The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon

"As Europe falls to the Nazis. Josef Kavalier is the only one of his family to manage to escape to New York City, where he stays with his cousin, Sammy Klay. An instant friendship is formed and soon that friendship is a team. Together they create one of the best selling comics of all time, The Escapist. This had so many different amazing moments and others that were just, soul crushing. It was a heavy, heavy book but a beautiful one as well. "

4 Stars

Pros: Sammy and Josef, you can just picture them, one short, the other tall, eager Sammy and quiet, contemplative Josef. They were a pair that just worked/The ending 💯.

Cons: The over and over heart break of Josef , like, dear Lord, Chabon, give the kid a break/It was sometimes so emotionally heavy that I'd have to put it down and take breaks.

Full Review:

Josef manages to escape German occupied Prague with the help of his former teacher, Kornblum, who taught him the arts of sleight of hand, escapism and lock picking. Kornblum agrees but Josef must first help him find the Golem of Jewish folklore, somewhere in Lithuania. The details are vague.

He gets to America and immediately, his cousin, Sammy, sees that Joe is a very talented artist. He's always looking for an opportunity to prove himself and he feels that with Josef as Illustrator and Sammy behind the story, he has some truly interesting ideas for Comic books floating around inside his head. So he convinces Joe to come with him and pitch his idea. And surprisingly enough, everyone agrees.

The years pass, the boys grow together, forming their own partnership. They also form their own lives. Josef falls in love with the rich and beautiful Rosa Saks, who sees real potential in him and helps him try to find his family in Europe and get them to America.

Sammy has met and fallen in love with a young radio star, Tracy Bacon, who's flamboyance and nonchalance counter balances Sammy's nervous insecurities. They work well and you want them to; they just mesh. But, sadly, it's never been safe to be different. Sammy learns that the hard way.

Everything, of course, goes to Hell, in the most heartbreaking way. There were times I had to put this book down because it was so emotionally heavy. But then, I'd pick it back up, read a few pages and get sucked right back in. This was one of those books that I know will stay with me and though it was not a quick or easy read, it was a great one.

Comments

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