Brilliant, Sweeping, Deft, Jewish, Human, Enthralling; Worthy of the Pulitzer...
929063
... which it won !

I confess that despite the amazing appeal of this sprawling 639 page romp - read it through and through with stops only for food and ablutions - it's existence was completely unknown to me prior to reading the tags and reviews and realizing that it had everything I like in non science-related fiction. To wit:

Tales of young men coming into varied adulthoods - check.

Comics and the progression of that Art form - check.

New York or other foreign lands - double check.

Strong and wise female characters - check.

Various and potent adventures had by all - check.

Complex plots WITHOUT handy neat "here's the lesson" endings or answers - check.

more, more, more, more - check.

To be quite honest I could burn up even Amazon's generous character allotment with reasons why you should read this amazing tome by Mr. Chabon - suffice to say that he has crafted a uniquely American tale spanning [roughly] the late 1930's to the mid 1950's through the eyes, minds and hearts [and other parts] of his eminently likable leads.

Suffice to say that while this tale is not for the prudish [other parts, etc.] it is also sufficiently decent, in the meaningful definition, to allow any reader of even modest experience to appreciate both the scope and the detail of MC's tale without getting crushed by anything not commonly found on the front page of our "modern" times.  Consider the time span of it's subjects and be advised that Chabon only rarely [very rarely as I see it] delves into language and manners that would cause concern or consternation in the tale's native era.

I'll close with my favorite quote from this quote filled item:
"Forget about what you are escaping from.
Reserve you anxiety for what you are escaping to"
70040
I spent some time in Eastern Europe in the beginning of the nineties, so I picked up The Winter Zoo out of curiosity, fully expecting to find fault with the authors rendering of that time and place. But what a wonderful, surprising book! John Beckmans prose is scintillating, it carries the story of Gurneys flight to Poland with verve and uncommon intelligence. Its just great to have such a fresh prose stylist out there, when so much of what Ive been seeing on the shelves is either utterly milquetoast or so full of look-at-me literary pyrotechnics it immediately puts me off. There is something of Nabakovs restrained wit and fevered intelligence in the prose. He gets the atmosphere of 1990 Poland spot-on, and does it in the effortless way of one whos experienced a thing rather than researched it. It is a milieu full of wonder and hope and fear, a time for a country that perfectly mirrors the mindset of Gurney, who stumbles through the city trying to escape his past in an effort to remake his future on his own terms. I loved that our hero is so deeply flawed, its a risky move that pays off, as Gurney is rendered in such an engrossing, believable way. The politics of the place  (including the Holocaust) are not overt but rather are always buried, informing and shaping the narrative without being didactic. His cast of characters is among the most engaging I've seen. He is also one of the few writers who can make a sex scene (and there are more than a few) both believable and erotiche gets the titillation, the inherent sadness, and the (sometimes) resultant damage all just right. I cant tell you how moved I was by this book, how much I loved it.
1773535
David Benioff has written a jewel of a story. His writing is endearing, his main characters we can relate to. The setting, Leningrad during World War II is awe inspiring and maybe in the hands of a lesser author, it could have managed to overshadow its characters; not in Mr. Benioff's. Kolya the deserter and Lev the complex adolescent which are thrown together during  the horrors of Hitler and Stalin, never cease to connect with the reader. Mr. Bonioff's characters, although flawed, unconsciously irradiate goodness, not the kind filled with wisdom or virtuosity but simply stressing how acts of men can spread light even through the darkest periods of humanity. This is a page turner that never sacrifices anything of relevance. Are we in the presence of an American writer ready to make his mark? I truly enjoyed every page of City of Thieves.
4634536
Cohen is a brilliant storyteller that engages you on a journey from beginning to end. As a reader you become connected to each character as you turn each page of this powerful narrative. A recommend read for anyone interested in a fresh and needed voice to this often overshadowed history of the Holocaust
497291
This was my first time to read Tolstoy and this book is staggering in its breadth, skill and insight.  Tolstoy wears many hats in this book--historian, theologian, psychologist, philosopher, military strategist, political scientist, ethicist--and he wears them all exceedingly well.  The sheer scope of this novel (if indeed one can call it merely a novel) is remarkable.  The battle scenes are stark and real, stripping off the tidy veneer that history puts on such events; not graphic or gruesome, just showing the human side of soldiers in the face of danger and death.  The affairs of the Bolkonskys and Rostovs provide profound insights into good and evil, life and death, and those universal things that comprise human nature.  Tolstoy's satirical comments on Napolean and the genius historians ascribe to him are well-founded and thought-provoking.

When all is said and done, however, it is the spiritual journey of Pierre Bezukhov that is the highlight of the book for me.  You see clearly in this characater the expression of Tolstoy's own sirituality and the parallels are magnificent.  This is a wonderful story about life, history, family and what it means to be human.  While incredibly dense, this book is worth the time and effort.  Highly recommended.
851445
The story of Sophie, a Polish girl who survived a Nazi concentration camp and is living in Brooklyn, her lover Nathan, a wild, weird, and sometimes wonderful guy, and their friend Stingo, who grows up to be the writer that  describes it all. As the story moves through the lives of these three in  Brooklyn, Sophie tells Stingo, in bits and pieces and with lots of  flashbacks, the tale of her life in Poland and in Auschwitz. Her complex  and contradictory feelings about her life, her father (who was actually a  supporter of Hitler's so-called Jewish Solution), and her experience in  Auschwitz are revealed bit by bit, complicated by her attempt to hide some  of the things she feels most ashamed of. How Styron weaves these threads  into such an engrossing and riveting story is an absolute wonder. His is a  dazzling display of lyrical and powerful writing, combined with an equally  dazzling display of a deep and compassionate understanding of the human  heart. They made a movie of this book (Meryl Streep played Sophie and won  the Oscar for best actress that year; Kevin Kline played Nathan), and I  recently watched it again. At each scene I was disappointed, not because of  what the movie showed, but because of all the things I knew had to be left  out. This is a wonderful, wonderful book. It will make you cry, and make  you laugh; it will make you depressed; it will make you stand up and cheer.  You will cherish each and every page. It is truly one of the greatest books  ever written.
872828
This book is not for the timid reader but I persevered and must say that it is one of the most powerful books I think I've ever read.  The writing is beautiful and the author makes you feel like you are 'there' every second.  I read a library copy and was so impressed that after finishing it, I bought both the Kindle version and a hardback for the bookcase.  Totally deserving of the Pulitzer.  A masterpiece.
720340
While I've heard of Jodi Picoult, I've never read one of her books, till the book blurb for this one caught my eye and I finally got the book yesterday. I started it last night. I just finished it a few minutes ago, neglecting literally everything else.

What a remarkable storyteller!

And what a remarkable story.

I'll admit to having read a lot of Holocaust stories - more than was good for me, I'm sure - but this is one of the most searing and authentic I've ever read. As a writer myself, what I really appreciate about Ms. Picoult is how beautifully she TOLD the story - giving us enough information to keep us intrigued, not enough to stop us from turning the pages. From almost the first, when I told myself, I know what she's doing here, I still kept reading. And then I found out I DIDN'T know what she was doing - and right through to the end, I STILL didn't know what she was doing. I could guess some of the little stuff - the big stuff eluded me entirely, which made the whole book that much richer and more compelling.

What I think I appreciated the most here was the premise that telling a story could not only enhance others' lives, but also save your own. (Writers don't get a lot of respect, so the ability to save a life is big here.) And that in the midst of truly unimaginable horror, the gift of imagination could make life better, if only for a moment.

The depth of detail here, along with the love of family and the ties of loving relationships, is just wonderful. And if you happen to love food or baking, the minute details of the baking process will make your mouth water. As one of my pet peeves is horrible line editing - with mistakes in spelling, grammar and usage allowed to remain in the final product - I was especially overjoyed with this book, because the writing is so fluid, so easy to read and - YES - so literate. What a pleasure!

I really cannot say enough about this novel. I found it so gripping, its characters so worth pursuing, its ending so worth waiting for, that I recommend it without reservation to anyone. Fair warning, though: A Holocaust story told in this kind of detail is not a pretty story. If you feel you can't face stepping into that world, don't pick up this novel, because Ms. Picoult makes it impossible for you not to be immersed in it.

Bravo, Jodi Picoult! I'll be looking up your other books and look forward to more such wonderful reads for some time to come.
2923210
An extraordinary book replete with humor, philosophy, psychology, political "intrigue," poetry and more- a merry romp through Jewish History (slightly tilted to satisfy the debate particulars.) Who would expect a book featuring Latkas and Hamantash to be such a lush literary experience. I have purchased a number of paperbacks to send to my children so that they too can have an unusual and utterly entertaining experience. Edith Sobel
253946
Richman's writing is rich. The prose carries the reader through a world of emotions and descriptions of events that could only be created by the Holocaust.

 Growing up in Israel as the generation following this horrific time, I had been "Holocaust-out," and for a long time have been avoiding reading more such stories. Yet, in the last few years I became intrigued by stories of Terezin, the showcase concentration camp which the Nazis created for publicity purposes and made films showing the comfortable conditions, complete with outdoor cafs (that were shut down and their customers stripped of their fancy clothes to be sent back, starving, to the barracks.) Rich Jews actually paid for their own transport to go there, hoping for a better fate. Alyson Richman did a great job describing the technical department where plans for the Terezin camp were designed, and the artists--many real-world Jewish artists who eventually perished--who toiled there while using their talent to secretly document scenes of the camp and smuggle them out.

 But I was particularly drawn in by the woven story of Josef who had left on time as he made a new life for himself in the new world. Believing that Lenka was dead, he remarried and lived an emotional double life with Amalia, both of them haunted by ghosts of the past, both understanding that the other had an inner life that could never be exposed to the light. The descriptions of this marriage were simply excellent, and I applaud the author for her sensitivity.

 The premise of the novel, the accidental meeting of Josef and Lenka--both presuming each other dead for sixty years-- at their grandchildren's wedding, it touching and, unfortunately, realistic. As the novel weaves through the two characters' separate lives in the intervening years, I was expecting some new twist at the end, since their meeting was already revealed in the first chapter. But that did not happen. The last scene, picking up on the opening scene in the book, just lets the story fizzle. I also found the two characters to be too perfectly goody good. No flaws, no anger, never a harsh word going between a character and his or her friends, family or acquaintances. Everyone loved one another to perfection. There is not even hatred or rage toward the Nazis--at the time when Lenka watches the atrocities and suffers starvation and harsh treatment, and loses her friends and family members. Being numb by cold, fear and hunger does not explain the absence of emotions toward her tormentors at the time of the event or in the many decades that followed.

 That said, the very fact that I read the novel to the end is an indication that I trusted the author that her story would have a payoff. It did, in the large sense, as I spent time with the book, learned about Terezin, spent time with the artists there, and followed the characters' attempts to make sense of the incomprehensible.
1351774
Exquisite detail, compelling characters, soaringly imaginative fiction together with historical veracity. A deeply moving tale of conflict and continuity between generations...tears, joys, social concerns, and artistic passion...What a story! So real, so beautiful, so moving throughout. Plenty of "mystery," but each resolution is logical and coherent with the flow of the book. Painterly, eloquent, and gripping - every page. A "natural" for book clubs, meaningful vacation reading, and for any evening at home.
1716439
Some books dissolve in memory as soon as they are put down. Not a Joan Leegant book. Like An Hour in Paradise, her glowing collection of short stories, the novel Wherever You Go seems bound to leave something of itself with the reader. Through Leegant's deft structuring of the very different yet interlocking life transitions of three very different individuals, contemporary Israel itself becomes the primary character of this believably plotted and richly textured work. The result is not only a good read but a vividly real sense of the multi-layered complexity, contradictions, failure, and promise that describe not only her people and their relationships but the all-too-humanly dynamic organism that is the nation of Israel. Leegant's perceptiveness is sometimes breathtaking, which is largely why her people--and Israel itself--come to live and breathe on the page. Yes, the novel gets off to a leisurely beginning (perhaps just short of downright slow), but it builds deliberately, and by the halfway point becomes "couldn't put it down" material.  Book clubs are sure to find this a natural, with substance enough for rewarding discussion on any number of topics and levels. It strikes me as coming close to creating as tangibly real a sense of Israel as Abraham Verghese's Cutting for Stone does of post-war Ethiopia. Definitely a winner.
2389433
The Street Sweeper b  Elliot Perlman is  beautifully written, and combines both the civil rights movement and the Holocaust.  Perlman has chosen a unique way to provide new information which describes graphically and unforgettably. the horrors of the Holocaust.  The characters are well -drawn and well-- developed, and there is a wealth of historical information which is included.  The book is long, but it has a vast scope, and, all in all, was one of the most worthwhile and satisfying books I have  read in a long while.
3964362
When I read this book, I didn't even know that it had won the Pulitzer Prize--there's no trace of that information anywhere on the library hardback that I read. So I was blissfully unaware that I was reading what was supposed to be a Literary Masterpiece, and I would have been surprised if I had known.
 There's no doubt that Michael Chabon is a master of his craft; his writing is a mix of the matter-of-fact and flights of fantasy, and often reality is granted an additional glow of the magical. His characters are real from the start: Sammy, Joe, Ethel and Kornblum are not talking heads, but characters who are distinct and touching in their fallibility.
Probably the best aspect of this book is where it deals with art, and art and escapism are themes that are tightly woven throughout this story until they become inseparable. At first art is the means to manipulate one's personal reality, as Joe convinces himself that he is fighting the war against the Nazis by having his hero fight them in the comics; and later this idea is carried further, so that art is not only used to manipulate reality, but to escape it utterly; and this is viewed as the ultimate goal of the artist.
 Another high point of the novel is its moments in which the blend of art and realism are so seamless that at first it is difficult to tell where reality ends and the art begins. These moments are consistent with the magical atmosphere that marks Kavalier and Clay's "Golden Age," as well as with the theme of art as a means of escape.
The theme of art and its relationship with escapism is the one theme that threads consistently throughout the novel. Otherwise, one might say that "Kavalier and Clay," for all its strong points, is lacking in that after the tight, virtuoso beginning, the story loses focus and eventually all sense of unity. The plot becomes somewhat convoluted in the manner of John Irving, as if Chabon is throwing oddities into the mix just to keep things interesting. Hence we get Antarctica, the oddball marriage, and the threatened jump from the Empire State Building, which feel as if they are taking place in a world apart from the rich world to which we were originally introduced as readers, which was in itself so compelling. The result is that one begins to wonder where the original story went, if this is the same book, and to wish that it had ended before the pure magic of the atmosphere became replaced with coincidence and contrived circumstance.
 Another drawback to this book was Joe Kavalier himself, who was simply too much of a good thing, especially in contrast to Sammy Clay. Just when it seemed that there was nothing else that Joe could possibly be good at, something else came out to prove that assumption wrong. In comparison, Sammy comes across as a failure: his talent for writing is never vindicated in the way that Joe's talent for drawing is vindicated to the hilt from beginning to end; yet the original idea for the Escapist came from Sammy, so clearly he is not a wholly insignificant talent.
If Joe was meant to seem perfect and Sammy a failure, then this is not a drawback but a fact; but my sense of it was that somewhere, Sammy's story simply fell by the wayside to make way for Joe's. As a reader, I found Sammy a more interesting character precisely because nothing came easily to him and because he was so conflicted in every aspect of his life. Many times I found it strange that he was so unappreciated while Joe had center stage, yet this dynamic was never commented upon in the book, as if the author didn't notice it himself.
 Without giving anything away, the ending was a climax of banality, and not a particularly realistic one at that. It is as if the author became tired and just wanted to get it over with--a common occurrence, but a bit hard to take after the epic scale of this novel had seemed to promise so much. While "Kavalier and Clay" is worth the read, it leaves lacunae to tease the reader, like a detailed painting that trails away into emptiness.
2947687
The book is a work of art, meticulously painted by a very gifted author. It is obvious that the work that went into this endeavor was both voluminous in both quantity and quality. The author balances the human interest stories with the outcomes of a terrible conflict that helped the state of Israel to ward off and eventually defeat overwhelming enemy forces from several neighboring countries as well as those who helped its enemies from behind the scenes.
Mr. Gandt is very fair in his approach to showing how ineptness on both sides of the conflict could have caused either side to be victorious. The crux of the story, Israel's first air force pilots and planes, render the writing a true page turner, with human conflict, emotion and wonderful and insightful human strengths and failings.
2908472
Just beautiful. Wonderfully written, rich with descriptions of a time and of places I could never know, and with flinch-worthy gritty detail. Great pace, strong dramatic tension, fully developed characters, and a satisfying ending. I'd say Amy Bloom is in a class by herself but I can think of a few who are in her class: Ann Patchett, Annie Proulx, and Elizabeth Strout.

Here's a passage I found especially meaningful - one among many. Lillian is walking through Alaska, alone, on a mission to find her daughter:

"What Lillian can see clearly is her place in the scale of this country, how easily the entire Lower East Side could drop into the crevasses ahead of her. She is a gnat, and what had been her whole world is no more than a small junk pile, old boots and body parts, an overturned basket in the middle of the world's thoroughfare."

When are we ever otherwise? Here's another:

"She believes in...curiosity (hers should have shrunk to nothing by now but feeds on something Lillian cannot make sense of) and she believes in will. It is so frail and delicate at night that she can't even imagine the next morning, but it is so wide and binding by the middle of the next day that she cannot even remember the terrible night. It is as if she gives birth every day."

My God, what a perfect description of daily redemption.

I don't mean to suggest there's no light in the story - there is plenty of glory, not the least of which is in the way that down-and-out characters manage to triumph with nothing much more than ingenuity and guts. I'm going to hate giving this book away, even to a good friend.
4602949
Colum McCann's 2009 National Book Award winner "Let The Great World Spin" has restored my faith in the ability of book award committees to pick a truly deserving winner with outstanding literary merit that's also accessible to the reading public. Far too often in recent years, we have had declared winners which have left many readers baffled at the judges' choice.

This ensemble novel of life in New York City in the mid-70s is a gorgeous piece of art and a thing of beauty because of its breathtaking sweep and bold ambition in portraying all of humanity's diversity especially its seamiest side at their most basic level and demonstrating how our response to situations we find ourselves in makes us all unlikely but no less real heroes in survival.

Just as the French funambulist Philippe Petit had left New Yorkers gaping in amazement at his mind blowing feat of traversing the World Trade Centre towers across thin air on a thin piece of wire, why shouldn't we be similarly awed by the more mundane but equally heroic struggles of a motley crew comprising an improbably idealistic liberation theologist, drug addicts and prostitutes on main street below? For haven't each of them been visited by miracles of another sort ? Like the priest in plainclothes finding himself playing Jesus to the down and out and also the love of a woman without guilt or compromise, or a pair of mother and daughter prostitutes who hold their heads up high playing parent figures to their children/grandchildren, or one among a group of commiserating mothers who lost her son in Vietnam but not the capacity to give and receive love?

Not all the stories happening simultaneously are given the full treatment. Some are merely hinted at or partially revealed. Yet each of them is firmly etched in our hearts and minds. That's how strong McCann's characterization is - the computer hackers feeding back on the Frenchman's hair raising feat, the unnamed secret night time photographer of subway graffitis, etc - they are walk on parts but utterly memorable and integral to the whole. I would have liked a little more elaboration of the judge's motivations though. These disparate strands interweave and finally resolve in a denouement that's both heartbreaking and life affirming.

You are unlikely to read anything better this year. This is modern literature at its best. Utterly compelling !