I love alternate history stories...big fan of Turtledove. The Yiddish Policemen's Union is a murder mystery. It has a bit too much yiddish idiomatic language/expressions for my taste...jews with yiddish language background could be turned off... I hope that non-jews will not lose patience with the yiddish since the story is very interesting. The title, by the way, is a reference to the detective's membership in a virtually meaningless (to the story line) organization; the author had to to call the book something but a great choice it wasn't.

The novel is inventive, the characters appealing, the plot although interesting is not gripping.

i really enjoyed this book - often confusing with characters and some Yiddish terms but the mystery plowed right on through. really enjoyed the descriptions and characters and felt pulled in from the first - although it didn't get "compelling" to me until after 100 pages. our group - many jewish women (i am not) - had a rousing discussion that veered off on many other sub-discussions. We enjoyed herring during the meeting, too!

I was hopeful about reading this book given the concept, but after 80 pages I bailed out. Among those who read it there was a lively conversation, which I was surprised to be able to contribute given how little I had read.

I couldn't warm up to the characters, nor the style of the book.

We found that people with some knowledge of the Bible and Jewish culture appreciated this book a bit more, as there is a great deal of humor if you "get it". So some of us laughed out loud, some read it as a straight detective story (it's Dashiell Hammett style, very clever).

The fun comes in figuring out what "really" happened in history and what is fictionalized. Chabon creates a realistic portrayal of the culture that probably would have arisen had Jews actually been relocated to Alaska.

The end of the book feels rushed, some of the Messianic story line felt forced to some of our group members.

Overall an enjoyable book and GREAT discussion! Very close on ratings, it was 7.7 overall and scores only ranged between 7.5 and 8.5.

One of the most confusing reads we've ever had. Chabon's writing style is full of metaphors that confuse the reader. Too many characters, too many places, too many plot elements, too much Yiddish, too much Yiddish used as slang all contributed to every reader being confused throughout the book.

Did not enjoy. this was the second Chabon I have attempted and have not liked either one.

Michael Chabon is one of those writers who can take the written word and turn it into vivid technicolor photos. His dystopic history of the Jews of America sent off to a remote area Alaska brings to life 19th century Jewish shtetl life with 20th century innovations. The old clashing with the new. The lead character is Philip Marlow with a yarmalke. An enjoyable read, noir mystery. A basic understanding of Yiddish is helpful to truly appreciate all the double entendres, but you can still get the story without it.

This book was extremely interesting. The only negative of this book is that Chabon's writing is sometimes hard to follow. He jam-packs his sentences with wit and description, and sometimes I miss what's going on or I miss the humour he injects. I'm almost tempted to read the book again to fully appreciate the writing (in addition to enjoying the story). The concept of the story is great, too. I'd recommend.

The author has a gift with words. That being said, I found this book confusing and difficult to get through. I guess I could say that I am glad I read it but it took extraordinary effort. Having little knowledge of Jewish language and culture put me at a disadvantage. The mixture of fact and fiction made it difficult as I often didn't know which was which. I had never heard of "alternative history" as which this is described. Now I know that I don't like it!
I would not read another of his books, even though I was enticed at looking at his past Pulitzer prize winner. However, reading reviews on Amazon made me realize that I would be in the same "plough through it" mode; so I decline.

This author creates an interesting web of interrelated themes, like things being out of place or the role of fatherhood. He also enjoys grand metaphorical descriptions, some captivating, and others that will last a page to no apparent end.
I enjoyed that book, but found it to be “thick and chunky” to get through.