townblog's review
4.0
Best writing yet by Chabon - a crisp meditation on truth, the power of stories, and the scope of a lifetime.
afeezorrn's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
olim777's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bkish's review
5.0
This is a beautiful book a "fictionalized" memoir of Mike Chabon's family - grandfather and grandmother and mother. It moves with full elegance and honor and yet it reveals major misgivings with these people. Very disturbing details of their lives and their problems and their ways of dealing with life.
He is an outstanding writer...
from Judy
He is an outstanding writer...
from Judy
hultqur's review
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
echokore's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sbbarnes's review
4.0
A fascinating fictional family history, as told by the grandson receiving his grandfather's deathbed confessions? narratives? something of that nature. It is admitted by both these narrators that the narrative will not coalesce satisfactorily; the grandfather hopes the grandson will make it cohesive, but the grandson chooses not to. Many threads, then, are told out of chronology, but they do not come together in a way that creates a deep satisfaction in the end. The effect is instead haunting. Especially the story of the grandmother's madness was interesting to me. Other things that were interesting: the grandfather's earlier memories, which were very different; the shady business dealings on the narrator's father's side of the family, the inevitable question of what the mother's view of all this would be - arguably she suffered the most? The full Uncle Ray story etc.
librarian_lisa_22's review
3.0
It wasn't as all-absorbing as The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Clay, but it was beautifully written and reveals some of the ways Chabon's mind works.