The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

By: Michael Chabon

Narrated by: David Colacci

Length: 26 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

Pulitzer Prize, Fiction, 2001

It's 1939, in New York City. Joe Kavalier, a young artist who has also been trained in the art of Houdiniesque escape, has just pulled off his greatest feat: smuggling himself out of Hitler's Prague. He's looking to make big money, fast, so that he can bring his family to freedom. His cousin, Brooklyn's own Sammy Clay, is looking for a partner in creating the heroes, stories, and art for the latest novelty to hit the American dreamscape: the comic book.

Inspired by their own fantasies, fears, and dreams, Kavalier and Clay create the Escapist, the Monitor, and the otherworldly Mistress of the Night, Luna Moth, inspired by the beautiful Rosa Saks, who will become linked by powerful ties to both men. The golden age of comic books has begun, even as the shadow of Hitler falls across Europe.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay is a stunning novel of endless comic invention and unforgettable characters, written in the exhilarating prose that has led critics to compare Michael Chabon to Cheever and Nabokov. In Joe Kavalier, Chabon has created a hero for the century.

©2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc. (P)2000 Michael Chabon

Critic reviews

"Michael Chabon can write like a magical spider, effortlessly spinning out elaborate webs of words that ensnare the reader with their beauty and their style." (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times)

Favorite Chabon novel so far, despite “meh” ending

I’ve read a couple of Michael Chabon’s other books and have found him to be a writer I like a lot, but have never been totally enamored with. His prose reminds me of a certain type I sometimes meet at parties in the city: stylish, insightful, full of savoir faire, but trying just a little too hard to impress, and maybe not as original as he wants to be.

Still, if there was ever a novel that plays to an author’s descriptive flair and love for homage, it would be the Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Through mannered but flip character study, Chabon hones in on the energies passing through pre-war New York City, as experienced by two young artists intent on making their mark in the dawning Golden Era of Comic Books, and later, the doldrums of 1950s suburbia and a stagnating industry. One of his protagonists, Joe Kavalier, is a young Jew from Czechoslovakia, trained in the arts of escape (think Harry Houdini), the other, Sammy Klayman, is a young Jew from Brooklyn, with aspirations of being a novelist. One worries about his family back in Europe, the other struggles with his sexuality, alternating between cautious acceptance and the socially-prescribed denial of the era. As with other Chabon novels, there are broad “Jewish” themes of exile, suffering, and redemption, which make an interesting subtext.

To me, the joy of this novel is the inventiveness with which Chabon has his heroes playing out their psyches and backstories on the nine-paneled page, as they struggle with guilt, a sense of identity, love, friendship, and failure. His ability to evoke the imagery of classic comics in prose is impressive, and reminds us of the ineffable power that visuals hold over both creator and devotee, even hampered by the stilted “sock! bam! pow!” conventions of the early days. A less graceful writer might have stamped out an empty nostalgia trip, but Chabon, in celebrating the earnest constructive spirit of young men in a new field of expression, crafts an ecstatic secret history of one rapidly evolving. It’s not often that words are worth a thousand pictures.

Well, for the first third of the book, anyway. Once the young duo achieves its meteoric rise and begins settling into comfortable lives of regular paychecks and predictable comforts, the novel begins to sag and its character studies to feel a little superficial and plodding (but impeccably written). Luckily, an engaging interlude involving a little known-theater of World War Two shakes things up for a while at the two-thirds mark (though it’s largely superfluous to the main story, and felt like Chabon just needed the writerly equivalent of an excuse to get out of the building and run around for a bit). After that, the story returns to 1950s suburbia, a dull marriage, a McCarthy-esque harassment of comic book writers, and a resolution that I found surprisingly banal. Does Chabon just not know how to end books well? I had a similar problem with the Yiddish Policemen’s Union.

Yet, as with that book, I liked the imagination and joyous construction of a place in time on display in the first half of The Amazing Adventures so much, I still think it’s worth your consideration. The audiobook might even be an improvement over the print version, with Joe and Sammy’s distinct accents brought to life, along with those of several other characters. Probably my favorite of Michael Chabon’s novels thus far.

Well-written, well-narrated!

What made the experience of listening to The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay the most enjoyable?

The narrator did an excellent job of using different accents and voices to differentiate the characters. The accents were believable, as were the voices, whether they be the hardened Czech man who returns from war, to the young 12 year old boy, to his sweet mother.

fun and seemingly true to the era it represents

a little bit too 'happily ever after' but still worth the listen! go for it

If You Missed this, It's Time You Read it

And to think I had missed it! Via Instagram, I participated in the Pulitzer Prize 100th anniversary vote off. Three of the top four winners did not surprise me at all. (Beloved, Grapes of Wrath, and To Kill a Mockingbird, with Mockingbird winning, of course). But this book was also a top four all time favorite, and I had never heard of it.

Well written story about two cousins and their comic drawing/writing adventures during WWII and after. With a Golem and caped cruisaders, as well as tragedy, love, and growing up, the best thing about this book is that you care about the characters and what happens to them. Glad I found it. (Note, I did think parts of the middle drug, but the writing was so good it didn't matter, that and my LITSY friends assure me it would be worth it. It was).

I will miss these characters

epic. loved it. this might be the 1st audio book I listen to twice. thanks

Somewhat slow start - stick with it.

Once you got it to it I found the book interesting. Almost like a historical novels since it covers much of pre-WWII thru post war. Not a war story, just a background for the characters.

Character voices

I found the character voices used by the reader to be problematic, esp the voice used for Rosa. It painted a picture that was not in line with mine as the me narrator feigned a poor female voice. An unfortunate choice.

Chabon Magic

Would you consider the audio edition of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay to be better than the print version?

I would. Michael Chabon's writing is highly descriptive, evocative and complex with long sentences demanding a fair amount of grammatical agility on the part of the reader. This is why the audio edition is so good. Narration enables the reader to understand the tapestry of words without the effort involved in the reading process. Since this is a fairly long novel, with multiple character structures and a diverse plot, audio is a superb method of appreciating this piece of fiction.
With that, I would recommend alongside the audio, a text version, say in kindle or ebook format so as to enable the reader to refer back when he/she wishes and to read sections when audio is neither available or appropriate.

What did you like best about this story?

Creative original story, with strains of Jewish American culture presented in a very unique form compared to trends in the genre.

What about David Colacci’s performance did you like?

It was very good however, I was not always happy about accents - but this is minor. It was professional and engaging.

If you could take any character from The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay out to dinner, who would it be and why?

It would have to be Sammy. While Joe is mysterious, we know him from the book. Sammy evokes empathy and a need to understand. Something is still left unsolved and poignant with this character, which is in fact one of the wonderful features of the book and its final chapters.

Any additional comments?

I have read comments by readers regarding Chabon, may of whom have difficulty getting past the first chapters of his books; others who can't find the plot for the words. Michael Chabon is a huge persona on the stage of modern novelists. He is a master of words and verbal tapestry. Audiobooks are actually the finest method of fully appreciating his work.

Perfect

Simply put: this is the best book I've ever 'read.' Definitely deserved the Pulitzer Prize.

Mandatory for anyone interested in comics.

Where does The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Very high. It's an excellent story and an excellent performance.

What did you like best about this story?

This comic gets the appeal of superheroes and the intricacies of the comic industry from the late 1930's to the mid 1950's. I'm studying to be a cartoonist at the time of this review and am studying the history of the medium during this era, and this book is spot-on. If I ever wanted to explain the appeal of comics to someone who just doesn't get comics, I would point them to this book. I WILL make both my parents read or listen to this at some point.

Which character – as performed by David Colacci – was your favorite?

ALL of the characters were distinct and interesting. Joe Kavalier was probably my favorite, and he was performed very well.