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klaasbak's review against another edition
Insufferable style of writing. Too many adjectives and metaphors and similes. Overwritten.
nightchough's review against another edition
1.0
I love Michael Chabon's other books, but this was a chore. After 150 pages I had to abandon ship.
tshere's review against another edition
Abandoned because I ran out of time. But also - I've never been able to finish one of Chabon's novels. The sheer exuberance and extravagance of his style wear me out, entertaining as it is, and I get tired of it.
bccoulter's review against another edition
5.0
That exquisite 14 page sentence is worth the price of admission alone!
kyledhebert's review against another edition
2.0
I was disappointed. The story was meandering and pointless. Some would say reading the book just for another dose of Chabon's magical prose is reason enough alone. I won't be one of them.
hatrireads's review against another edition
4.0
Love Michael Chabon and this is one of his better books. Really four main characters - two couples. Chabon takes us on a lyrical ride through the East Bay. Some parts better than others.
meghan111's review against another edition
4.0
My god, the writing. Incredible, specific, detailed, weird, magical prose about 2004 in Oakland, California, in a dying record store. In a more perfect world, this book would come with a companion soundtrack.
Many characters and voices carry this along, but it revolves around the two owners of the small neighborhood record store, Archy and Nat, one black and one white. From there, it encompasses their wives (who work together in a midwifery practice), their children, Archy's estranged father (a cult star of 70s blaxploitation kung fu movies) and so forth. What kept this from being a five-star experience for me was that I found Archy and Nat to be the least sympathetic figures in the book, stunted man-children who talk in the inaccesible and alienating jargon specific to record collectors. As the book opens with a scene in the shop, it was hard to get into until the focus shifted to Archy's wife Gwen and the troubles she faced during a home birth - a more appealing character in more urgent, interesting circumstances. I wished the book had been about the wives and sons, not the failing husbands.
Many characters and voices carry this along, but it revolves around the two owners of the small neighborhood record store, Archy and Nat, one black and one white. From there, it encompasses their wives (who work together in a midwifery practice), their children, Archy's estranged father (a cult star of 70s blaxploitation kung fu movies) and so forth. What kept this from being a five-star experience for me was that I found Archy and Nat to be the least sympathetic figures in the book, stunted man-children who talk in the inaccesible and alienating jargon specific to record collectors. As the book opens with a scene in the shop, it was hard to get into until the focus shifted to Archy's wife Gwen and the troubles she faced during a home birth - a more appealing character in more urgent, interesting circumstances. I wished the book had been about the wives and sons, not the failing husbands.
fishgirl182's review against another edition
3.0
The year is 2004 and it’s a time of change for the inhabitants and merchants of Telegraph Avenue in Oakland, CA. Archie Stallings and Nat Jaffe are a dying breed, barely keeping the doors of Brokeland Records open. Brokeland is one of the last holdouts to the digital age - an oasis of vinyl - and is a popular neighborhood haunt. But a proposal for a megastore puts Brokeland in jeopardy and unearths some dirty secrets long kept hidden.
I picked up Telegraph Avenue with hope and a little bit of trepidation. Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay is one of my all time favorite books. It was the book that first brought Chabon to my attention and I have read most of his books since then hoping to find that magic that I found with Kavalier & Clay. Telegraph Avenue piqued my interest not only because it was written by Chabon but also because music plays a large role in it (I love music and work in the music industry) and is also set a mere 35 miles from my hometown. Perhaps my expectations were too high but, while Telegraph Avenue was definitely an interesting read, it wasn’t my favorite out of Chabon’s writings.
One of my biggest problems with the book were the characters in it. For one, there were a lot of them. The book jumps frequently from one character to the next and I found that it took me quite a while to get everyone straight. I also had a really hard time connecting with any of them. I especially had issues with Archy, who acted like an ass through most of the book. I didn’t understand any of his motivations and felt that he got off pretty easy, given the circumstances. Luther Stallings, a former blaxploitation star who has fallen on hard times, was probably the most compelling character though he, too, is very one-dimensional. The other characters, while interesting (yes, I am using that word a lot in this review), didn’t elicit any strong feelings from me.
Chabon’s writing, while showing great skill, was cumbersome. I felt my eyes glazing over during some of the really long, detailed passages. I also had to look up a lot of words, some of which my Kindle did not even recognize. I know I am no scholar but it really takes me out of a book if I have to look up a word every few pages or have to re-read a passage to understand what is going on. Surprisingly, one of the easiest passages for me to read was Chapter 3, which consists of a single 12-page sentence. But I see no point in such a passage except as a literary exercise. While all of this shows how skilled a writer Chabon is, it only served to bog down the already slow plot.
Amidst all of the metaphor and florid description, there is a story in here about the changing world and the loss of community and identity due to corporate takeover. I found the colorful cast of characters intriguing, but I felt like we only scratched the surface with them. Chabon does a good job of creating a believable setting and I really felt like I was strolling the streets of Oakland with these characters.
None of Chabon's subsequent books has managed to capture me the way that Kavalier & Clay did and perhaps it's not fair to expect them to. Though this book was a little hard to get through, I am glad that I read it. It feels like an accomplishment and I am pretty proud of myself for reading the 12-page sentence and understanding it. I am still a fan of Chabon’s work and will read his next book, but I don’t think I would recommend Telegraph Avenue except to die hard fans.
*I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.
I picked up Telegraph Avenue with hope and a little bit of trepidation. Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay is one of my all time favorite books. It was the book that first brought Chabon to my attention and I have read most of his books since then hoping to find that magic that I found with Kavalier & Clay. Telegraph Avenue piqued my interest not only because it was written by Chabon but also because music plays a large role in it (I love music and work in the music industry) and is also set a mere 35 miles from my hometown. Perhaps my expectations were too high but, while Telegraph Avenue was definitely an interesting read, it wasn’t my favorite out of Chabon’s writings.
One of my biggest problems with the book were the characters in it. For one, there were a lot of them. The book jumps frequently from one character to the next and I found that it took me quite a while to get everyone straight. I also had a really hard time connecting with any of them. I especially had issues with Archy, who acted like an ass through most of the book. I didn’t understand any of his motivations and felt that he got off pretty easy, given the circumstances. Luther Stallings, a former blaxploitation star who has fallen on hard times, was probably the most compelling character though he, too, is very one-dimensional. The other characters, while interesting (yes, I am using that word a lot in this review), didn’t elicit any strong feelings from me.
Chabon’s writing, while showing great skill, was cumbersome. I felt my eyes glazing over during some of the really long, detailed passages. I also had to look up a lot of words, some of which my Kindle did not even recognize. I know I am no scholar but it really takes me out of a book if I have to look up a word every few pages or have to re-read a passage to understand what is going on. Surprisingly, one of the easiest passages for me to read was Chapter 3, which consists of a single 12-page sentence. But I see no point in such a passage except as a literary exercise. While all of this shows how skilled a writer Chabon is, it only served to bog down the already slow plot.
Amidst all of the metaphor and florid description, there is a story in here about the changing world and the loss of community and identity due to corporate takeover. I found the colorful cast of characters intriguing, but I felt like we only scratched the surface with them. Chabon does a good job of creating a believable setting and I really felt like I was strolling the streets of Oakland with these characters.
None of Chabon's subsequent books has managed to capture me the way that Kavalier & Clay did and perhaps it's not fair to expect them to. Though this book was a little hard to get through, I am glad that I read it. It feels like an accomplishment and I am pretty proud of myself for reading the 12-page sentence and understanding it. I am still a fan of Chabon’s work and will read his next book, but I don’t think I would recommend Telegraph Avenue except to die hard fans.
*I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.