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A review by katemilty
Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon
3.0
Quick and fun like other short Chabon I've read. However, the content left me at once elated to be part of that fun little group of people, writers, that Grady ruminates on so frequently and somewhat anxious as a result of Tripp's own writing anxieties. May I never try to write my own Wonder Boys (the novel within this novel, not Chabon's actual piece).
In terms of structure, I found myself feeling rushed (and also rushing) because the novel takes place over the course of a weekend. It is quick and restless, and I powered through it in 3 days, seemingly as a result. Because it felt like the action never stopped, I found myself not stopping either. I also found myself incredible concerned for (and exasperated by) the main character, whose past decisions have mired him in an impossible swamp of self-destruction.
While I disliked Grady Tripp for his passivity, avoidance of reality and weed dependance, I still enjoyed the story. I could've done without the ending, which was a little too neat and pretty. I also wish we could've heard half as much about James and Crabtree and all the others at the end as we did about Grady.
All in all, the book was a quick, enjoyable read. Early Chabon is fun, if not quite as fulfilling as later stuff. If nothing else, it gives me hope for what I can achieve after a couple of decent but not revolutionary novels since Chabon's third novel, Kavalier and Clay, which followed directly after Wonder Boys, won the Pulitzer.
In terms of structure, I found myself feeling rushed (and also rushing) because the novel takes place over the course of a weekend. It is quick and restless, and I powered through it in 3 days, seemingly as a result. Because it felt like the action never stopped, I found myself not stopping either. I also found myself incredible concerned for (and exasperated by) the main character, whose past decisions have mired him in an impossible swamp of self-destruction.
While I disliked Grady Tripp for his passivity, avoidance of reality and weed dependance, I still enjoyed the story. I could've done without the ending, which was a little too neat and pretty. I also wish we could've heard half as much about James and Crabtree and all the others at the end as we did about Grady.
All in all, the book was a quick, enjoyable read. Early Chabon is fun, if not quite as fulfilling as later stuff. If nothing else, it gives me hope for what I can achieve after a couple of decent but not revolutionary novels since Chabon's third novel, Kavalier and Clay, which followed directly after Wonder Boys, won the Pulitzer.