Rating: 
Summary: Uneven, but the good ones are incredible!
Review: After a while you wonder if anyone has a marraige, or pregnancy, that works. These stories, however, are simply outstanding. Chabon's prose uses the English language perfectly, recognizing that every word has its own true meaning, and using those words to paint uncannily vivid pictures. His characters are also true to life, reflecting how unstable and unpredictable we all can be, and he details the relationships betweeen these characters with great accuracy and understanding. In addition, we are treated to a short story by "August Van Zorn," the Wonder Boys' author who first united Crabtree and Tripp. I don't know if this will become a regular pseudonym for Mr. Chabon, but if it does, so much the better. Not every story hits the mark, but it's only one or two, and they don't miss by much. Now it's just a matter of waiting for his next book.
Rating: 
Summary: Ugh
Review: Chabon is so praised, I try to find quality in his work, but it's pretentious writing, that tries so hard to be literary, and nothing in the stories or the words themselves pulls you toward the next page. I started reading a short story in this collection, and had to look up two words within the first two paragraphs. It made me feel stupid. But then I realized that I just finished reading WAR AND PEACE the week before, and had not had to look up a single word when reading THAT (the greatest novel ever written). Chabon should take a lesson from Tolstoy and try to write more naturally, and stop trying to be such an academic fop.
Rating: 
Summary: A Far Cry From The Mysteries of Pittsburgh
Review: Don't waste your money. Spend it on something inviting and enjoyable. I read The Mysteries of Pittsburgh twice I enjoyed it so much. A collection of short stories, I thought, would be great summer reading. NOT! Something happened to Chabon. I was barely in my teens when I read Mysteries. Chabon was barely in his twenties. After reading the short stories, it was hard to believe that this man has a wife, and children, especially. He seemed old and detached from life, not wise. The writing was strained and contrived. I think I have an excellent vocabulary, but I looked up a few arcane words. They added nothing to the stories. I hope Chabon was just going through personal problems and this was a slip.
Rating:
Summary: So so
Review: I didn't like this, but then I don't like thick flowery language. I think such writing is the equivalent of ham acting. Henry James once criticized Tolstoy for writing too straight. But I can't stand Henry James, because of his jungle of verbiage. So if you love Henry James, you'll likely like Chabon. But his writing is definitely not for everyone. BUT, writers, especially literary writers, are famous for being bitter. Much has been written about the anger and bitterness of writers. So I would like to commend Chabon on the humanity and gentleness he brings to his characters. One of my mother's friends knew Arthur Miller, who always spouted leftist politics, and saving humanity. But she found that he actually treated people (humanity) like garbage one on one. Chabon seems to have a kindness that I doubt is reserved for just the page. There is too little tolerance and kindness in this world, so, even if I don't like the writing, the fact that such qualities come forth in this book make me not want to dismiss the collection entirely.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful.
Review: I don't usually enjoy short stories, so it was with some trepidation that I purchased this book. It wildly exceeded my expectations. What a writer this man is. I thought the comment in the Washington Post about Chabon being the "Star of American Letters" might have been over the top, and then I read these stories. He is, in every way, a star. Luminous. Brilliant.
Rating:
Summary: Remarkable, vivid, achingly tender stories
Review: I have to admit that the cover of this collection put me off a bit. I'm not usually attracted to Werewolves. But when I realized that the Werewolf in the title story wasn't a supernatural creature, but a child who felt like I did way back when -- isolated,friendless, lonely -- I couldn't help but buy the book. And I was overwhelmed, frankly. Chabon's snapshots of life's moments -- sometimes redemptive, often painful -- touched me in a way most contemporary fiction doesn't. There's a bit of Yates here, some Cheever, Alice Munro, even Lovecraft. And there is something entirely Chabon about it. I couldn't help but laugh at the "reviewers" whose main complaint was that they had to use a dictionary every once in a while. What a great pleasure that was for me -- to discover a word or two that I'd never read before. Isn't that the beauty of the English language? That it contains these mysteries and gifts of little used but fabulous words? How lucky we are to have a writer able to send us tripping through the Oxford English Dictionary while keeping us absolutely grounded in the contemporary American experience.
Rating:
Summary: I feel like a teenage rock fan....
Review: I love his books, and finding the short stories is like discovering a Japanese release of your favorite band...an unexpected treat everyone else apparently knew existed. The stories are great, and if there is anything to describe here, it is that only one wasn't perfect...If you're a hobby writer and as intimidated by Chabon as I am, you'll find this compilation to be a series of more realistic benchmarks.
Rating:
Summary: My first Chabon experience--by no means my last
Review: I'll take an uneven, fearless collection of stories anyday over a homogeneous, sparkling parcel of prose. Chabon's effort is certainly in the former category, and after the first two stories I felt the way I do whenever I encounter someone truly great--I'm [mad] that I'm not him. Some have charged the writing here is forced and too "literary," but there is a rolling charm that type of style often produces. The subject matter is emotionally charged, and the sometimes jarring storytelling elevates these stories beyond melodrama and into the realm of insight. After sampling the self-indulgent, immature (but often entertaining) offerings of other young Americans (Eggars, Sedaris, Foster Wallace) recently, Chabon's mostly successful attempts to wrap his voice around more adult themes is rewarding. Sure, you might need a dictionary, but grab a pencil, too--there are scores of headshaking insights and descriptions to note in this ambitious collection.
Rating:
Summary: My first Chabon experience--by no means my last
Review: I'll take an uneven, fearless collection of stories anyday over a homogeneous, sparkling parcel of prose. Chabon's effort is certainly in the former category, and after the first two stories I felt the way I do whenever I encounter someone truly great--I'm [mad] that I'm not him. Some have charged the writing here is forced and too "literary," but there is a rolling charm that type of style often produces. The subject matter is emotionally charged, and the sometimes jarring storytelling elevates these stories beyond melodrama and into the realm of insight. After sampling the self-indulgent, immature (but often entertaining) offerings of other young Americans (Eggars, Sedaris, Foster Wallace) recently, Chabon's mostly successful attempts to wrap his voice around more adult themes is rewarding. Sure, you might need a dictionary, but grab a pencil, too--there are scores of headshaking insights and descriptions to note in this ambitious collection.
Rating: 
Summary: It's good, but not thrilling...
Review: I've enjoyed both of Chabon's novels--especially Mysteries--and I must say I enjoyed certain stories in this collection and I especially like the characters. But that's the problem. I like Chabon's characters and I don't get to spend as much time with them as I'd like. This is certianly an entertianing read, but I look forward to his next novel. Do you hear me, Michael?? NOVEL!!
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