The Yiddish Policemen's Union: A Novel (P.S.) by Michael Chabon
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Book Reviews of The Yiddish Policemen's Union: A Novel (P.S.)
Book Review: Chabon does it again
Summary: 5 Stars
I started reading Chabon's books because he would include gay characters in them, but his writing skill over all is what keeps me coming back. This book did not disappoint. At the start, I was looking for a gay subplot, but it emerged only slightly with the intimation that the murder victim was gay.
I am not particularly a fan of murder mysteries, or alternative history, or Jewish customs/culture. In Wonder Boys, the most ponderous part of the book for me was the description of the Passover meal at the parent's house.
But The Yiddish Policeman's Union immersed me in the Jewish subculture in such a stylish way, that I overcame all my reluctance. Yes, the Yiddish words were a bit thick, but I ended up liking the view into this alternative world.
Finally, I'm a slow reader. It takes me a month to get through a book. But each page had so much descriptive prose, the chapters practically stand alone as set pieces.
I guess I probably am outdoing Chabon's mom in this review. Anyway, I look forward to more from him.
Book Review: Delicious fiction
Summary: 5 Stars
I think Chabon writes absolutely delicious prose. His sentences are thick and chewy. You have to slow down to get every concept. The writing style of this book is very different from Chabon's "Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Clay", another of his that is a favorite of mine. But that's what I love about this author: he can assume a writing style for a book that fits the story he is telling. Chabon has clipped his verbosity in "Yiddish Policeman's Union" but this does not come at the expense of his storytelling.
I am not a Jew, but I live with one, and I marvel at Chabon's grasp of the culture and the way he wrestles with questions in Judaism that had never occurred to me. I read several negative reviews here at Amazon and would like to comment on one complaint. Some readers mentioned being lost at the Yiddish words used in the book. Almost all of them are listed in a glossary in the back. So Gentiles are welcome!
"Yiddish Policeman's Union" is a marvelous read!
Book Review: A Rollicking Entertaining Ride
Summary: 5 Stars
I will agree that this book was a little difficult to get into. It took a while to become acclimated to all the Yiddish words and phrases. But once I got in sync with the author I found myself on an entertainingly funny and imaginative ride.
Detective Meyer Landsman is informed that another occupant in his hotel has been murdered. His initial investigation determines that the victim was the estranged son of the most powerful rebbe in this mythical Jewish settlement in Sitka, Alaska. Landsman also discovers that the victim may not have been just an ordinary person. In fact, the victim was once a child genius whose `blessings' were thought to have created miracles - he was thought to have possessed Messiah-like potential. So why was he murdered in later life in a fleabag hotel? That is the tale of discovery that author Michael Chabon takes you on. His wit and imagination makes the complex plot so wildly entertaining. A 5-star recommendation for sure.
Book Review: Please....ignore the bad reviews...
Summary: 5 Stars
With mouth agape, I just read those negative reviews. I can't believe it, no, wait, I can. The book isn't easy, it isn't full of trashy scenes of greed, sex, easily understood 4th grade vocabulary or vampires. That must be it. The minute you tell me you read it for your book club, that's the minute I know why you trashed this book. Book clubs. Can't choose your own reading or need group validation so you know what's good? Can't discern that otherwise?
O.K...now for less vitriolic verbiage. This is a great novel. I used the glossary, and I used a dictionary of Yiddish terms. I am not Jewish, Alaskan or a huge fan of alternate history, but I am a huge fan of Michael Chabon! If he writes it I will come. His mind is not the usual mind, his pen is not the usual pen, and his wildly intricate thought processes fascinate.
Book Review: Great fun
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of the most peculiar, most fun, and in places sweetly sad pieces of fiction I have read in years. It is like life itself: a tragedy with elements of farce. It is a weird sort of noir detective story set in an alternate universe where an obscure plan from the Roosevelt Administration was carried out and part of Alaska, rather than Palestine, became the Jewish homeland.
Characters include a sort of Jewish Phillip Marlowe with a warped sense of humor and a bush pilot sister who is three times the man he is, Orthodox Jewish Native Americans, Hassidic rebbes who are also gangsters, born-again Christian G-men, a occult master of string, chess prodigies, an alleged talking chicken, and a reluctant almost-but-not-quite Messiah. All of this and lots of cold, rain, and salmon. What could be better?