Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Moonglow: A Novel

Bizarre. Strange. (Really, Really Strange.) And It's a Must-Read

Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2016

This is by far THE strangest book I have ever read. And maybe ever will read. The full title (and this is important) is "Moonglow: A Novel." Yes, it's fiction. But wily author Michael Chabon has written it and presented it as a memoir of his (never named) grandfather. Assuming it is based on fact and then embellished, this man led a heck of a life. But we don't even know that much! Is it really a novel that is pretending to be a memoir--or a memoir pretending to be a novel?

The writing has a touch of the genius. The story bounces back and forth in time but always in a way that works and isn't jarring. This grandfather was quite the guy--a stellar engineer who stalked Nazis in World War II, a man who spent time in prison for trying to kill his boss, a man who married a woman who already had a daughter and loved both until the day he died, a man who started and lost his own business(es), and a man who spent the last months of his life falling in love again while hunting a python. You just have to read it to really get it. And it's worth your time to read it--bizarre and strange and really odd though it is.

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Meandering tale is not novel or memoir.

Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2017

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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.

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A ladder of bones

Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2016

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Late in this book, Chabon declares that "Sometimes even lovers of fiction can be satisfied only by the truth." If even only a small portion of this "autobiographical novel" were true, a reader would end the book concluding that Chabon's grandfather was a remarkable man indeed. You probably wouldn't think so at the beginning, though, as the opening scene of the novel is a description of the assault--more like attempted murder--that lands Chabon's grandfather into prison. I think it is a testament to both the man and Chabon's writing skills that the reader overcomes this negative first impression to arrive at a heartfelt sympathy and admiration for him.

It's hard to summarize this novel, as the plot is not linear but instead darts back and forth across time and topic (despite, it should be said, the grandfather's explicit plea to "put the whole thing in proper chronological order"). At its most basic, it is the description of the last days of Chabon's grandfather's life, wherein he suddenly begins divulging aspects of his history that Chabon had not heard before. The bulk of the memoir concerns three major narrative threads: the grandfather's wartime experiences, where he was tasked with hunting down everything and everyone associated with the German's rocketry program after Hitler's collapse and before the Russians could take custody of the material; the fraught relationship between Chabon's grandparents, especially with respect to dealing with his grandmother's mental illness; and the period shortly before Chabon's grandfather's death, when he finds himself falling in love again.

However, describing the novel in these terms really does not do justice to the narrative layers and complexity of the issues Chabon grapples with. The description of Mittelbau, the concentration camp constructed by the Nazis devoted to building V-2 rockets, will haunt me for a long time, and Chabon's discussion of Werner von Braun's apparently fully cognizant role in this camp culminates in the painful conclusion that America's "ascent to the moon had been made with a ladder of bones."

Perhaps the most poignant aspect of the novel was the deep---and completely unwarranted--sense of failure and despair that Chabon's grandfather seems to have carried throughout his life, as expressed in this passage: "All my life, everything I tried, I only got halfway there. You try to take advantage of the time you have... But when you're old, you look back and you see all you did with that time is waste it. All you have is a story of things you never started or couldn't finish." It saddens me to think that he never recognized the strength of his character and all the remarkable things he accomplished, not least of which was loyalty to his wife under circumstances where many would be tempted to give up and walk away.

I think "Moonglow" is one of the best novels I have read in years, and I hope this review does not deter anybody from reading it. My description is admittedly rather bleak, but while the book does delve into serious topics and describes heartbreaking events, it would be a mistake to think that it is relentlessly depressing. Much humor abounds, especially involving the character of Uncle Ray, a man for whom the adjective "rascally" was seemingly invented, who takes custody of Chabon's mother when the grandparents were institutionalized. And even though the subject matter is often disturbing or depressing, the beauty of Chabon's prose makes reading the book immensely worthwhile. I found myself dog-earing numerous passages that resonated deeply with me, such as this one where Chabon notes that during the war, his grandfather "was accustomed by now to feeling grateful that when death settled like a flock of birds around him, it was other men and not him on whom it perched. This gratitude never had anything to do with happiness."

Other reviewers have opined that this novel, while excellent, does not quite live up to some of Chabon's earlier Pulitzer prize-winning novels. I cannot attest to the validity of that opinion, because I must confess that this is the first book by Chabon (but by no means will be the last!) that I have ever read. What I *will* say is that if Chabon has written books that are even better than "Moonglow," he must surely be one of greatest writers of our time.

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A. Finch

What is broken cannot always be fixed

Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2018

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This is a story that shows us what is broken that cannot be fixed. The central character, the Author's Grandfather, is a tinkerer and an inverate fixer of broken things. He tries to use his genius to this end. But,as the novel shows us, some things are simply not meant to be fixed to our satisfaction.

Mike's Grandfather goes through his life addressing the current crisis instead of using his genius to move forward and build the things of his dreams. The great irony of the novel is that he formulates his greatest success while he is in prison, where there are no crises to address and ample time to think and plan.

This is a brilliant book. it is panoramic in scope. It extends from World War II through the late 1980s. Through its tale telling, it shows the reader how life in America changed. America before the war and after the war are very different places. The challenges facing the family at the center of the novel, reflect the changing nature of the country they lived in.

The most consistent metaphor of this novel is the Grandfather's relationship with the US Space program. As a young man, he fell in love with rocketry. As an intelligence officer in Europe during the War, he tries to capture Wernher Von Braun, the German rocketry pioneer. But when reaches the scene of Von Braun's headquarters, he realizes that the Program has been built by slave labor. He is horrified by what he finds. For the rest of his life, he is in constant turmoil over his love of the idea of space versus the reality that " the descent to the moon had been made on a ladder of bones."

Such conflicts make "Moonglow" an very readable and sadly beautiful novel. I highly recommend it.

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Steven E. Sanderson

The difference between fact and fiction in human life, or are we all just telling stories?

Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2017

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When I read Norman Mailer's EXECUTIONER'S SONG, I felt the art of blending fiction and fact more keenly than in most historical fiction or fictionalized history. MOONGLOW produces a somewhat similar appreciation, with a much more familial voice. After all, it was pretty tough to love Gary Gilmore's family. This novel also shows the artist in command of his form, because the narrative isn't simple or linear. And Chabon's imagination is on display in the most welcome ways (viz., the scenes with the German priest at the end of the war). The characters have all sorts of edges, some of which are more evident to the reader than others. The record of the OSS and the sanitization of Werner von Braun is well-documented, but shameful, and Chabon makes great use of it to describe the moral vacuity of great power politics. The scenes in the Bronx, Queens, Greystone, and Cocoa Beach have a genuine feel. The sympathy one feels for a child afraid of dolls in the closet is one of many moments of real humanity. And so on. I loved every minute of the book, reveled in the concentration I needed to follow the story line, and only wish I'd met the old man in real life. His stoicism and deep experience spoke to the values of his time. And the acknowledgments were priceless. Read this book. Take your time. These are fine, ordinary people, however real or imagined.

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Timothy HaughTop Contributor: Baby

Amazing!

Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2017

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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.

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Very American Family Story

Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2018

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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.

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Kayeo

Almost 5 stars.

Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2017

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I'm trying to read my way through all of Michael Chabon's books and this is #5 of his 14 publications and it's a favorite one, especially so because I live in the shadow of the space program here in Florida and could familiarize myself in the company of those early known names associated with early rocketry and the Space Congress.(wow...look at that long sentence I've written in the manner of Chabon!!) Michael . Chabon's books are not always an easy read but I did manage to finish this one in two days because It held my interest. I believe it is pretty much a true story as told to him by his grandfather and tells the mixed-up story of his life with his mother and grandmother throughout the years.

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Mark B. Friedman

Another excellent novel from Michael Chabon

Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2017

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"Moonglow" the latest novel from the inventive Michael Chabon, is also one of his most successful creations. This thoroughly enjoyable novel is fashioned as a family memoir, written by an author named "Michael Chabon," focusing on his grandfather, grandmother and mother. The central conceit is that it is based largely on intimate details that the grandfather shares with his grandson "Michael" when he is on his deathbed. The confessional form is well-executed and serves the author well: I don't think the novel would work near as well without its air of verisimilitude, which extends to very realistic evocations of both time and place: Philadelphia in the 30's, post-war Baltimore, Riverside in the Bronx, and a Florida retirement community are all locales that are sketched artfully.

I should note the memoirist stance isn't completely successful. There are quite a few scenes in the novel where the details that are "shared" between grandfather and grandson are much more intimate than I would judge reasonable from someone in the generation of Americans that came of age during World Ware II.

The book contains a number of striking literary resonances: here and there it pays homage to J.D. Salinger's shattering World War II experiences, "Gravity's Rainbow's" picaresque account of the German V2 rocket program, and the author's own comic book obsession that was on display in "Kavalier and Klay." Like a Doctorow novel, a couple of historical personages make dramatic appearances: the life and career of Werner von Braun is a major narrative thrust, while both "Wild Bill" Donovan and Alger Hiss make cameo appearances that add to the realism of the plot. There are also distinct echoes of the deranged road trip Lolita takes with Humbert, with the deft twist of a modern empowered, feminist heroine. (Think, Felix Krull, Confidence Man, corrupts Katniss Everdeen.)

Chabon has an especially deft touch with all his female characters; when they are center stage, the book really shines. How the grandfather's tale illuminates the author's understanding of his mother and her life history (and, by definition, his) is a particularly poignant high point.

The life of the lead character, the grandfather, dominates the narrative, and that is not always the book's strength because he is a bit more one-dimensional than any of the female protagonists. In a final bit of literary resonance, he reminded me of a Jewish version of Bellow's Henderson -- he wants, but he usually isn't able to articulate what it is that he wants. And, like Bellow's hero, his comic blundering propels the novel's action forward.

All in all, this is a very satisfactory read.

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Kayce Stevens Hughlett

Glowing Language carries this tale.

Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2017

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Luscious language. Interesting historical tidbits. Reasonably intriguing story. Memoir novels are tricky to read. I don't know whether to believe everything or nothing and I found Chabon's use of the * annoying. It would take longer to tie the facts back to the * than to reread the whole book...twice. I enjoyed the ride, but was left lacking in the end.

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3 star		10%
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