"The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2001, and I know of no reason not to start by saying, 'I love this book'...The story brings together Sammy Klayman, growing up in Brooklyn, and his cousin Josef Kavalier, a refugee from the Nazi takeover of Czechoslovakia, in the late 1930s. Together they invent a superhero, 'The Escapist,' whose origins are richly woven into the pair’s youthful experiences and scars. The newly-Americanized Sammy Clay and Joe Kavalier become part of the 'golden age' of comics, in the 1940s and ’50s, and wrestle with exploitative bosses, government paranoia, confused sexuality, longing and loss, and the whirl of history in those turbulent times. The Depression, fascism, the Holocaust, World War II, the bizarre outbreaks of fear and witch hunts of the late ’40s and early ’50s, all are brought dramatically to life through the lenses of Kavalier and Clay."This is a rare occasion in that I have actually read one of the books Neil has reviewed (not the first time, but it's not typical by any means!). I happened to read Kavalier & Clay a couple of years ago, and also give it a veritable two thumbs up. It was a novel that took me by surprise, as it was much bigger in scope than I first anticipated. I might also add that a film adaptation was in the works reportedly starring Tobey Maguire, Jamie Bell and Natalie Portman, but according to the author in 2007 the project "just completely went south for studio-politics kinds of reasons...".
Bubba's Book Club - December 2010 Issue
Neil Peart has updated the "Bubba's Book Club" section of his website, where he gives his literary recommendations for your consideration. In this issue, Neil reviews The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, by Michael Chabon, and The Lacuna, by Barbara Kingsolver. About The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Peart writes:
Tried to read that book when it came out, but it was one of the rare times I had to put a book down -- just couldn't get into it, although I know he's a well-respected author. Maybe I'll try again somewhere down the road.
ReplyDeleteThe book rules. Period. Absolute masterwork. Chabon is a also a big Doctor Who fan and I recently asked him at a Q&A whether he would consider writing a script for the new series, thereby inserting a shot of nerdiness into a high-falutin' literary event. He got all geeky and said he would love to, but he didn't think he'd be eligible because he's not British. 2112 gets a brief mention in Manhood For Amateurs.
ReplyDeleteI tried to read Kavalier & Clay once too and put it down after 150 pages. Yawn. Maybe Neil can convince me to give it another shot.
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