[.ca] The Mysteries of Pittsburgh (ISBN 0060790598)

Helped me come of age...:
I read this book when it first came out, years ago, and felt compelled to response to some of the comments here. This is my first Amazon review. This book first drew me BECAUSE of the lyrical nature of the writing and the theme of coming-of-age. Yes, Chabon is a walking thesaurus, as others have said of his books, but gee -- LOOK IT UP! Want your books to be pap? Read Dick and Jane, then. Want your language to be simple? Read Hemingway. This is neither. But, if you want a thoughtful, lyrical story that captures a moment in a young man's life, read this. Then read Chabon's other books. You won't be disappointed.

Quick and Enjoyable:
Reading the other reviews, it seems that fans of Chabon are a little harsh in their reviews of this book ... although it does not compare to Wonder Boys or Kavalier & Clay, the Mysteries of Pittsburgh is a fun read and a charming tale. The larger-than-life personae in this book and the general course of the novel draws immediate comparisons to F. Scott Fitzgerald, and of course while such comparisons will come up short, Mysteries of Pittsburgh is an enjoyable, artfully constructed book full of unforgettable characters. The themes central to this story- love, ambition, uncertainty of oneself as an individual, the futility of running away from one's personal demons to name a few- are more fully developed in Chabon's later works, but they are no less a presence in Mysteries in Pittsburgh. Others have been a bit dismissive of the "first novel" label on this book, but still when looking at a book and at an author it is important to recognize where he or she started creatively and what direction they have moved in. As such, while Mysteries of Pittsburgh is not Chabon's greatest work by any means, it is a good start to the rest of his books and even on its own merits, is certainly worth the time taken to read it.

a solid, enjoyable effort:
"The Mysteries of Pittsburgh" was Michael Chabon's first novel, and it certainly feels like it. The writing is delicate, well-considered, and just a bit precious. The epic, pitch-perfect sentences that color "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" are nowhere to be found in "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh." The story is standard novice-novelist fare: A sweetly nostalgiac coming of age story, with an obligatory crisis of sexuality. The book's biggest strength is in its characters. They're strong and memorable, and the conversations between them hint at the flair for whip-smart dialogue that is so prevalent and effortless in Chabon's later works it's easy to take for granted. A few of the characters pop up, albeit in different skins, with different context, in "The Amazing Adventures of Kavlier & Clay" and "Wonder Boys." "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh" is a very enjoyable book. The characters ring true, and the story, though it tends toward stasis, is one of the best of its kind. For fans of Chabon, it highlights just how much he's grown as a writer and storyteller. It's profound in a subtle, understated way, and while it is hardly as masterful as the novels that would follow it, it's a solid, pretty, consistent effort from one of modern fiction's greatest writers.

Not for a first time Chabon reader.:
This was my second read from Chabon and while "Wonder Boys" made me a fan, I was a little disappointed with this one. Once again, I found the characters were well developed but the bizarre love triangle between Art, Arthur, and Phlox got to be boring after a while. There were moments I just wanted to scream out loud for him to pick someone and stay in their bed for petes sake! While I won't recommend this for a first time Chabon reader, it is good if you're bored with nothing else to read. Will I read it again - probably not. But I loved the idea of a family of Jewish gangsters. Plus, Cleveland was what made me really want to finish the novel in the end.

Mysteries of Beckstein:
Part straight, part gay, part student, part bookstore employee and full time narcissist, Art Beckstein spends his summer after college graduation looking for love, I mean friends, I mean direction I mean . . .? From a lovers spat on a street corner where he meets Art Lecomte (who looks at the couple fighting and remarks "Some people really know how to have a good time") to the basement library where Phlox lies in wait, to the once regal Pittsburgh Hotel where he father's mob gang hangs out, Art's summer becomes full of booze, small time crime and back-alley liaisons (more ways than one). Is this a coming of age book? Indeed the reviews on the cover lift this work up with Fitzgerald, Caulfield, Twain, Dickens and, be still my heart, Kerouac. What? Sorry, this does not belong to that club.Were these obsequious comparisons lifted off the cover of The Wonder Boys or Kavalier & Clay? This tale is a sometimes funny, sad, silly and ugly one, but an always entertaining account of that summer. Upon reflection did he learn anything? Grow at all? Did he find where friendship ends and love begins, or vice-versa? Or what the difference between lusting and making love is? I don't think so. He explored pleasures and found his gangster father, an outlaw biker (the father has a strong opinion on this friendship), a liberated librarian (Phlox) and a male friend (Art Lecomte) that challenges his sexual persona while aching to prove that "he really knew how to have a good time."