Michael Chabon

In 1939 New York City, Joe Kavalier, a refugee from Hitler's Prague, joins forces with his Brooklyn-born cousin, Sammy Clay, to create comic-book superheroes inspired by their own fantasies, fears, and dreams.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

This brilliant epic novel set in New York and Prague introduces us to two misfit young men who make it big by creating comic-book superheroes. Joe Kavalier, a young artist who has also been trained in the art of Houdiniesque 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. Inspired by their own fears and dreams, Kavalier and Clay create the Escapists, The Monitor, and Luna Moth, inspired by the beautiful Rosa Saks, who will become linked by powerful ties to both men. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay is the winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

A Novel

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

Jaylee

Sarah Sammis

Ever stall on reading a book because you're in a mental tug of war? That's what happened with me and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon. On the one hand, I loved the cover and the synopsis sounded exactly like my kind of book. On the other hand, I'd struggled with The Yiddish Policeman's Union and was reluctant to try another 700 page book by the same author. It took a bunch of my twitter book buddies asking if I'd read it with them to finally make up my mind!

Joe Kavalier, a Czech refugee and his New York born cousin Sam Clay collaborate on a new comic book series, The Escapist. The book takes them through the early days of the comic, through the Golden Age of comics through the witch hunt that was Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency hearings regarding comic books and juvenile crime. While completely fictional, these cousins were inspired by real life teams: Jerry Siegel and Joseph Shuster (creators of Superman), Joe Simon and Jack Kirby (creators of Captain America and others), Will Eisner, Jim Steranko among others. These real life artists do make cameos in the novel and serve as inspiration and competition for our two unlikely heroes.

Although I was expecting to put a solid three weeks or so into the book, I ended up tearing through the tome over the course of a weekend. I loved the setting, the semi fictionalized history of the American comic industry, and Cay's struggle with his sexual identity. The only way the book could have been better would have been with some panels from The Escapist.

Laura Mauler

You might need to read it with a dictionary, Yiddish dictionary, and Wikipedia in order to get everything - I know I did.

I love comics and history. This was a good representation of both. Creating this fictional narrative set within real events and struggles of the emerging comic scene of the 1930 & 1940. Hitting every major bump comics hit throughout history. 

Hyde F

Jesse Morley

Loved the first half, but it gradually became a little too far fetched, domestic, and reflective. Some of the themes were also quite tired, but the comic-related content evoked a wonderful nostalgia.

Winner Of The 2001 Pulitzer Prize For Fiction From The Author Wonder Boys . The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier & Clay Is A Heart-Wrenching Story Of Escape, Love And Comic-Book Heroes Set In Prague, New York And The Arctic. One Night In 1939, Josef Kavalier Shuffles Into His Cousin Sam Clay'S Cramped New York Bedroom, His Nerve-Racking Escape From Prague Finally Achieved. Little Does He Realise That This Is The Beginning Of An Extraordinary Friendship And Even More Fruitful Business Partnership. Together, They Create A Comic Strip Called The Escapist , Its Superhero A Nazi-Busting Saviour Who Liberates The Oppressed Around The World. The Escapist Makes Their Fortune, But Joe Can Think Of Only One Thing: How Can He Effect A Real-Life Escape, And Free His Family From The Tyranny Of Hitler? Michael Chabon S Exceptional Novel Is A Thrilling Tight-Rope Walk Between High Comedy And Bitter Tragedy, And Confirms His Position As One Of The Most Inventive And Daring Of Contemporary American Writers. In Joe Kavalier And Sam Clay, He Has Created Two Unforgettable Characters Bound Together By Love, Family And Cartoons.

Jessica Geddis 

I DNF’d this, perhaps forever. It was too long and drawn out, and even though some parts were genuinely enjoyable and had me turning the pages, I just couldn’t get back into reading it afterwards. For me, it kept going on forever but I do understand why other people would like this book.

Ewan

Cracking read, it has comic books,the flight of Jews from the Nazis and escapology, what more could you want?

though it sort of lags in the final act a bit

Agnes Johansson

can we just appreciate the fact that i unintentionally finished this book in exactly a month???


I loved the characters and many parts if the plot of this book but it was unnecessarily long. I wasn’t super interested in the detailed history of comic books so those parts became a bore, what touched me most were the relationships between Sam, Joe and Rosa and how their loss affected them. I also found some events in the first half of the book to be too unbelievable and over the top to take seriously. (not that i can’t appreciate satire and comedy but I just didn’t see the point sometimes)

Mary Rose Luksha

I began reading this book under the impression that this was Chabon's "magnum opus," which I believe I read in a review of the book somewhere; so perhaps my expectations for the text were higher than they should have been. Which is not to say that I didn't enjoy the book, I really did, but there were a few things I had trouble with.

First, I feel that his third person omniscient viewpoint detached him from the characters. And if an author is not attached to the characters, who is supposed to be? I didn't feel he was emotionally invested at some points because the things he wrote about should break your heart, and he described how it broke the character's hearts, but not in a way that broke my heart.

Second, while I appreciate his intelligent writing, his compound sentences took some getting used to. Sometimes I couldn't remember what the subject of the sentence was by the time I finished reading it because it got so convoluted.

However, in the same vein, some of his descriptions were incredibly clever. They were different, and very accurate, and painted a detailed picture, which I enjoyed.

Also, I enjoyed the parallels in character development and plot, it gave the text a cyclical feel which really worked in the book as a whole. I also enjoyed how he wove Jewish folklore throughout the book, it was very insightful and added new levels to a story that, I personally feel, is not new. But his approach to the story, and the actual writing of it, was very new and different. Overall I did really enjoy the book.

Fraser Simons

Pretty astounding, to be honest. Does a great job showing the boys grow up, each seeking to both fight back against Nazi Germany, as well as to seek escapism from the horrors they learn of, as the nemesis literally becomes more terrible and disturbing than, I’m sure, absolutely anyone thought they could possibly be. 

It actually comes out pretty well balanced on the escapism front too. Certainly the boys aren’t well adjusted and sometimes they over compensate into their diversions rather than face realities head on, very much to their determinant. With a large caveat as validating it too, though. It’s a necessary need, especially under capitalism and fascism, to ration and manage anxiety and trauma and harm. And this here is a perfectly valid tool.

Then there is the real life, I guess fantastical aspect? injected into the text too, which becomes a surrealist symbol that tow a liminal space; used to exceptional, masterful effect, in my opinion. 

The prose are great, but somehow didn’t have great flow for me, either. I can’t really figure it. It’s readable and not all that small a font. Either way, despite that quality I still came out loving this. The characters felt nuanced to me and messy, in a complex human way, not a sophomoric way. The ending was an actual surprise for me. At first it actually bugged me, but I think it does go to the theme a lot more than what the ending I thought was coming would have delivered. 

There are some great lines of dialogue and even better exchanges codified into stage work, essentially. It, of course, parallels some real life aspects of the industry; especially creators getting preyed upon. Kirby, hello. And still relevant. The union for Image comics only recently requested voluntary recognition. Ironic, since the Image founders left Marvel and DC precisely for better treatment.

finn

Liam Byrne 

Every few years, I try to ignite in myself a passion for comic books, with varying degrees of success. Having watched the animated television shows as a child and following various other hobbies that are occasionally simpatico with an interest in superheroes (computer games, wrestling, et al), it seems like it should only be a matter of time before I genuinely fall in love with the comic book world. But alas, it is not yet to be. In ‘…Kavalier and Clay’, however, the romantic, nature of the Golden age of comic books, and the escapism the narratives allow, serves as a brilliant backdrop to a story that often feels as much about the American Dream as it is people in lycra costumes.

Joe Kavalier and Sammy Clay are cousins and thrown together within the opening pages as Kavalier flees the oppressive Nazi regime threatening Prague, ending up in New York. Almost immediately, the sense of closeness and familial love, even between two teenagers who have not yet spent a day in each other’s company is established. From this, Chabon is able to spin a wide-reaching yarn that never fully escapes the crux of the life lead by the two men, whilst usually focusing particularly on their lives together. Thankfully, both characters engage from the start: Kavalier’s links to magic and Eastern Europe giving an exoticism to his presentation, whilst Clay’s problems concerning issues such as sexuality are hinted at to begin with before coming to a head as the narrative progresses.

It is the vulnerability of each man’s situation that helps to carry the reader through several hundred pages of their stories. Kavalier’s escape from Prague speaks to the often somewhat fantastical tone of some of the set pieces, relating effectively to his love for Houdini and interest in magic, before his desire to use art as a weapon for a marginalised voice sees him go to work with Clay in the comic book industry. Clay’s confusion about his sexuality during a time when people were less accepting of relationships that were outside of the norm also engenders a sense of sympathy for the character. Even as the two men make great leaps and bounds in creating comics, most notably the Escapist, they continue to be up against the ropes as we see the machinations of industry often clash with their desires for artistry and money.

It is Kavalier who is the most interesting protagonist; primarily because his arc twists, turns, expands and contracts in ways that Clay’s never really does. From waiting to support his family in their escape from Prague, to ending up (loosely) involved in combat during the Second World War, Kavalier’s journey is one of restless fury about the situation that led him to America. Whilst Kavalier does in many ways embody ideas surrounding the American Dream, ending up with money, a home and a wife in Rosa Saks, that never is presented as quite enough for the character. It also leads to some of the sadder moments in the narrative, moments that Chabon metes out every so often and which elicit legitimate emotion.

As you might expect of a book that is of this size, to do the novel justice in so few words is hard. However, what sticks with me is that sense of reality – admittedly helped by reference to genuine places and people – that Chabon creates throughout. The devil is in the detail and it is the little sepia tinged moments that come together to create an engaging sense of the world at large during and post war, as well as the rise and fall of the Golden Age of comics. An absolute triumph and well worth a read.

Alexia

Actually, this was a two-star read, but I'm adding a star because I appreciate the comprehensive research Chabon must have done to write this.

Jeremy Anderberg

“Forget about what you are escaping from. Reserve your anxiety for what you are escaping to.”

Published in 2000, this book won all the awards, is considered Chabon’s magnum opus, and is even labeled by some as THE great American novel. It was about time I gave it a shot, though I admit to being nervous heading into it, given the universal praise. Could it really live up to all that hype?

This sprawling, ambitious, epic of a novel is long — there’s no denying that. It’s often wordy too; at first, I wasn’t sure I’d get into it. Ultimately, though, even if it did take a couple hundred pages to really get hooked, I thoroughly enjoyed it and had a hard time putting it down.

It’s hard to fully convey what the book is about — while the timeframe isn’t terribly long (the bulk of it takes place over the course of only a few years), there’s so much that happens.

On the surface, it’s about Sammy Clay and his cousin, Joe Kavalier, as they look to make a career in the budding comic and superhero industry. Sammy writes the stories, Joe draws ‘em. They create a character — The Escapist — who ultimately becomes quite popular.

Beyond that, though, it’s about so much more: work, art, entertainment, New York City, war, love, identity, mid-century America, making it, friendship, partnership, place.

Yes, the plot pulled me in, but so did Chabon’s unique writing. He dabbles with various styles and points of view within the book, even giving us superhero backstories, which you only even realize near the end of those chapters. Between long chapters and short chapters and globe-spanning place settings, Chabon kept me on my toes as a reader — in a good way. And I definitely had no idea where the plot was going to end up, which I always appreciate.

Kavalier and Clay is certainly literary; there were plenty of words I didn’t know and it wasn’t a dialogue-heavy, plot-driven page turner. And yet, it’s accessible enough that I think it would appeal to a lot of people. It’s as memorable a novel as I’ve read in quite a while. That said, it’s not a book I think everyone will enjoy; just give it a little longer than you otherwise might and see if it hooks you in the way it did me.

Daryl Houston

This one ticks a few boxes for me, among them a consideration of the friction between high and low art and bits about magic and in particular Houdini, both of which were a fascination for me when I was younger. I liked it a lot.

Les Reynolds

Engaging, delightfully written, and enlightening.

Jolin Masson

A really amazing book, the scope it goes into is so large, it’s hard to summarize. Jewish history, start of the Second World War in Prague, comic book history in New York, and so much more I don’t want to spoil.
Definitely a must read!

iamazoo

Winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER & CLAY is a heart-wrenching story of escape, love and comic-book heroes set in Prague, New York and the Arctic.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

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