| To say that Josef Kavalier - Jewish refugee, novice escapist, artistic prodigy and vicarious proponent of truth and justice - led a remarkable life understates the intensity of Michael Chabon's main character.
Upon escaping Nazi persecution and meeting his cousin Sam Clay (also artistically gifted), Joe finds love and inspiration in New York City and launches a blend of pulpy nonsense and high social commentary via his comic book hero the Escapist. The comic book exceeds expectations and the teenage boys become success stories overnight. Chabon's serial presentation guides the reader from Prague to Manhattan with occasional detours through the South Pole and a fictional-yet-optimistically possible world where heroes fight hatred and win. Superb characterization emphasizes the themes of self-discovery and faithfulness to the findings, as Joe and Sam learn from each other, themselves, and their separate lovers and find a world that seems more whole. Chabon follows them from their creation of a comic book series and their eventual success. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book? - upbeat Time/era of story - 1930's-1950's Life of a profession: Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Loss of... Job/Profession/Status story Yes Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 20's-30's Ethnicity/Nationality Main Adversary Identity: - none Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 8 () United States Yes Europe Yes European country: - Eastern Europe Ice Caps/Sea? Yes Where? - South Pole Writing Style Sex in book? Yes What kind of sex: - vague references only - descript of kissing - Boob talk! - two guys doing it Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog |
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