BOOK 207: THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER & CLAY: MICHAEL CHABON

Joe Kavalier, a young Jewish artist who has also been trained in the art of Houdini-esque escape, has just smuggled himself out of Nazi-invaded Prague and landed in New York City. His Brooklyn cousin Sammy Clay is looking for a partner to create heroes, stories, and art for the latest novelty to hit America - the comic book. Drawing on their own fears and dreams, Kavalier and Clay create the Escapist, the Monitor, and Luna Moth, inspired by the beautiful Rosa Saks, who will become linked by powerful ties to both men. With exhilarating style and grace, Michael Chabon tells an unforgettable story about American romance and possibility.

(From goodreads.com)

MY VERDICT: I enjoyed this book. I’ve never read anything by Chabon before and thought this was as good a place to start as any (it was on a list somewhere). It’s not my usual style of book, neither is the subject matter of comic books really my scene but despite this I did enjoy the story and found the book reasonably easy to get through. There was a lot of detail in there and it spanned a seemingly long amount of time. My only criticism would be that the age of the men is a little uncertain at first; I thought I was reading about kids and for a story that meanders over such a long time; the end is a little abrupt.