The Yiddish Policeman's Union

One word sums up this book..confusing. There are lots of Yiddish words that I either skipped over, eventually figured out, or sometimes looked up on the internet. The Yiddish words, coupled with the unfamiliar last names, made the book a chore to get through. I even looked at the back of the book to see if there was a glossary, which I think would have been helpful.

At the end, when the murder was solved, I thought, "Who?" In the very last sentence of the book, the main character tells another character, "I have a story to tell you." I presume he is getting ready to explain everything to someone. I wish he would explain it to me because I don't have a clue.

I keep meaning to read other Michael Chabon books, but I keep coming back to the recorded reading of The Yiddish Policeman's Union. Maybe it's Peter Reigert's telling with pitch perfect tone and cadence. Maybe it's a step out of reality into a world colored with Jewish culture. I know it's the heart-touching, well-told, intimate story of loss and hope for a man and for a people.

I just finished reading this book and had actually tried to read it slowly so I could savor the rich language he uses in his writing. So many unexpected word usages and I thoroughly enjoyed just that but in addition his story line made me want to continue reading far past the end of the book.

Chabon has bushels of writing power, but in this book he seems to be trying too hard--to be Chandler, to be an auteur, it's not clear--but way too hard. His overreaches for run-on simile and metaphor make the book self-conscious and at times the writing seems almost high-schoolish in its artsy eagerness. Other times, he'll write a passage of surpassing beauty and/or wit.
I get the feeling from this book that Chabon felt out of steam on trying to find a new framework for his writing; nothing has been at the level of Kavalier and Clay (how many things could be?), and that must be difficult. His premise is imaginative and gives room for him to unleash his vision, but coming so soon after Philip Roth's graceful, humane and masterful "The Plot Against America," even this concept of reimagining mid-20th-Century Jewish history seems derivative.

I thought that it started out strange. The death of the young man in the hotel where the police man lived. But no preface about him and why he was a drunk. But I couldn't help but to keep reading. Bear killing his father was a good way to end the story

After the Holocaust what if instead of being spread all over the World to whatever countries would take them coupled with what if Israel had lost the war of independence a temporary homeland for the Jewish people was established in Alaska. Start with this premise and add a murder mystery and it makes for a very good read.

This book is a little slow starting and getting acquainted with the characters takes a little while but as you get into the story line it holds your interest. The plot has some unexpected twists and turns and there is more going on than first meets the eye.

Droll, clever, sometimes laugh-out-loudable. Chabon had serious fun with this semi-fable about a sort of Israel set in Alaska, in which a murder takes place in a sleazy hotel room and requires the clever, self-loathing detective to follow threads that take us through the whole settlement issue. His names and character descriptions would have delighted Dickens. They certainly delighted me.

This is a review of Michael Chabon’s novel, ‘The Yiddish Policemen's Union’. If you like Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Ross Macdonald or Isaac Bable and have not yet partaken of the word-crafting expertise of Michael Chabon, be prepared for a vibrant escapade into writing at its best. The Yiddish Policemen's Union is a 2007 ‘Noir’ detective story set in an alternative history of post WW2 to present Sitka Alaska. The mystery opens with alcoholic Sitka police department homicide detective, Meyer Landsman, examining the murder of a man in the hotel where Landsman lives. The victim turns out to be the potential Moshiach, Mendel Shpilman. The plot swims in political corruption, treachery, weaving patterns of character into a reality that shock, intrigue, and unforgettably engross the reader in a page turning marathon. Is there a dark cloud over the novel? Unfortunately, there is, and the tragedy is that the book ends. Chabon breathes life into each character that is unsurpassed and when the last page was turned something grievous personally happened. With no more pages to turn, it was like experiencing a death in the family; like an addiction, you crave more. Unfortunately Chabon has moved on to other venues in his novels. Take heart, another writer R. Avraham Kosźmiński, it is rumored, is in the process of picking up the scepter with a sequel that moves Detective Meyer Landsman and his wife Bina up the coast to Valdez Alaska where the adventure steps forward into a 21 year future that brings closure ushering in the Moshiach. The merit of this novel is widely shared. ‘The Yiddish Policemen's Union’ debuted at #2 on the New York Times Best seller on May 20, 2007, remaining on the list for 6 weeks. It won a number of science fiction awards: the Nebula award for Best novel, the Locus Award for best SF Novel, the Hugo Award for Best Novel, and the Sidewise Award for Alternate History for Best Novel. It was shortlisted for the British Science Fiction Association Award for Best Novel and the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel. I went to the store now and found a brand new hardcover, unused, for only $1.59. A great deal.

Enjoyed this book so much that I just bought more Chabon. It is so beautifully written and imaginative. Each sentence is a gem! Forgot to mention how funny parts of it are. Can't wait to read The Yiddish Policeman's Union and Gentlemen of the Road.

A really engaging combination of alternative history and hard-boiled classic noir. In Chabon's imaginings, the Jewish diaspora is offered refuge in Sitka, Alaska, but that refuge is limited in space and in duration. Their 50 year dispensation is coming to an end and the Sitka District is soon to revert to the American government. With two months left until Reversion, we see Sitka through the eyes of Dectective Meyer Landsman. Landsman is, in the great tradition of noir, worse for wear, a functioning alcoholic, and divorced. He chews scenery with the best of them, and the dialog comes hard and fast. Here, they mystery surrounds a murdered heroin addict who lives in the same crappy, run down hotel that Landsman inhabits. But the heroin addict is more than he seems and the trail to his killer uncovers deeper plots and machinations. Chabon mixes in more than a few metaphors that will tickle the fancy of hard-boiled buffs, and the convoluted nature of the eventual solution can be forgiven because the ride to get there (full of colorful characters, cutting insight into the historical plight of the Jews, and clever details about what a Jewish enclave in Alaska might look like) is so incredibly diverting.

What a refreshing novel. You have murder, action, alternative history, the intricacies of Jewish culture, and faith, plus geography. Oh, also, humor, and sadness. Did I miss anything? This was my first Michael Chabon novel, certainly not my last. The tale is a colossal accomplishment that is without a doubt UNIQUE.

Interesting mystery, not always fast moving but gradually keeps you involved.
Anew approach for me and I love "geographic mysteries" and this one gives a good
background on the Jewish settlements in Alaska. A Fun read.

Interesting mystery, not always fast moving but gradually keeps you involved.
Anew approach for me and I love "geographic mysteries" and this one gives a good
background on the Jewish settlements in Alaska. A Fun read.

Terrence Rafferty's review in the New York Times ends with: "Nice novel. You were expecting maybe the Messiah?" This is a good description of the novel in three ways. For one thing, it captures the Yiddish cadences that Chabon painstakingly creates for his characters. As a die hard Chabon fan, I am used to reading his fiction with a dictionary at my side. The thing with this book is that dictionary needs to be in Yiddish. I thought I knew a lot of Yiddish for a goy, but this novel proved me wrong. There is no glossary at the back of the book (too late did I notice that Chabon provides the address of a Yiddish-to-English website).

Second, the remark about the Messiah is central to the mystery at hand. There are conspiracies in this book of Biblical proportions. As in The Final Solution, Chabon delves into the mystery genre here - the difference being he is channeling Dashiell Hammett instead of Arthur Conan Doyle. His omniscient third-person narrator uses Yiddish slang to create a tough-edged voice.

Finally though, it is a "nice novel" - it doesn't live up to the magnificence of Kavalier & Clay (but then, what could?). It is like Scorsese following Goodfellas with Cape Fear. The book is an alternate-history novel in which the Jews have been relocated to Alaska instead of Israel (and, after reading the book, I guess Chabon feels that this was a spectacularly bad idea). It is full of fanciful creations - most notably a Hasidic sect as an organized crime family and a rabbi as a Don. Chabon is right to champion plot and genre, and it does work in this book - but it still left me slightly hungry. I recommend this book - as I recommend everything that Chabon writes. Just don't keep us waiting seven years for the next one.

A mystery featuring an Alaskan Jewish Detective in an history of what might have happened if the State of Israel had not been successful when it declared itself independent. In this alternative history the survivors fled to a special district in Alaska and set up a self-governing Yiddish-style area. It takes a bit of knowledge of Jewish traditions to initially understand the story, but the author turns out to be quite a word-smith and it becomes a pleasure to read.

I’ve heard that Michael Chabon writes well and will try another book someday but have to admit I was happy when this one ended and feel I missed some of the plot because of a confusing writing style.

The Yiddish Policemen's Union was my first Michael Chabon novel, and is still the one I like best. Fascinating historical premise, good story, and excellent writing--it was such a pleasure to read.

Of the 3-4 dozen novels I read in 2007, this still stands out as my favorite.

Painfully slow, way too much description, took about 17 chapters to actually become interesting, and he jumped around all over the place. The story was actually good in some aspects, but the logic was often flawed. His vocabulary was incredible, which was a plus.

Michael Chabon is an absolutely beautiful writer although I have to admit this novel for me was a bit of a mixed bag. As imaginative and creative was the 'what if' scenario the book presents, for me there was an element of removal in not being overly familiar with Jewish customs and culture.However, the story is still engaging, and his prose is like a fantastic wine bouquet that is great to wrap your mouth around,with a finish nearly as full as the first literary sip.

My book club chose this, so I struggled through it. The writing is beautiful, but most of the time I was bored. About the time Landsman's ex-wife showed up in the book, it got interesting, but that didn't last long. Every now and then it would get interesting for awhile but then go back to the usual tedium. I was disappointed, as I had heard so much about Chabon.

In case you don't already know, the book is pretty much a fantasy inasmuch as the places and events were made up. It is in or near Sitka, Alaska where a lot of Jews were settled after World War II. I guess it is supposed to be similar to Israel. There is quite a bit of Yiddish in it. There is a glossary in the back which starts on page 411 in my Kindle version, but frequent looking up the meaning of words became tedious and spoiled the flow of the story for me. I did manage to finish it since it was for a book club. Otherwise, I would have quit reading it.

Hard for me to get into. Descriptions sometimes too precious. I had the audio version, which is very well narrated. The story did pick up and I liked it a lot by the end. The author's comments made me think further about the book and appreciate it more.

It was actually worthwhile reading, but it dragged a bit, lots of wordage in giving background color. I did find it humorous at times, but wonder if a non-yiddish person would get the same reaction. As a mystery it was okay, it kept me interested enough to finish it.
nightowl.

Interesting look at some of the aspects of the Jewish plight following WWll. Until reading this book I was not aware of the Alaska connection to the resettlement of Jews. Entertaining and informative.

Chabon writes very well with with detail and imagination. It was an involved plot, and one learns something of the views and divided groups of the Jewish community at that time and place. A Yiddish dictionary would have been helpful.

Imagine the Jewish homeland was in Alaska rather than Israel -- but the status of the Jews living there is not clear -- in fact, they have to move any time now, so they are making plans for their future. In the midst of all that, our hero, detective Landsman, a Yiddush Policeman, needs to solve the murder of a man who may have been the Messiah -- it's a detective story, it's a family tale, and its an "alternate history," that will have you laughing and feeling many other emotions besides joy. Michael Chabon is an excellent storyteller and he seems to know Jewish culture very well which makes the story work on so many levels. Definitely a must read for anyone who likes a literary story set in a detective novel.

I think Chabon writes the most wonderful prose, and his fantasy is very imaginiaative, but I find him tedius to read because he puts so much in a single sentence. Maybe tedius isn't the right word, maybe just SLOW would be more appropriate. He's not an author that you can skim over lightly. But I do love reading every single word. I would recommend it to a select group of friends.

Full disclosure; I saw Michael Chabon speak and I'm from Pittsburgh. That aside this is an example of a curious man with a great talent for writing, that works out very well for us readers.

Not satisfied with bringing great characters and past times to life, Chabon creates an alternate history that was believable and useful in the conveyance of human behavior that transcends time and place. His use of language is the best in our times and his lessons are never dogmatic.

I can't say that this is better than Kavalier and Clay, but I can say that it doesn't matter, if you like great story tellers this book is for you.