Reviews

Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon

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lidia7's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

i did not enjoy this

blueskygreentreesyellowsun's review against another edition

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5.0

love this book.

cheshire_the_cat's review against another edition

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4.0

The prose is a bit thick at times, very long sentences that leave you wondering where the punctuation could go, it has certainly a dry humor leaning, but overall is an engaging tale, my fantasy serialization brain would love to see more of Amran and Zelikman in a series of short novels.

megmcardle's review against another edition

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4.0

For anyone who enjoys adventure stories, this will be a lovely light read. It reminded me strongly of the Lankhmar books by Fritz Leiber, and those great YA fantasy books by Robin McKinley: The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown. This book started out as a serial in the New York Times Magazine, called "Jews with Swords". Focusing on two roving adventurers in 950 A.D., who happen to be Jewish, the story careens from one perilous situation to the next, full of fighting and suspense, and even a little romance. This is a very slim little book and should be a quick read, but I actually listened to it in audio, read by Andre Braugher. He had the perfect voice for the material, and managed to make those typically torturously long descriptive sentences that author Chabon is so fond of simply roll off his tongue. Although it could stand alone as a literary experiment from an author known to dabble in many genres, part of me hopes we see more books with these characters, these Gentlemen of the Road.

ryanmichael_here's review against another edition

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adventurous funny fast-paced

3.5

mosiac's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A

1.75

rhiannoncs's review against another edition

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3.0

Michael Chabon does historical adventure or, as he terms it, "Jews with swords." I read the first half of this book a couple of years ago, and quit because it left me a bit cold. I'm still not in love with it, as I feel like Chabon cares more about three-dollar words (some of which, I will admit, were awesome - I'm a language geek too, but there are limits) than telling a story. But I enjoyed it more this time, if mostly for the main characters, Amram and Zelikman, whose ongoing bromance was sweet and hilarious and worth reading for.