Rating: 
Summary: Truly puerile (hence its popularity)
Review: This 640-page essay in political correctness is a bloated bore of a book whose fanatical reception is a frightening commentary on the utter debasement of U.S. literary "culture." If you love comic books, never progressed beyond puberty in your mental and emotional development, think like everybody else does, and have an infinite capacity for tolerating tediousness, this is definitely the book for you. The author is far from unskilled in verbal artistry, but his conception of character, plot, and theme is that of a highly gifted high school sophomore. In short, this is a children's book, not something a mature adult can enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Throw Me a Bone, Please
Review: Ok, the book is well written, good command of english, well researched, etc, etc, but PLEASE, that which is submitted as great fiction does not need to be abysmally dark and depressing. I stopped reading about half way through when the boat full of war orphans was sunk by the nazi U-boat. Mine you the book was depressing up till then, but that tipped my scale. I'd recommend the book to someone dedicated to reading who can ignore the story's melencholy...
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing indeed
Review: I am always wary when friends tell me about a book I "must read." All too often that book turns out to be very long and very underwhelming. (A Man in Full springs to mind) It's as if these friends, flush with having conquered a 600+ page epic, want someone with whom to share their triumph, so they do a sell job. Well, here I stand, flush with having finished a 600+ page epic and ready to do a sell job. But, please hear me out.The Amazing Adventures... is a must read for all the right reasons. Chabon's command of the English language will leave you envious, his characters will engage you, his in-depth look at the comic book industry will fascinate you and the plot will weave artfully from pathos to humor without ever grinding to a halt. Is this an important piece of fiction? I believe the Pulitzer committee has settled that debate. But more to the point, it's the greatest type of book, one that, even after 600+ pages, will make you sad to turn that final page.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonder Boy Strikes Again
Review: Chabon builds this novel on the creative premise that comic books expressed the experience of Jews in America. In "Kavalier and Klay" he returns the favor by turning the Jewish-American experience into a comic book, complete with New York art patrons, pink-tuxedoed bar mitzvah kids, vaudaville entertainers and a Czech psychoanalyst for good measure. The novel tells a genial tale of outsiders and underdogs making a popular art of their own. But the flat psychology and pasteboard symbolism (escape stands for, well . . . escape) placed the story--for me at least--awkwardly between the outrageous fun of pop art and the depth of analysis you tend to expect from a Pulitzer prize-winning novel. Enjoy the battles on the ice, the crazed Nazi antics, the death-defying leaps off the Empire State Building. But for a more sophisticated take on a similar subject, I wonder if a comic book--Art Spiegelmann's "MAUS"--doesn't do a better job. It's an irony Chabon himself might appreciate.
Rating:
Summary: a superhero of a book
Review: wonderful adventure through time and continents. the writing is superb, the story line bold and entertaining. with a well-grounded backdrop of the rise and fall of the comic book industry, the book is a quick read with a plot that is constantly unfolding to keep the reader turning the pages.
Rating:
Summary: Don't understand all the hoopla
Review: While the detail is overwhelming, it is also awkwardly integrated into the story. At times the plot seems lost, and then, all of a sudden, like magic, it is there in full Hollywood-style melodrama. Some moments are absolutely implausible. You'd do better to stick to the Chabon stories... now, they're as light as air...
Rating:
Summary: The Great American Novel?
Review: Believe everything that you've heard about this book. It's an ambitious book that reminds you of a time when writers believed in themselves and believed in the Holy Grail of The Great American Novel. Critics will feel uncomfortable about the expansiveness and the scope of the novel and their comments will be reminiscent of criticism of Twain's Huck Finn. There are times when we need to know the greatness in life and simply relish it, enjoy it as much as we can. Mr. Chabon has given us such a gift with this book. In short, Michael Chabon is the Michael Jordan of the literary world right now. Relish his achievements.
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent and Engaging -- A Must Read!
Review: This is the first Chabon novel I've read and I fell in love with his intelligent writing style within two pages. The story of cousins Kavalier and Clay is epic and touching. With amazing detail, Chabon paints the picture of the comic book craze of the 40's and their decline in the 50's. I know nothing of comic books but found myself longing to peruse the pages of the fictional "Escapist" adventures. I almost wish I hadn't finished the book -- I miss knowing that a new chapter awaits me...
Rating:
Summary: Wish I could give it more than 5 stars
Review: Always skeptical when reviews are toooo good? Believe everything you read that is positive about this wonderful book. Definitely an original and worth every accolade it has earned. And now, having won the Pulitzer, here's hoping Mr. Chabon finally gets the readership he deserves.
Rating:
Summary: Of Course Chabon Won The Pulitzer!
Review: What a wonderful, witty, and wise book. Chabon takes us places that we've never been with stunning language and imagery. This is the book I've longed for...funny yet literary. The setting is terrific, in fact the entire book from start to finish is terrific. Don't take my word for it...go get it, read it and breathe in literature and comedy!
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