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erintowner's review
4.0
The characterizations were great but I wish the characters would have gotten out of their own ways.
taylorswope's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mrswhite's review
5.0
Much like Catch-22, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and Fortress of Solitude, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay has long been on my list of "books I'm pretty sure I'll really like, but daaaamn it's long so maybe later." But after listening to two of my sophomore boys gush over it last spring, I decided that if they can find time for Michael Chabon's materpiece, then so can I.
And so I did.
And I am so, so glad.
Hailing from Prague and educated in both the fine arts and Houdini-like escapism, a young Josef Kavalier makes his most daring escape when he manages to trick the Nazis and smuggle himself into his Aunt Klayman's home in Brooklyn, New York. Sam Klayman, a writer, wannabe artist and comic book enthusiast, discovers an instant ally in his refugee cousin, and the two of them immediately begin to collaborate on what will eventually be one of the most popular comic book heroes to ever grace the glossy pages: The Escapist. Borrowing heavily from Joe's personal experiences, The Escapist battles Hitler and liberates the imprisoned and oppressed. On the back of their superhero, Kavalier and Clay rise through the comic book industry, earning fame and relative fortune, but also discovering that they are each imprisoned in their own separate chains - chains which they will struggle most of their adult lives to escape from.
Although it might sound like one would have to be a comic book enthusiast to enjoy this book, that is hardly the case. Though long, "Kavalier and Clay" is a breeze to read, and although about superheroes, it has amazing depth. Chabon's book covers a plethora of themes and motifs - the most prominent being escapism - but also including the devastating effects of war on families and individuals, embracing one's sexuality, the importance of staying true to oneself, personal responsibility, revenge, guilt and love. Additionally, golems become an intriguing symbol in the novel, as one earns Joe his literal freedom while The Escapist later becomes another sort of golem, one that will hopefully be lucrative enough for Joe to earn the freedom of his family.
Clearly there's a lot going on here, but that's the beauty of this novel - it's epic while remaining highly readable. The characters are so well developed that they feel as if they could leap off the page, and Chabon's writing is positively beautiful. Basically, I fell head-over-heels in love with The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. It deserved every accolade it was given, and has earned itself a spot as one of my all-time favorite books.
And so I did.
And I am so, so glad.
Hailing from Prague and educated in both the fine arts and Houdini-like escapism, a young Josef Kavalier makes his most daring escape when he manages to trick the Nazis and smuggle himself into his Aunt Klayman's home in Brooklyn, New York. Sam Klayman, a writer, wannabe artist and comic book enthusiast, discovers an instant ally in his refugee cousin, and the two of them immediately begin to collaborate on what will eventually be one of the most popular comic book heroes to ever grace the glossy pages: The Escapist. Borrowing heavily from Joe's personal experiences, The Escapist battles Hitler and liberates the imprisoned and oppressed. On the back of their superhero, Kavalier and Clay rise through the comic book industry, earning fame and relative fortune, but also discovering that they are each imprisoned in their own separate chains - chains which they will struggle most of their adult lives to escape from.
Although it might sound like one would have to be a comic book enthusiast to enjoy this book, that is hardly the case. Though long, "Kavalier and Clay" is a breeze to read, and although about superheroes, it has amazing depth. Chabon's book covers a plethora of themes and motifs - the most prominent being escapism - but also including the devastating effects of war on families and individuals, embracing one's sexuality, the importance of staying true to oneself, personal responsibility, revenge, guilt and love. Additionally, golems become an intriguing symbol in the novel, as one earns Joe his literal freedom while The Escapist later becomes another sort of golem, one that will hopefully be lucrative enough for Joe to earn the freedom of his family.
Clearly there's a lot going on here, but that's the beauty of this novel - it's epic while remaining highly readable. The characters are so well developed that they feel as if they could leap off the page, and Chabon's writing is positively beautiful. Basically, I fell head-over-heels in love with The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. It deserved every accolade it was given, and has earned itself a spot as one of my all-time favorite books.
fairyhag's review
3.0
DNF... i was super intimidated by the length and ultimately bailed, I liked the concept though!
tintagel's review
5.0
One of my favorite books: fully-realized characters, a massively ambitious plot, and some of the best writing of any living author. Highly recommended.
ponch22's review against another edition
5.0
Really trying to focus on my 2018 Reading Challenge because I still have 5 more books left to read and only 4 months left to do it!
[b:The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay|3985|The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay|Michael Chabon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1503806495s/3985.jpg|2693329] is my 7th Resolution book this year—a book recommended by someone with great taste, my friend Tony. [a:Michael Chabon|2715|Michael Chabon|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1515875672p2/2715.jpg] is one of those authors I'd always known about but never read. I really enjoyed the film adaptation of his novel, [b:Wonder Boys|16707|Wonder Boys|Michael Chabon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1380670205s/16707.jpg|2045395] but I probably couldn’t have named any other books he’d written. I definitely hadn't ever heard of Kavalier & Clay—I remember actually (incorrectly) believing that this was a graphic novel when I first added it to my Resolution list earlier this year...
But no, it's a novel—or, more correctly, at over 600 pages—an opus that focuses on two Jewish cousins at the beginning of the Golden Age of comics. Josef Kavalier is a Czech emigrant who travels across Asia to escape Europe several years before WWII breaks out. He lands on the doorstep of Sammy Klayman, a young writer in Brooklyn. The two soon become Sam Clay & Joe Kavalier, the writer and artist of The Escapist—a fictional title from the early days of comics.
The two slowly take their creation and expand it into dozens of titles and their own publishing company. The bulk of the novel is about these early years of creating a comic empire & the struggles they each have in life and love. Joe is focused on helping his younger brother (and the rest of his family) escape Europe after the war begins and Sammy struggles with finding his place in a world that looks down on his lifestyle and (eventually) blames his livelihood for juvenile delinquency.
The final third of the novel separates our heroes, as Joe joins the Army to get revenge on some Nazis (the way The Escapist had for years) but is stationed in Antarctica & Sam moves to the suburbs with a family of his own (of sorts). The two reunite through the most amazing of feats on the Empire State Building but soon take leave of one another again in the end.
According to the Author’s Note, Chabon had done a lot of research (e.g. six books about Houdini & magic for a subplot I didn’t even mention!) and it really shows. The attention to detail is outstanding. The characters are all beautifully drawn & the story is quite inventive, but still feels like it could be real. There are footnotes throughout which almost makes you forget this is fiction, and the Escapist didn't actually exist alongside Superman in the 1940s. It doesn’t hurt that Chabon peppers his story with real-life people such as Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Salvador Dali, and Orson Welles (among others) to confuse matters.
But Tony was right—I did really enjoy this book. I had to borrow the ebook from my library three times to finish it (a 2-week, followed by a 3-week, and then another 2-week loan with it usually being on hold in between) but it came with some nice bonuses at the end: two cut chapters—“Breakfast at the Wreck” and “The Return of the Amazing Cavalieri”—along with two other connected short stories—“The Crossover” and “Fifty Dollars Takes it Home.” The mix of comic book, American, & Jewish history is amazing... as are the adventures of Kavalier & Clay.
[b:The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay|3985|The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay|Michael Chabon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1503806495s/3985.jpg|2693329] is my 7th Resolution book this year—a book recommended by someone with great taste, my friend Tony. [a:Michael Chabon|2715|Michael Chabon|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1515875672p2/2715.jpg] is one of those authors I'd always known about but never read. I really enjoyed the film adaptation of his novel, [b:Wonder Boys|16707|Wonder Boys|Michael Chabon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1380670205s/16707.jpg|2045395] but I probably couldn’t have named any other books he’d written. I definitely hadn't ever heard of Kavalier & Clay—I remember actually (incorrectly) believing that this was a graphic novel when I first added it to my Resolution list earlier this year...
But no, it's a novel—or, more correctly, at over 600 pages—an opus that focuses on two Jewish cousins at the beginning of the Golden Age of comics. Josef Kavalier is a Czech emigrant who travels across Asia to escape Europe several years before WWII breaks out. He lands on the doorstep of Sammy Klayman, a young writer in Brooklyn. The two soon become Sam Clay & Joe Kavalier, the writer and artist of The Escapist—a fictional title from the early days of comics.
The two slowly take their creation and expand it into dozens of titles and their own publishing company. The bulk of the novel is about these early years of creating a comic empire & the struggles they each have in life and love. Joe is focused on helping his younger brother (and the rest of his family) escape Europe after the war begins and Sammy struggles with finding his place in a world that looks down on his lifestyle and (eventually) blames his livelihood for juvenile delinquency.
The final third of the novel separates our heroes, as Joe joins the Army to get revenge on some Nazis (the way The Escapist had for years) but is stationed in Antarctica & Sam moves to the suburbs with a family of his own (of sorts). The two reunite through the most amazing of feats on the Empire State Building but soon take leave of one another again in the end.
According to the Author’s Note, Chabon had done a lot of research (e.g. six books about Houdini & magic for a subplot I didn’t even mention!) and it really shows. The attention to detail is outstanding. The characters are all beautifully drawn & the story is quite inventive, but still feels like it could be real. There are footnotes throughout which almost makes you forget this is fiction, and the Escapist didn't actually exist alongside Superman in the 1940s. It doesn’t hurt that Chabon peppers his story with real-life people such as Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Salvador Dali, and Orson Welles (among others) to confuse matters.
But Tony was right—I did really enjoy this book. I had to borrow the ebook from my library three times to finish it (a 2-week, followed by a 3-week, and then another 2-week loan with it usually being on hold in between) but it came with some nice bonuses at the end: two cut chapters—“Breakfast at the Wreck” and “The Return of the Amazing Cavalieri”—along with two other connected short stories—“The Crossover” and “Fifty Dollars Takes it Home.” The mix of comic book, American, & Jewish history is amazing... as are the adventures of Kavalier & Clay.
liinaps's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
chladovv's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
2.75
edithbetty's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75