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The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

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The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

By: Michael Chabon
Narrated by: David Colacci
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About this listen

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 Action & Adventure Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Adventure Science Fiction Funny Heartfelt Witty Polar Region

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)
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Most relevant

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

The story flowed well. It was interesting hearing about their lives.

Have you listened to any of David Colacci’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Not heard any other books but would look out for them now

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Made me laugh at times

Any additional comments?

His is a story of how two young men develop during the 1930's and after. It was interesting hearing about life before the war and how events changed them.

Refreshingly dfferent

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it's perfect, stories within a story, simple but elegant, loved every second of it. would read again.

crafty, genius, novel of the century,a must read.

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Fran recommended this book to me. I resisted it for a while (probably because it was over 26 hours long) but I ended up really enjoying it. It’s set between 1939 and 1954, during the golden age of comic books, mostly in New York City. It took a while for me to get into it, but I was hooked by the time Joe saw “Citizen Kane” and was inspired to adopt some of the cinematic techniques into his comics; and also started fighting Germans and breaking into the office of the Aryan-American League. My favourite part was when Joe was stationed in Antarctica after he joined the Navy to kill some Germans. The isolation and dangerous climate are highly evocative and made me want to read more about Antarctica. The parts I found most touching were the suburban, domestic scenes towards the end of the novel. And I also learned a lot about the explosion of superhero comics as a genre during the Second World War.

The audiobook narration by David Colacci makes it easy to tell the characters apart and is easy to follow. It made for very good company while I was doing my jigsaw in this bleak January.

A touching refugee story set during the golden age of comic books

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Absolute justice is done by the reader to this wonderful book and its characters. Highly recommend.

A masterpiece, beautifully read.

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I didn't like the look of the title and it was only through reading reviews that I gave it a go. Really glad I did. It is a super story, unusual, moving and funny. I like longer books and especially those that don't repeat themselves but keep the pace flowing - this is one of those. Interesting the unabridged is cheaper than the shorter abridged! Give it a go i'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Great story - both moving and funny

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