a great story that's a little disjointed

books:


	• Mysteries of Pittsburgh: A Novel (P.S.) Michael Chabon Harper Perennial, 2005 - 320 pages average customer review:based on 114 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Beautiful and complex story

I loved the flow of language and the development of character. This story develops like a fairy tale with a gritty edge and depth of reality that makes the reading a profound experience.

a great story that's a little disjointed

I received this book for Christmas 3 or 4 years ago and finally read it last weekend. I am very sad that I've missed out on Chabon's beautiful prose style until now and I am going to remedy this post-haste. I thought the narrative drive of this book, its sense of tragedy and events coming to an unavoidable head, was very powerful. I enjoyed Art Bechstein's character immensely. I enjoyed the others a little less--with the notable exception of Cleveland. I wish Cleveland had had more face time in the book. While Phlox and Arthur are there just to allow Bechstein to discover his sexual identity, or so it often seems, Cleveland highlights one of Bechstein's far more interesting, in my opinion, character issues--his relationship with his father and his father's profession, and the issue of being honest with one's self about anything period. My main complaint- and it's not really a complaint, just a comment- about the novel is that it is rather disjointed. For 100 pages or so Art/ Flox/ Arthur are just buddies and then all of a sudden, it becomes about Art being gay. Cleveland's self-immolation, positively Wagnerian, is also a bit sudden. However, this book was never dull and was always emotionally moving, and I am looking forward to reading more Chabon soon.

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Post-college confusion

I am envious of Michael Chabon. To have the skill to write such a near perfect book for your first novel is remarkable. It is also a shame that this book is overshadowed by "Kavalier and Clay" and the "Wonder Boys" since it shouldn't take a back seat to either of those novels.

The book explores the first summer post-college for Art Bechstein. Chabon's portrait of Art -- the strained and tense relationship with his father, the family tradegy still haunting him from his youth, his sexual experimentation and fleeting friendships makes for a most compelling read -- is pure genius.

Chabon created memorable characters -- Art Lecomte, Cleveland, Phlox and Art's father -- and it was also a masterstroke to keep the setting in the smaller industrial town of Pittsburgh rather than a larger and more commonplace city like NY, LA, Chicago or Boston. The characters felt like a larger part of the local environment rather than one of many nameless and faceless disaffected youth.

The chapter taking place at Jane's parents house while Art L housesits and the the encounter of Jane's dog with their neighbors is worth the price and read of the book alone -- it is hilarious.

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