by the author that they become real, and their simple lives take on interest for me as a reader simply because they have become as real as a family member or friend. Then even the most trivial and unexciting events in their lives become important as they're filtered through the eyes of the characters themselves. Michael Chabon's Pulitzer Prize winning novel fits nicely into both categories. It has all the elements of a plot driven adventure that make me stay up until all hours of the night fighting sleep, getting into that deadly cyclic pattern of promising to stop at the end of a chapter but secretly knowing that the chapter end will only give me more energy to fight sleep for longer if only I can find out what happens next. At the same time though Kavalier & Clay is about real people. Characters so real that if you met them the day after finishing the book and found out that small print at the beginning of the book about characters being the product of the author's imagination had been false, the only thing that you would find surprising would be that Chabon had been able to put them down on paper so authentically. You care about the people in this book despite of or even sometimes because of their flaws. And it's not merely Sam and Joe and Rosa and Tommy (the biggest characters in the book) that command so much love and understanding, Chabon has the ability to put a real person into the slot filled by any character, even an extra. In the briefest description of a German geologist I could see his whole life standing in front of me. I would recommend this book to anyone. It may help to keep a dictionary on hand when reading, because even though the book is written in a very straightforward and fairly easily accessible language. Chabon's large vocabulary does show through and there are most certainly words you'll want to look up. (Emphasis here though is on "want to.") The only other warning I would give to someone thinking of reading this book is that they should be aware that they might not be capable of reading it as quickly as they would like.
Rating:
Summary: An Enjoyable Read
Review: In "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay," Mr. Chabon crafts a very nice tale of intrigue, deception, and humor. The book is well written, very precise, and some passages really make you feel like you are right there in New York City. My reason for giving it a 4 instead of a 5 is that I got confused. This is absolutely a work of fiction, but there are references to real places (New York, Prague), real people (Hitler, Orson Welles) and real things (Empire State Building). So, I was not able to slip completely into the fantasy world that Mr. Chabon worked so hard to create. I was perhaps biased by my own opinions of the real references. But, don't let this stop you from buying it. It is a great book.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books of fiction in many years
Review: I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Between Chabon's writing and the fascinating conceptual leaps contained within these 650 pages, he achieves a monumental narrative that is purely captivating. A book this good only comes around once a decade.
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