Rating: 
Summary: A Deep work of fiction
Review: If you want a book to really sink you teeth into, one that will require all of your consontration, then this is the book. The story of two cousins and their Comic Book empire is very interesting. But the author goes off on many side stories, telling you background information that happened years before. I found myself wishing he would get on with the story in many cases. But once the story is moving again, it is very interesting and heartbreaking.
Rating: 
Summary: Noble & Edifying Escapism
Review: Destined for classic status, "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay" is a thoroughly enjoyable book from beginning to end. The scope of Chabon's achievement, the sheer vitality of his main characters, and the author's complete control over a great number of plot twists and backdrops make this my favorite book of the year so far.Teenage cousins Sammy Clay and Josef Kavalier meet in 1939 after Josef endures a harrowing escape from Prague, just before the Nazis begin rounding up the city's Jewish residents. Sammy makes Josef as at home as possible in New York City while rejoicing at Josef's artistic talent which, combined with Sammy's chutzpah, will soon make them wealthy in the comic book business. This opening may or may not seem like the beginning of one of the great American novels of our time, but "Kavalier & Clay" has nearly all anyone could ask for (though some may be disappointed that the book boasts only one well-rounded female character, Joe's beloved Rosa). It has all of the struggles of man against an oppressive regime, man against the elements, man against himself--all this, and throw in Salvador Dali wearing a diving helmet to a dinner party! While I tend to be in the camp of those who read for edification rather than escape, I naturally want both from good literature. So does Chabon, as the narrator gives away the author's philosophy late in the book while explaining Josef's: "the shaping of a golem, [like the writing of a novel] to him, was a gesture of hope, offered against hope, in a time of desperation." And the more desperate the times, the more "noble and necessary" the service provided by novels, paintings and, of course, comic books. Chabon's command of both language and metaphor is stunning. He simply hits no sour notes. The depth of his feeling is done justice by his style, pacing and structural brilliance. "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay" is not a good book, it is a great book.
Rating:
Summary: What they said
Review: Seriously, what can I possibly say that almost 300 people haven't already said? The people who didn't like this book (and they have every right not to, but for some pretty lame reasons) mostly complain that it contains homosexuality and big words. So I guess if you're an uneducated [person], don't read it. Five stars for homosexuality and big words!
Rating:
Summary: Gobsmacking Fun
Review: The team of Kavalier and Clay breaks new fictional ground under Chabon's pen. I would put this fabulously original novel right up with Tristram Shandy (Sterne)and A Winter's Tale (Helprin). Sure there may be flaws, but such is life.
A wonderful reading experience that stays with you ( delightfully haunts you) long after the last sentence is savored.
Superb fiction!
Rating: 
Summary: WOW!
Review: If you grew up in the world of comic books - late 30's up until WW II - you will be entranced by the birth and adventures of the Escapist. How can a book that starts out with the protagonist saying, "To me, Clark Kent in a phone booth and Houdini in a packaging crate, they were one and the same thing," not be absolutely hypnotic. The story wends it's way from Prague to New York City - encompasing Jewish life in both places - family life, sex life and the comic book business. A throughly absorbing good read.
Rating:
Summary: A golden tale of heroes from the Golden Age of Superheroes
Review: This book works for me on so many different levels, I don't know where to begin. First and foremost, it's a story about comic creators during the Golden Age of comics. For me, that alone makes this book worth its price. The fact that the subject matter is handled by an author as gifted as Michael Chabon and is as adroitly researched as it is just makes the story all that much more interesting to me as a lifelong reader and fan of comics. Second, the story of escapism and becoming trapped were compelling themes that made the story an intriguing look into how two men with similar backgrounds acted in very different manners over the course of the story. After creating the comic character The Escapist, Joe Kavalier spends the next dozen plus years of his life trying to help his family escape from Nazi-occupied Europe, and then trying to escape from his own pain and mistakes later on. Sam Clay, on the other hand, finds himself increasingly more trapped in his own life, one that he never intended for himself. Ultimately (and without giving away too much), Kavalier's greatest trick of escape as an amateur escape artist may be in giving Clay his freedom. This is also a story of friendship between two men, and the story of an immigrant looking for a new home without the comfort and safety of his own family surrounding him. Chabon's writing is absolutely lyrical and you can almost feel the cadence and rhythm in certain passages. My only complaint about the writing is that often, Chabon makes full use of his obviously broad base of vocabulary, possibly losing the reader in places. Still, that only happens once every hundred pages or so, and plodding through those sections is well worth the experience of reading the entire novel, certainly one of the best American novels of the past few years.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Escape To A Better Place
Review: Every piece of art is an escape somehow, whether it is literature, cinema, poetry painting etc. we look for art in order to have something better or at least different from our lives. And in this conception, "The Amazing Adventures of Kavlier & Clay" is a great escapism. Michael Chabon's daring and provocative novel is superb. It is almost impossible to believe that Kavalier, Clay and Rosa are not real people, and that The Escapist has never existed. Some people may go to collectors looking for some old comic books of him, but, unfortunatelly they won't find it. But I don't blame them, the character in the novel is so real that I wish there were comic books for we read. In a nutshell, Sam Clay, né Klayman, is a 17 year-old jew who loves pulps. His cousin Kavalier studied drawn and magic before scaping from Nazi-occupied Prague. Togheter in NY they creat the Escapist, a masked hero, who becomes very popular, not only amog teens and children, but also adults, what lead them to another step in comic book creation. Later, a woman come between them. She is Rosa Sacks, a artist somehow, who has a very eccentric father and a very peculiar life. Rosa will play a mayor role when Kavalier falls for her; and so does Clay later, making a love triangle. Much more happens but I'll leave for you find out what reading this novel. Some people say this novel is over-rated, but I don't think so! It's been a long time that I don't read such an interesting and funny prose in such an sophisticated style. I have read Chabon's "Wonder Boys" and really appreciated. He is one of the best American Writers from the late XX Century/ early XXI. The themes he tackles in his books are serious and relevant. I have to admit that I didn't enjoy the part that takes place in Antartica as much as the others. That one is a bit hard, nevertheless good once you get why Kavalier is there, and what he is facing. The last part is superb and the ending unique. This is the kind of book that makes us have some hope for literature. Reading Michael Chabon we discover that some writers still have imagination, and love for their art, and they are in the business not only for increasing their bank account, but, for making our lives better.
Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected - and I'm happy for it.
Review: I usually stay away from the award winners. I find that they do not live up to my expectations. I was drawn to this book by its references to comic books. I would recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: Truly Original Escapade
Review: I have always been interested in novels and non-fiction related to the Holocaust and I picked up Chabon's book last year when I got bored shopping. I am glad I did. The ideas discussed in Kavalier's book are complex -- the pain in one's loss of a home, of family, of love, loss of familiarity, dealing with the need for revenge, uprooting and moving somewhere to re-establish oneself, gradually finding love and redemption once again. These themese are all juxtaposed against the comic book industry which Kavalier works in, trying to exorcise the pain in himself. Mirroring his superhero creation, Kavalier has a knack of "escaping" from dangerous and tough situations, but he can't escape from the hurt and pain inside of himself. The most serious threat to the survival of the Escapist is himself. The America in Chabon's book reads like scenes from comic book and there are times when you wonder if you're reading Chabon's novel, or flipping through a comic magazine. The seamless melding of the two levels of reality can be confusing at times, but provides for a unique reading adventure. In Chabon's world, nothing ever really seems like it is. The poignancy of Kavalier's loss, his resignation and regret, how he gives up on life and love moves us, and we celebrate when Kavalier manages to escape from the pain in his past, his dreadful memories and through love, survives in the end and starts anew. Chabon's charming, irresistable, talented Kavalier is a true testament to the human spirit. Most creative and enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliantly sad
Review: Chabon's Pulitzer Prize winning novel is brilliantly sad. Filled with real people who have real conversations and do real things, Kavalier and Clay is a fantastic depiction of the discrepency between life as it really happens and life as it could be. This discrepency is often gut-wrenching, and at times it is hard to separate reader from character -- but that is how all novels should feel. Although the story is about two young men who create superheroes for a living, these creators are the novels true heroes. Both are flawed, and in their flaws are both their greatness and their undoing. Chabon makes us love these characters as few authors are capable of doing. Truly the best novel of 2000, this book is definitely worth your time.
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