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Wonder Boys: A Novel | 
 enlarge | Author: Michael Chabon
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
Buy New: $7.91
You Save: $6.09 (44%)
New (32) Collectible (1) from $7.91
Avg. Customer Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 35051
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.2 x 1
ISBN: 0812979214
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780812979213
ASIN: 0812979214
Publication Date: April 29, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
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Product Description
A modern classic, now in a welcome new edition, Wonder Boys firmly established Michael Chabon as a force to be reckoned with in American fiction. At once a deft parody of the American fame factory and a piercing portrait of young and old desire, this novel introduces two unforgettable characters: Grady Tripp, a former publishing prodigy now lost in a fog of pot and passion and stalled in the midst of his endless second book, and Grady’s student, James Leer, a budding writer obsessed with Hollywood self-destruction and struggling with his own searching heart. All those who love Michael Chabon’s The Yiddish Policemen’s Union and his Pulitzer Prize-winning The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay will find the same elegant imagination, bold humor, and undeniable warmth at work in Wonder Boys.
“[A] wise, wildly funny story . . . Chabon is a flat-out wonderful writer– evocative and inventive, pointed and poignant.”
–Chicago Tribune
“Whether making us laugh or making us feel the breathtaking impermanence of things, Michael Chabon keeps us wide awake and reading.”
–All Things Considered
“Beguiling and wickedly smart . . . There is first-rate satirical farce in Chabon’s novel but essentially it is something rarer: satirical comedy.”
–Los Angeles Times Book Review
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| Customer Reviews:
Great Story... August 28, 2008
There is an old addage that a writer should always 'show' and not 'tell.' There are a few reasons for this, not the first being that we as readers should be able to read the book and make decisions based on what we've 'seen' the characters do. To allow us, the readers, to form our own objective opinions is the key to good writing - 'you present, I'll decide.' And if the Mr. Chabon would've cut down on some of his long-winded, very 'showy' sentences this would easily be a five-star review. In other words, sometimes the best part of writing isn't what said, but what's shown.
In spite of some minor character flaws the story was excellent. The main character, Grady Tripp, while not the most likable character in the literary world, is perhaps one of the most real. In fact, despite his drug habit and his tendenacy to cheat, treat people poorly, squander his talent, and procrastinate, he becomes likable (actually I think I like him because of all that).
Overall I enjoyed the book. And like I said, there are some minor flaws but most of them have to do with writing style, character development, and plot movement - nothing worth mentioning here - Wonder Boys is a quick, somewhat shallow read that I enjoyed over the course of two or three days.
Four Stars
"Why did you keep writing this book if you didn't even know what it was about?" August 14, 2008
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
In this farcical send-up of academia and the writing life, author Michael Chabon focuses on forty-ish author Grady Tripp, an aptly named writer/professor who is so often stoned that after seven years he has written two thousand pages of a book that is not even close to being finished. Grady's book, Wonder Boys, is much like his life--lacking in focus, fixated on the moment, and completely empty of goals or a sense of direction. His third wife has walked out on him; he's been having an affair with the Chancellor of the college where he teaches, and she is now pregnant; his editor is pressing him for a final draft of his unfinished book; and his publisher and everyone at the college are wondering if he will ever duplicate the success of his first novel.
As the novel opens, Grady "saves" one of his students, James Leer, from a possible suicide attempt, but his "mentoring" of James leads to hilariously absurd disasters for both of them. Grady's editor, the tuba-playing transvestite "girlfriend" who accompanies him, a collector of memorabilia from the marriage of Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio, and the violent owner of a car that Grady was given to settle a debt, further flesh out the wacky characters and keep the reader amused and laughing almost non-stop.
As the weekend progresses and Grady's personal life further unravels, he finds himself driving around with the transvestite's tuba, the Chancellor's fatally shot malamute, and an equally dead ten-foot boa constrictor in the car's trunk. Scenes in which he tries to prevent the trunk from being opened are worthy of the Marx Brothers.
The dialogue is snappy, the narrative speeds along, the word play and humor never flag, and the satire of academic life and the world of writers shows the stamp of familiarity and the author's own offbeat sense of perspective. A grand farce which carries the bite of satire, Wonder Boys avoids the arch self-consciousness of so many novels of academia and comes across instead as pure, unadulterated fun. Mary Whipple
Summerland: A Novel: Summerland
The Yiddish Policemen's Union: A Novel (P.S.)
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
Maps and Legends
The Final Solution: A Story of Detection (P.S.)
 Literary Fireworks August 9, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Most people marvel at Michael Chabon's use of language: his long, complex sentences; his wide and surprising vocabulary; his unique descriptions; and his comedic rhythm. And yes, in Wonder Boys, readers will find these in abundance. But, equally emblematic (and less talked about) are Chabon's larger-than-life characters, and his action-packed plots and sub-plots.
This author's love for comic books and so-called "genre fiction" bleeds through every page. All his characters (even minor ones) are so filled with color readers might picture them drawn by the hand of a Disney animator. And, in 350 plus pages, Chabon does not let a single scene go by without injecting it with an interesting event or conversation. In this way, he is very much a contemporary American Dickens. What I mean, is that like Dickens, Chabon moves his characters on and off the novel's field (sometimes never to return), and while the action of any given scene may not be necessary to the plot, it is nevertheless interesting.
Wonder Boys: A Novel July 29, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Fun to read but complex as all the threads of the plot come together. A very enjoyable book. I'm reading "The Yiddish Policemen's Union" now and I'm impressed by Chabon's originality and skill. I love it when books are so good that I crave uninterrupted time for reading.
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