Reviews

The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon

miranda_is_currently_reading's review against another edition

I have never been a fan of noir, so the style of this book just was NOT for me. That being said, the details of the story, especially the plight of the Jewish population, echo both past and present social and political issues in a way that act as both social commentary and warning in a way that reminds me of Vonnegut.

mebius's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

kgsatter's review against another edition

I just didn’t get into the story. I didn’t care about any of the characters, and didn’t find the history of the town to be explained in a way that gave enough context. 

tonythep's review against another edition

4.0

I'm a little bit torn about this one. I loved the whole Yiddish-noir alternate universe genre mash-up thing. I loved the characters. I loved the story. The ending left me wanting somewhat. It feels like it all wrapped up kind of abruptly. Maybe I was trying too hard to understand everything. Have every little detail and plot point make sense. I was still scratching my head a bit when Landsman seemed to put everything together. I certainly did enjoy my time in Sitka, hence the 4 stars.

kcon2292's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

lllizardsss's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

lexruthor's review

slow-paced

3.0

bugmandan34's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

rltinha's review against another edition

4.0

Isto de criar uma realidade alternativa e levar a narrativa a um ritmo regular sem capítulos dedicados a explicar e a descrever coisas, é todo um campeonato só para alguns.
Chabon é pior quando tenta escrever do modo enxuto que um policial hipoteticamente exige. O Chabon barroco em todo o seu esplendor é que cativa e compensa ler, mas por exigências de estilo (incompreensivelmente auto-impostas pelo autor) nem sempre se revela neste livro, antes gerando segmentos que poderiam ser muito melhores.

nate_meyers's review against another edition

3.0

This book was very engaging, and I flew through the second half in two days. It's a noir murder mystery set in a fictional Jewish community in Alaska. The set-up is fantastic, the characters are--well--characters, and the plot is gripping. But Michael Chabon bites off more than he can chew, and his book runs away from him. He wants to use a murder mystery to explore big-ticket themes such as Jewish identity, exile, and hope for a Messiah. The end of his book pushes these themes, at the expense of a satisfying ending to the murder mystery. This is *gasp* the first Chabon novel I've read that I rank lower than 5 stars. It's just that Moonglow and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay are much better novels. Still, YPU is an enjoyable and quick read (once you accustom yourself to the Jewish slang). Oh, and you will be tasked with remembering almost every character introduced because they all come back.