Rating: 
Summary: A Future Classic by One of America's Greatest Writers
Review: I've been an avid fan of Michael Chabon since "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh." His latest work is a vast and sweeping portrait of the American Dream. With little to no interest in the comic book industry, I found this novel fascinating. It almost doesn't matter what he's writing about, because you'll find yourself captivated by Chabon's flawless prose. Read this novel-- you won't be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Lost interest
Review: I have to say I enjoyed most of this book, growing up as a comic book geek I thought this would be a great story. At first I enjoyed the details of how the characters come together and how the author written some of the comic book story as part of the reality. However I hated the later part of the book where we go into to detailed part of character's homosexuality and the ho hum treatment of a marriage to cover up a pregnacy...the characters suddenly lost their charm and innocence and all the qualities you fall in love with them in the begining.
The story takes place during WW 2 a very fasinating time of U.S. history, some of the quotes and captions were clever, but Charbon took a good story and good characters and turned them into unlikable, basket cases the whole story took on a direction that made me put it down feeling disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Pulitzer Dud
Review: I am a big Chabon fan and bought this book days after it hit the shelves. I couldn't even finish it. I got 350 pages in and realized I was reading an impressive research project that didn't contain a single character I cared about. It's amazing how often a young writer's learning to please some award committee coincides precisely with failing to please his/her biggest fans. If I want to learn about WWII New York and the history of comic books, I'll browse the non-fiction aisles. When I pick up Chabon, I'm looking for characters I want to take to bed with me every night. Don't expect to find them here.
Rating:
Summary: Favorite book of 2001
Review: Oh, what a rich, wonderful novel. Chabon will take you on an unforgetable adventure to cherish. The plot is so well crafted, and the characters rich, realistic, and yet somehow 'superheroic.'As a long time comic fan, I especially appreciate his attention to trade. He clearly did his homework. But that's clearly not what this book is about. There is really so much here to look at and love. You've got the Kavalier & Clay duo (emulating the great comic book pairings like Schuster & Siegel and Kirby & Lee) representing the impulse motivated/action oriented hero vs. the mild-mannered, reserved alter ego. You've got a remarkable portrait of American life from the 30's to the 50's and the cultivation of escapism in the American culture. And not least of all, you've characters who absolutely enthrall you and break your heart.
Rating:
Summary: Golden Age of comics and the Golem of Prague
Review: The title of this review seems a bit odd, but both of these subjects are covered very well in this extremely well written and entertaining book, which deservedly won the Pulitzer Prize. The reader gets an obviously well-researched history lesson in the beginnings of the Golden Age of comic book publishing, along with some sidelights into the Golem of Prague, Al Smith's position in the Empire State Building, Harry Houdini's magic acts, and many more subjects that keep the reader interested in turning the pages. I dimly remember the gruesome drawings and subject matter of the comics before the Kefauver Senate hearings, and have always had a soft spot in my heart for the superhero types in comics, so reading this book was just something that came to me naturally. How the genre began, and how the business end of the publishing industry was handled was enlightening, and the human side of the story, with our titled heroes and their assorted friends and lovers made for a "good read". This is a book well worth the time it takes to read, for you will enjoy it very much!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: I was a big fan of Wonder Boys, but Kavalier and Clay has shown me what an amazingly talented and versatile writer Chabon is. The book is absolutely fantastic - the language is beautiful, the characters are dynamic and developed, and the narration is extraordinary (Chabon manages to travel in and out of the character's heads without us even realizing it). This book is an absolute must read. My only advice is - take it slow and enjoy it. I read it way too quickly and was very let down when there was no more!
Rating:
Summary: Had potential, well crafted, too long
Review: This was a wild book, unlike others I've read. We have two primary protagonists, Jewish cousins, Sam Klayman and Joe Kavalier. Sam is awoken one night by his mother and told to shove over in bed to accommodate his cousin Joe who has made an incredible escape from the Nazis in Prague (we are pre-WWII). Joe is an inspired artist (and has learned escapist art as well back in Czechoslovakia) and Sam is a fantastical story-teller and together they march into the world of comic books. It is through these comic (super-hero) tales (their primary protagonist is, The Escapist) that they wage their own war on Hitler. The first half of the book is truly a work of art - emotive writing and a fascinating tale. The second half of the book opens with Joe "disappearing" - leaving Rosa and Sam. I liked the ending but thought there were about 200 superfluous pages in this 636-page tome. If you have the time, enjoy the writing. Chabon is an artful author with an inspired sense of humor.
Rating: 
Summary: This got a Pulitzer????!
Review: Hard to believe that so many other reviewers found this book worthy -- including the Pulitzer Prize jury. I was turned off by this author's resort to supernatural forces every time he got stuck on the plot. The vivid prose (hence my single star rating) carried me along, but only briefly.
Rating: 
Summary: 500 Pages of Heaven, 200 of Hell
Review: If Chabon could have reduced the last 200 pages of this book to a brief epilogue, this would be a truly incredible book. The heights it reaches are amazing but the final section is so utterly devoid of magic, interest, good writing or merit that the book is a painful experience. I have stopped several people from reading it for this reason. If you didn't care so much for so long, it wouldn't be quite so disappointing. Read it only if you are a fast reader and read often enough to be able to move on soon after the disappointment sinks in. Such a shame.
Rating:
Summary: The Real Wonder Boys
Review: "A faster read than a Grisham book. More powerful than an Oprah pick. Able to win Pulitzer Prizes in a single bound edition. Look! Up on the bookshelf! It's pulp fiction! It's serious literature! It's 'The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay'! Yes it's 'The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay', written by a strange visitor from Pittsburgh who came to the literary world with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. 'The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay', a book that can change the course of mighty literary trends, bend public discourse in its bare hands, and which, disguised as Michael Chabon's latest novel, a mild-mannered bestseller for a great metropolitan readership, fights a never-ending battle for Truth! Justice! and the American Way!" Pretty cheesy, that. But good cheese, no? Actually, the above is just a thinly veiled attempt to usher you into the world of super-hero comic books that Michael Chabon has created for this book. It is a world of convenient coincidences, of nick-of-time rescues, of unbelievable happenstance, and hyper-romanticism. It's a world whose characters are drawn in two tones (black or white), where good and evil combat in epic struggles, and little boys pay ten cents an issue to read about it. It's an entirely made up world, embracing its own fictionality, but one that the reader can easily get lost in. Chabon has written a book that takes the conventions of the comic book and exploits them. If you encounter a situation here that tests the boundaries of reality, try reading it as if spread over six cheerily drawn panels. It'll make much more sense that way. The reason for this technique, if I may be so bold as to articulate it, is quite simple: Escapism. Joe Kavalier at one point lists the reasons why he loves his comic books: "for their inferior color separation, their poorly trimmed paper stock, their ads for air rifles and dance courses and acne creams..." But most importantly, for this young man newly escaped from occupied Prague, for the way they allowed young boys to escape from reality and dream their dreams. It's a pretty moving message. Joe and his cousin Sammy Clay (nee Clayman) create a comic book superhero to exploit this theme, named appropriately enough "The Escapist". It's popularity ends up rivaling Superman and Batman. I'm not going to tell you what Sammy is escaping from, for that would ruin one of the book's best and most tastefully portrayed surprises. However, all is not painted in comic book artificiality. In fact, much of the book's sub-text is quite poignant and real. I mean, the book's title, which looks very comic-esque, is actually quite ironic. The boys' adventures aren't really that amazing together (it's run-of-the-mill, everyday stuff, except for a huge joint success). Joe has some topsy-turvy times himself, and Sammy's are more internal and domestic than anything. Even their names are ironic. Joe is certainly not cavalier about the cause he finds himself obsessed with. Sammy's clay (his "fundamental nature or spirit") remains hidden for the majority of the book, only drawn out against his will. Chabon only uses the comic book template as an easy entry point into this world. After that, he creates some complex human situations. And the book is set in and around a very real New York City, during its golden era. Not only are the city's alleyways and seedy apartments and subways represented, but so are some of its most famous landmarks. It's no coincidence that the Empire State Building stands tall and proud on the cover of the book's first paperback edition. It plays a major role in many of the boys' "adventures". As does the recent World's Fair, in a minor but crucial way. The knock here is that Chabon's prose is a little too purple, a little too flowery, with a vocabulary that may stymie the majority of his readers. Frankly, I've read prose infinitely more difficult. Chabon, by comparison, is actually quite an easy, straightforward read. And for a 600+ page book with little in the way of narrative thrust, it's quite a page-turner. He has a sly little sense of humour, littering the text with some very silly, sarcastic moments (e.g., a brainstorming session almost ends with Kavalier & Clay's super hero being called 'The Mandrill', with his "multicolored wonder ass that he used to bedazzle opponents"). But for the most part the book has a very somber tone. Before you begin, though, do yourself a favour and read up on the legend of the Golem (and not just in the Tolkien sense of the world). It'll help you to better understand many of the book's themes. Chabon has done a wonderful job mixing a lot of research on comic book history (and I mean a lot), with a fake comic book history (perfectly believable in this context), with a story about two young men trying to live the American Dream. Don't be afraid by the book's heft; it's an exciting read, filled with suspense and cliffhanger endings, just like a real comic would be.
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