Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
dark
funny
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great film noir writing. A lot of fun with a very believable alternate reality. Unpredictable.
Great writing style and overall a narrative that hooks you. Lost me with some comments on faith at the end, which is unfortunate, but overall a good read.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’ve waited a long time to review this book because it was so different than what I expected it to be. I was anticipating a sweeping epic exploring a world where WWII ended differently and the international landscape was wildly different than it is now. Instead, this book was set on an extremely intimate scale and focused primarily in deep, interpersonal connections. Once I shifted my expectations, I enjoyed the book. I love noir, and this had a decidedly - though not overdone - noir style, but with softer characters who were extremely relatable and to whom you were almost immediately endeared. The mystery wasn’t so great, but it was still pretty good. Overall, I enjoyed it. The reader was also fantastic for the tone and style of the book.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Could have read another 200 pages about Inspector Will Dick the 4'7" Indian police officer and his 2/3 scale motorcycle.
The characters were fantastic in this book and the dialog was top notch.
The characters were fantastic in this book and the dialog was top notch.
Chabon's writing is a work of art. Like Kavalier and Clay, this book is like looking at a painting. You get the feeling it portray, even if you can't see every brush stroke or understand the fundamentals used to construct it. The words are magic. The descriptions are standing on the page, like a pop-up book. The story, as his others are, is very, very Jewish. I'm sure there's a lot of nuance and reference here that I don't recognize or cannot fully grasp. But that doesn't stop me from taking what I can and getting swept up in the narrative.
adventurous
slow-paced
This started off decently strong but was not a storytelling that I could get behind. Maybe Chabon’s style will only work for me in Kavalier and Clay. But, on reflection, that also has the same flaws and maybe just worked better with the genre for me.