introvertmelissa9's reviews
215 reviews

A typical coming of age, realism story. It's set during a summer break of an average college student named Arthur. He meets and befriends a quirky girl, a homosexual man, and an alcoholic. Throughout the book Arthur is trying to figure out who he is and what he wants in life. It's not a Catcher in the Rye or a Great Gatsby, but it is a pretty decent read. It is also very well written (as it is written by Chabon), if not a little simple; I give it a three star rating because of it's simplicity.
Chabon gives common (and not far-fetched or fantastic) reasons for his character's back stories, but I do suppose therein lies its strength. It resonates with the average person. Beware, though. The Mysteries of Pittsburgh can offend moral sensibilities as it deals with sexuality and instances of legal wrongdoing and how it is handled. Fortunately, though, Chabon does not use many swear words which tend to pervade books of this nature, and, for that matter, many modern fiction books. Overall, a unique read that won't take up much of your time.