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t_ildiko's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
jbliv's review against another edition
4.0
Chabon trips over himself in the first third of the book, but the latter two thirds is fully engrossing. Out of the gate, Chabon takes us on a roller-coaster when a simple train would have sufficed; his literary gymnastics are too distracting. He then settles into the tale and lets the story drive, and the result is a joy.
cami19's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition
3.0
My local library does not take reserves on new books; you have to be there when they open on the day a book is released to get it. So I was there at opening itching to grab "Telegraph Avenue," which I was really looking forward to. I got it! Rushed home and sat down to indulge.
But I gave up. Too geeky by half. Trading cards, blacksploitation or however you spell it cinema, jazz, baseball, I sank under the minutiae of it all. Another reviewer astutely noted that sentence by sentence, "Telegraph Avenue" is great and I agree; it's just when you put all the sentences together that the novel becomes a huge slog.
I did enjoy "Kavalier & Clay" which suffered from some of the same strange stuffing of stuff, but then it seemed fresh. I remember nothing about "The Yiddish Policemen" except the basic concept. This is a very talented writer who reviewers love but readers are starting to find a snore. You can turn this around, Michael. There must be a way for your style to engage readers without flattening them under endless detail. Come on, you can do it.
But I gave up. Too geeky by half. Trading cards, blacksploitation or however you spell it cinema, jazz, baseball, I sank under the minutiae of it all. Another reviewer astutely noted that sentence by sentence, "Telegraph Avenue" is great and I agree; it's just when you put all the sentences together that the novel becomes a huge slog.
I did enjoy "Kavalier & Clay" which suffered from some of the same strange stuffing of stuff, but then it seemed fresh. I remember nothing about "The Yiddish Policemen" except the basic concept. This is a very talented writer who reviewers love but readers are starting to find a snore. You can turn this around, Michael. There must be a way for your style to engage readers without flattening them under endless detail. Come on, you can do it.
catherineamerica's review against another edition
3.0
The writing was good but seemed too verbose at times given the story. It some ways it detracted from the narrative because I got lost in the prose and it kept me one step removed from the characters. I felt like I was an anthropologist who was studying these characters and that made them unsympathetic.
abbeyhar103's review against another edition
3.0
More like 3.5 stars. Chabon certainly has a wonderful and evocative way with words, and I found many of the characters nicely fleshed out (especially the two teenagers Julie and Titus.) others I felt were only partially formed, and at times the interplay between them could border on false. Also, the end was too pat. ALSO I dislike books with an "everything is connected and nothing is coincidence" theme which this teetered dangerously close to at times . To sum up: Not my favorite of his, but I didn't hate it.
jrlopushi's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
vkaz's review against another edition
4.0
I now officially congratulate myself for finishing this book, because the first third of the book is dang hard to forge through. Telegraph Avenue is beautifully written in elaborately filigreed prose, woven through with themes about music, childbirth, race and culture. As an East Bay girl, I appreciate how well he has captured the vibe of Oakland-Berkeley. I will follow Michael Chabon almost anywhere. His voice, filled with such generosity of spirit for his imperfect and quirky cast of characters, gets me every time. So even though this book could have used some ruthless editing, I still find myself thinking of the characters and missing them. Seeing Michael Chabon in person last month, promoting the book in a bookstore made over to look like his fictional Brokeland Records, was a huge treat for me.
alexisrt's review against another edition
3.0
Michael Chabon needs a new editor. An editor who will walk with a sharpened scythe through the thickets of overgrown prose, hacking away at the endless, oh so witty descriptions, not a syncophant who says, "Of course, Mr. Chabon! You won a Pulitzer! Do go write a 12 page sentence!"
Yes, Chabon is a clever writer, and often hits the mark with it. Too often, however, the language in Telegraph Avenue is a show and a distraction, suffocating the characters as he shows off his own cleverness. It makes what ought to be a funny, perceptive book difficult to read. This book should have been fun, and instead it was a slog.
Yes, Chabon is a clever writer, and often hits the mark with it. Too often, however, the language in Telegraph Avenue is a show and a distraction, suffocating the characters as he shows off his own cleverness. It makes what ought to be a funny, perceptive book difficult to read. This book should have been fun, and instead it was a slog.