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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Weird time to read this book.
Also I found it to be a weird book. The premise was fine. But the plot was hard to follow in audiobook form. There were a few too many characters and WAY too many men.
Also I found it to be a weird book. The premise was fine. But the plot was hard to follow in audiobook form. There were a few too many characters and WAY too many men.
It wasn't as good as "Adventures...", but it's a really good story and it's funny. The turns of phrase kept me reading probably as much, if not more so, than the plot.
Intriguing detective story that tries to grow a little too big at the end. Fascinating alternate history and a great way to learn some Yiddish. Very male-dominated story -- next book choice will have to feature strong female characters.
I loved the heck out of this book. A feat of pure imagination that comes off completely believable. A really immersive, original world. I devoured it last May in Daqing, China, a foreign land, which might have increased my feelings of kinship to these fabricated, noir-world Jewish-Alaskan figures, more than I otherwise might have, foreign-ness being a big theme herein. Chabon is one of those writers who are an absolute joy to read, who stimulate on multiple levels, who manage to be intellectually and emotionally vibrant without being dry or sappy. And his sense of humour is just dark enough, actually perfect, perhaps my favourite thing about his style, if you want to call it that. In fact, the only problem I have with this book is the title, which makes it sound like a punch line to a joke, which it most definitely is not. This book defies categorizationm, so I won't say pomo pulp detective story or alternate history or whatever. Just read it, dammit.
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was disappointed. It wasn't as "fresh" as Kavalier and Clay. Seemed better suited to a screenplay than a novel.
I enjoyed, and found this book compulsively readable enough, to finish it solely on flights to and then back from the Midwest.
4.5 stars. Reliably astonishing prose from my favorite working novelist, coupled with incredibly detailed world-building. It very nearly stuck the landing, but as is often the case with crime/detective fiction, some of the minor details of the finale felt rushed and/or contrived. Minor quibbles, however, considering his dazzling rendering of a unique setting and, as always, his lovable and despairing characters.
Funny in parts. Listening to it- I could see it play out as a movie (or season of Fargo). But overall found it hard to get thru.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes