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Moonglow A Novel Michael Chabon 9780062225559 Books

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Moonglow A Novel Michael Chabon 9780062225559 Books

Moonglow did not work for me. The fact that it was a novel disguised as a memoir or a memoir disguised as a novel was disconcerting. I thought it lacked the focus and tight plotting of a novel. It meandered a bit like a memoir but Chabon is quick to tell you that you can't rely on any of it as being a true history of his family. He is such a good writer that even in the parts that are bogged down his great craft is there and it is always enjoyable to follow along, but I kept feeling like now that Michael Chabon is a big shot, no one wanted to tell him that the book is desperately in need of a tight edit. I thought it was extremely self-indulgent and the product of an author who has gotten so big that he can just write anything he wants and people will buy it. Here's hoping that his next book is a real novel.


Tags : Moonglow: A Novel [Michael Chabon] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <strong><em>NEW YORK TIMES</em> BESTSELLER</strong> <strong>Winner of the Sophie Brody Medal<em> • </em>An NBCC Finalist for 2016 Award for Fiction<em> • </em>ALA Carnegie Medal Finalist for Excellence in Fiction<em> • Wall Street Journal</em>’s Best Novel of the Year<em> • </em>A <em>New York Times</em> Notable Book of the Year<em> • </em>A <em>Washington Post</em> Best Book of the Year<em> • </em>An NPR Best Book of the Year<em> • </em>A <em>Slate</em> Best Book of the Year<em> • </em>A <em>Christian Science Monitor</em> Top 15 Fiction Book of the Year<em> • </em>A <em>New York Magazine</em> Best Book of the Year<em> • </em>A <em>San Francisco Chronicle</em> Book of the Year<em> • </em>A <em>Buzzfeed</em> Best Book of the Year<em> • </em>A <em>New York Post</em> Best Book of the Year</strong> <strong>iBooks Novel of the Year<em> • </em>An Amazon Editors' Top 20 Book of the Year<em> • </em>#1 Indie Next Pick<em> • </em>#1 Amazon Spotlight Pick<em> • </em>A <em>New York Times Book Review</em> Editors’ Choice<em> • </em>A <em>BookPage</em> Top Fiction Pick of the Month<em> • </em>An Indie Next Bestseller</strong> <strong></strong> <strong> This book is beautiful.” <em>—</em> A.O. Scott,Michael Chabon,Moonglow: A Novel,Harper,0062225553,Family Life,Literary,Urban,Domestic fiction,Family secrets,Family secrets;Fiction.,Reminiscing in old age,Reminiscing;Fiction.,Storytelling;Fiction.,AMERICAN CONTEMPORARY FICTION,American Contemporary Fiction - Individual Authors +,FICTION Family Life General,FICTION Literary,FICTION Urban,Fiction,Fiction - General,Fiction-Literary,FictionFamily Life - General,FictionUrban,GENERAL,General Adult,United States

Moonglow A Novel Michael Chabon 9780062225559 Books Reviews

My feelings about Mr. Chabon’s novels are mixed. When it comes to his work, I run hot and cold. When he succeeds, like The Yiddish Policeman’s Union, I love it. When he doesn’t, like Wonder Boys, I really don’t like it. I was nervous about this one because I heard it was self-referential and memoir disguised as fiction. This is not a tack I usually like. Fortunately, this is a wonderful read.

The main reason this novel works is because of the character of his grandfather. I can’t help but wonder how closely the grandfather character corresponds to his actual grandfather (which is, admittedly, irritating); however, the character is absolutely fascinating. Mr. Chabon handles it nicely, moving back and forth in time. We see him as a boy, as a soldier in World War II, in the aftermath when he meets his eventual wife, in his working years when he achieves successes as well as failures, in his retirement, and as he is dying. His self-containment hiding amazing experiences is something that reminds me of many of the men in my own family, particularly of that generation.

Surrounding the grandfather character is a host of others that stick in the memory the grandfather’s brother, a rabbi turned rake; Chabon’s mother, who lived through much of this as a child; and, most vividly, the grandfather’s wife, Chabon’s grandmother, who suffered greatly during the war and struggles with madness afterwards; not to mention the minor characters too numerous to mention who have their moments. Though there is action aplenty, it is the relationships that drive the novel forward.

Fiction or disguised nonfiction, I have to assume that writing this novel was cathartic for Mr. Chabon. The care and interest he has in this story is apparent on every page. It is an amazing book, the best I’ve read from him.
It took a while to get into this one. As I was about to give up, I cheated and skipped to the final chapter, read three sentences, squished my face into an "aww man" and decided I had to know how they got from where I was (chapter 13-ish?) to there. So I turned back with some real chagrin and read on. The more I read, the more I liked the story and the more I liked the story, the more I liked almost everyone involved in this family -- Chabon's family? Good question. I note that it won awards for fiction, but it seems like nonfiction-y fiction or fictionalized nonfiction, or some blend of the two. It's essays, a novel, biography, historic, dramatic, funny and a bunch of other stuff like a family, I guess. Is it sad? Well, only in the way that everyone's life has some sadness and grief involved. It's not sad overall though, not by a long shot.

Moonglow is a wild ride that starts at the bedside of one man dying which turns into a lifetime, a family's story, a very American story - complete with redemptive arcs, great scenes of cities I love, and real vitality. It feels so real because of the little details and the nuances that I haven't found in Chabon's other work. It's very different from the other work in some ways, yet there's always those metaphors. Apparently he inherited that ability, says the [fictionalized nonfiction-ish] grandfather.

It's clear that Chabon has a very close understanding of the convoluted underpinnings, including street names, neighborhoods, buildings, businesses, and a real love of the family about which he writes. I wish I'd felt the love before I did. It took me a long time to care about these people. I felt rather divorced from the story being told for far too long. It goes on wild tangents -- sometimes they work beautifully (the story of the snake hunting is a prime example of a beautiful tangent that tells a lovely tangent of a story that tells us important things about the main character) and sometimes they just fell flat for me. It was during one of those moments that I almost abandoned the book.

I'm not a skimmer, thank goodness. If one skims in this story, one will miss something that turns out to be vital many pages later. Not in the sense of "how?" but more in the sense of why it matters. I'd imagine it's hard to write a story where all at once you're in the present and past, explaining why someone is finally telling you things you've been angry at them for not telling your whole life. Perhaps this fictionalized way was the only way to get some of this family's secrets out?

It's very hard to believe this is plain ole fiction - no matter how good. (Unless maybe that explains all the awards.) I doubt it's for everyone. I thought it wasn't for me, but I found myself wishing I'd known the family of the narrator (who is never called Michael Chabon, but who has a very similar life to its author, Michael Chabon.) I'm glad I read it, and I was sorry when it ended. I've moved on, but the characters and their warm spirits - especially an awkward, flawed, yet fiercely loving grandfather -- will stay with me for a long time.
Moonglow did not work for me. The fact that it was a novel disguised as a memoir or a memoir disguised as a novel was disconcerting. I thought it lacked the focus and tight plotting of a novel. It meandered a bit like a memoir but Chabon is quick to tell you that you can't rely on any of it as being a true history of his family. He is such a good writer that even in the parts that are bogged down his great craft is there and it is always enjoyable to follow along, but I kept feeling like now that Michael Chabon is a big shot, no one wanted to tell him that the book is desperately in need of a tight edit. I thought it was extremely self-indulgent and the product of an author who has gotten so big that he can just write anything he wants and people will buy it. Here's hoping that his next book is a real novel.