The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay 

by Michael Chabon
A review by John Billingsley

Hi Everybody, sounds like people enjoyed Kavalier and Clay, so glad - I did too, thought it was terrific, moving, evocative. As an ex-comic book collector I found it especially enjoyable to read a book that captured the special enchantments of comic books - I still can vividly recall stories, individual panels and images,  from old issues of Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, etc (I was always more partial to DC than Marvel, if we want to get a little bickering going here) better than books, movies, tv shows or even (perhaps sadly, perhaps one of the points this book makes) life itself.

I suspect, like many of you, that I have less to say about this book than Naipaul's (for instance) because it was considerably more accessible, Chabon's  style and thematic concerns less willfully opaque, less in need of any longwinded exigesis.  I don't have much to add to the discussion except perhaps to reference one of my favorite stories in the book, Kornblum's account of Houdini's (aborted) escape from the 'nested pair of steel Bramah locks', effected finally by Houdini's wife - so interesting to me that the central 'escapes' of this book, Sam's attempted escape from the burden of his sexual identity and Joe's attempted escape from the burden of his deepest feelings of grief, guilt and regret, are finally escapes from something we ultimately can not and should not attempt to escape from: love, the transformative power of love, which is what we ultimately need to escape TO. Joe and Sam do finally succeed in escaping TO love, to TRUE love, their transformation complete, their atonement complete, the soul back in the golem, only when they acknowledge the deepest truths about their inner needs.  (Interesting side point that the Golem returns to his true identity, mud, when his soul returns - in his artificial, superhero state he is soulless. And that Kornblum, a Golem of a character, returns Joe's soul to him - the only moment in the book that, for me, went a smidge over the top - Kornblum's spectral presence at Houdini's gravesite)  The dream of escape, transformation, etc which is so beautifully limned in this book is seen as a double edged sword, finally,  stirring in its power to call us to noble accomplishments and grand deeds, but calcifying too in it's potential to blind us to the deeper metamorphoses we are ultimately required to make as human beings who love fully.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay 

by Michael Chabon
A review by Scott Danielson

Whenever a person asks me what I'm reading, the next question is always, "What's it about?"  This is a difficult question to answer sometimes, especially when I like the book enough to encourage the questioner to read it.  The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is one of those books.

On the surface, it's about two guys who write and illustrate comic books. Beyond that, it's an inspiring story of escape in many forms; escape from persecution, escape from emotion, escape from self, and escape from life.

The characters are extremely well developed and well written.  Early in the novel, Josef Kavalier and Samuel Klayman meet.  They are cousins who encounter each other after Josef escapes from Prague before World War II.  The story is chiefly about them.

The theme of escape comes through clearly, over and over.  The two decide to go into the comic book business and invent a superhero called The Escapist.  The story develops around this successful career they've chosen, each of them confronted with various difficulties in their lives, and each of them attempting to escape from those difficulties.  As the novel moves forward, the reader realizes that the comic books themselves are a means of escape.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay 

by Michael Chabon
A review by Lenore Leckvold

I found this novel to be very entertaining.  I was able to get involved with the characters, and found myself anxious to sit down and read about their adventures.  I was disappointed when I came to the end of the book as I wanted to find out what happened in their lives next.   I enjoyed the use of real events, names and places in the telling of the story.  It helped bring a reality to it. 

This novel seemed to explore many different topics and I found it difficult to separate the topics as I was getting my thoughts together for a review.  It explored the various levels of friendships and relationships between the main characters and those who came into their lives.  It dealt with the comic book world and its place in the world culture at that time.  The main theme seemed to be escapism.  Everyone in the novel seemed to be escaping from something or someone, whether an oppressive country or a relationship or even the reality of life itself. 

I found it interesting to read about the way that Sammy and Joe used their creative minds to fight the evil of the world in the only way that was available to them.  For Sammy it seemed to be enough, but it wasn’t for Joe.  He took action in positive ways as in attempting to bring his younger brother and other children to America.  He also took negative action by going out and looking for fights.  He seemed to be so tied up in his “mission” to fight the evil of the world that he could not function in real life.  His characters seemed more real to him than the real people around him daily.  Having his mind totally absorbed in his characters and their fight seemed to be a way for him to avoid his own reality. 

Sammy didn’t seem to be able to live his life as his own person.  He followed Joe’s lead in the comic book industry and seemed to go along with what others told him was the right thing to do.  He wasn’t really living a life of his own.  I would be interested to know if his move to California changed this or if he continued to follow what he thought others expected of him.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay 

by Michael Chabon
A review by Amy Freeman Boitano

Where do I begin? This was a book not only of escape but of lost loves and lost ideals. I found myself to be lost in the story and not wanting to be found.

Enter our hero, Joe Kavalier. He is escaping from the Nazi occupation of his home of Prague. He is escaping from his guilt of his brothers illness and he is escaping to the U.S. with the hope of rescuing his family.

Enter his sidekick and partner in the Comics, Sammy Klayman... a.k.a. Sam Clay. The cousins embark on a journey of self discovery through their characters. Joe uses "The Escapist" almost as an alias right up until the bitter end. Sam used the idea of the sidekick as a way to express his hidden sexual identity.

The characters in their comic books become extensions of themselves and the people around them. Rosa and the Luna Moth are both women of strength that Joe needs in his life. When Joe loses his brother to a German U-Boat and joins the navy we see his actual fight with the evil of the world, instead of his character's.

Rosa and Sammy raise Joe's child as their own. When we hear that "The Escapist" is going to jump off the Empire State building in a fight with the evil of corporate politics, you hope that it is Joe and that he will reunite with his family and win the day.

I found this book to be enthralling and the characters were heartfelt. Mr. Chabon makes Joe, Sammy, Rosa and all the rest of his characters come to life with his vibrant descriptions. You want to see them have some good luck and happiness for a change. You learn about how a comic book is made and what young unknown artists go through to see their dreams in print.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay 

by Michael Chabon
A review by Arden

I read Chabon's book very quickly. I enjoyed it. Still, I put off writing a review for as long as possible. I really lived up to my nickname as the goddess of procrastination. I just couldn't think of anything to say other than "I liked it a lot!"

I think the book was well written with an interesting plot. I love books that mix fact and fiction as long as it is done well. Chabon gives us a real taste for what it was like in the "golden years" of comic books. He mentions famous characters and the people who created them with one notable exception. Chabon never mentions Captain America. I wonder if this is because Captain America actually did fight Nazis in his comic books. If Captain America existed, there would be no need for The Escapist. The reason doesn't really matter. The book is enjoyable anyway.

Some plot lines I found predictable: Sammy's homosexuality; Rosa getting pregnant and Sammy marrying her; Joe's discovery that killing Germans wasn't all that satisfying; the reason Sammy was called to testify… The ending didn't satisfy me. I found it rather abrupt. Boom! Joe comes back. Boom! Sammy is forced to find a new life. Boom! Joe and Rosa are together at last.

You can't talk about K&C without talking about the theme of escape. Joe physically escaped from Poland at the beginning of the novel but he doesn't escape mentally until years later. Throughout the book Joe is deep in the clutches of "survivor guilt." He doesn't believe that he should be happy while his family is still in danger. He doesn't believe he's doing enough. He doesn't believe he deserves to be in New York.

Joe never "escapes" until after the war and he realizes that all his ties to his old life have been severed. He doesn't realize this until the box carrying what used to be the Golem turns up mysteriously.

The Golem is an interesting symbol. According to the Encyclopedia Mythica, the Golem of Prague was created in 1580 when Christian priests were about to accuse Jews of "ritual murder." When Joe opened the box I was puzzled by what he found. Why would the Golem suddenly, after almost 400 years, turn to dust? Was the black magic of the Third Reich was too strong for it? Was it no longer necessary now that the Allies had won the war? I think the Golem was the symbol of escape. It was created to help Jews escape from the machinations of their tormentors and it literally helped Joe escape from Poland. By the end of the book, there was only one thing left for Joe to escape from: his previous life. The Golem was the last tie Joe had to his old life. When it turned to dust Joe was free to "live" in America.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay 

by Michael Chabon
A review by Bonnie

Chabon "unlocked the door" to my heart with this moving story about two young entrepreneurs and their various stories of escape and transformations as they grew up.  Sam stated about Houdini in a packing crate "You weren't the same person when you came out as when you went in."

I could easily see the places in my mind and felt the dreams and emotions of the characters.  The writing indicates extensive research, much thought and knowledge of language.  I enjoyed the richly detailed scenes of New York in the 30's and 40's and the story of the comic book industry.

The story was intense and I always wanted to find out what happens next.  The characters and their relationships were very real, very human.  There is success and failure.  The historical events of World War II, the escape from Hitler and the changing American society added to the story.