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By the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

Average Customer Rating:

Not What I Expected

Customer Rating:

I picked this up from the bargin sale table in the bookstore; I'm certainly glad I didn't pay full price. I never read any of Chabon's work, but this was a much-heralded first novel from a Pulitzer winner so I thought it would be a good read. Best thing I can say is the book is short & a quick read, so I don't regret the colossal waste of my time it was. Maybe it was the sloppy details (BMW doesn't make 1500cc motorcycles or have kick starters) but when one of the main characters is riding a motorcycle you should get stuff like that correct. I live in Pittsburgh and his descriptions of college life doesn't ring true at all; the protagonist spends alot of time crying and throwing up; most of the characters are poorly done and unsympathetic; the story is disjointed and jumps around haphazardly and this reader found them boring and didn't care what happened to them...Arthur Lecomte was this supposedly talented witty charmer but Chabon presents absolutely no evidence of it in Arthur's dialogue or actions. The bisexual main character (also named Arthur) decides at the end of the summer he loves men more than women. Who cares? The most interesting thing in the paperback version of the book is the approximately 8 page afterward where Chabon talks about what he went thru when writing it in the mid-80s.

Post-college confusion

Customer Rating:

I am envious of Michael Chabon. To have the skill to write such a near perfect book for your first novel is remarkable. It is also a shame that this book is overshadowed by "Kavalier and Clay" and the "Wonder Boys" since it shouldn't take a back seat to either of those novels. The book explores the first summer post-college for Art Bechstein. Chabon's portrait of Art -- the strained and tense relationship with his father, the family tradegy still haunting him from his youth, his sexual experimentation and fleeting friendships makes for a most compelling read -- is pure genius. Chabon created memorable characters -- Art Lecomte, Cleveland, Phlox and Art's father -- and it was also a masterstroke to keep the setting in the smaller industrial town of Pittsburgh rather than a larger and more commonplace city like NY, LA, Chicago or Boston. The characters felt like a larger part of the local environment rather than one of many nameless and faceless disaffected youth. The chapter taking place at Jane's parents house while Art L housesits and the the encounter of Jane's dog with their neighbors is worth the price and read of the book alone -- it is hilarious.

The bisexual coming of age book

Customer Rating:

This is can be a very painful book to read. All of the characters are larger than life except the women. Or should I say the woman, the female love interest who turns out to be a cardboard doofus. All the cool guys are cooler than frozen cucumbers; they are physically formidable and intellectually blank (as is the current ideal). Daddy is a gangster. Sonny is clueless. Then he discovers homosexuality. Wow! Brave new world that has such magical, mystical, manliness. I can't put it down fast enough.

I'd wait for the movie to come out...

Customer Rating:

When Art Bechstein was finally able to leave Washington, D.C., and his mob father behind, he ran to Pittsburgh to attend school. His last summer in the sweltering city proved to be an exciting and intriguing adventure. The handsome and personable Arthur Lecomte introduces Art to women, sex and a new way of life, but with the arrival of Arthur's mysterious friend, Cleveland, Art must face his father and the "family" he tried to forget. Michael Chabon's debut novel, set in the 80s, is a coming-of-age tale of excess, sex and friendship. It paints a different side of the crumbling steel city, a side of grit and grime, where the unexpected is lurking behind every corner. Chabon's writing is colorful and imaginative, but the story lacks real excitement. It is slow to take off and quickly fizzles. It is a story that is always on the edge of breaking through, but never pushes the reader over the ledge. "Mysteries" is an easy read that doesn't force the reader to think too much. In short, if you don't want a tough plot that twists and turns like a rollercoaster, then this book is it.

Beautiful and complex story	Customer Rating:
I loved the flow of language and the development of character. This story develops like a fairy tale with a gritty edge and depth of reality that makes the reading a profound experience.