The most common accusations against this book are: 1. It's too wordy; 2. It's racist. Yes, it is wordy. It's a Michael Chabon book, so there's no chance that it will NOT be wordy. However, I like words, and he uses enough active verbs to keep me interested. "It's racist" - hmmm. I don't know that I agree. Books that paint any ethnicity as flawless are boring and hollow and false, and I have little patience for them. Having characters that are complicated, that are nice people but who not infrequently do stupid or annoying or self-centered things, well it rings true. I think that the negativity comes from the fact that the author is white, and that most of the characters are black, and so readers feel like he is being disrespectful to the black community when he creates flaws in his black characters; if Chabon was black not one person would call this book racist.

Gave up, and I don't do that often. I just couldn't get into it. I am not sure what it is all about. I am a Chabon fan!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book; perhaps the first of Chabon's that I've enjoyed unreservedly. I think it helps that I am already often preoccupied with obscure music and films. the references to Tarantino were obvious before they became explicit. But don't worry there's very little gore here and that is in a childbirth related storyline. And unlike Tarantino films the substance wins out over the style: friendship beyond dividing lines of race, gender or blood.

a superbly written book. Chabon is a master of prose. but the story reminded me a bit too much High Fidelity by Nick Hornby and almost all the characters are unlovable jerks. (i wanted to know a lot more about the old action star of the seventies and his lady though...maybe a sequel?)