The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & ClayThe Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
Score Modern
What it's about
In 1939, young magician-in-training Josef Kavalier escapes Nazi-occupied Prague in a daring Houdini-style escape and lands in Brooklyn with his cousin Sammy Clayman. Joe can draw and Sammy can tell stories, and together they invent a superhero, The Escapist, just as the golden age of comic books takes off. Their success brings money, fame and love, but Joe can't stop thinking about the family he left behind.
Why it's worth reading
It's a big, generous, dazzling novel about art, escape, friendship and the America of the 1940s, and it won the Pulitzer Prize. It's as entertaining as it is moving.
You'll love it if you liked
All the Light We Cannot See
The Great Believers
The Book ThiefGood to know
It's long, over 600 pages, and Chabon's prose is rich and playful. You don't need to know anything about comics.
By the numbers
- Readers79 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics95 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller32 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #1 of the 35 humor books we rank
- #54 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #95 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous, Funny, Epic
More by Michael Chabon
The Yiddish Policemen's Union
MoonglowIf you like this, read next
Dungeon Crawler Carl
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood
A Man Called Ove
Night Watch
Infinite Jest
Anxious PeopleExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay worth reading?
Yes. It's a big, generous, dazzling novel about art, escape, friendship and the America of the 1940s, and it won the Pulitzer Prize. It ranks #95 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 86.7 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay about?
In 1939, young magician-in-training Josef Kavalier escapes Nazi-occupied Prague in a daring Houdini-style escape and lands in Brooklyn with his cousin Sammy Clayman. Joe can draw and Sammy can tell stories, and together they invent a superhero, The Escapist, just as the golden age of comic books takes off. Their success brings money, fame and love, but Joe can't stop thinking about the family he left behind.
How long does it take to read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay?
About 18 hours (706 pages), or about 5 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay won?
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner (2001).
What should I read after The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay?
If you liked it, try All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai or The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.