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The Mysteries of Pittsburgh
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Plot Summary of The Mysteries of Pittsburgh
" Art Bechstein can't escape the scrutiny of his father, a mafia accountant, can't seem to sustain a relationship with his girlfriend, and can't shake a growing attraction to his new friend Arthur.
    Things get even worse when another of his new acquaintances starts to see Art as the key to the big time in his father's crime syndicate.      "

Jon Haas, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of The Mysteries of Pittsburgh
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - 1980's-1999
Kids growing up/acting up? Yes
Family, struggle with Yes
Struggle with: - Father (or standin)
Internal struggle/realization? Yes
Age group of kid(s) in story: - college
Parents/lack of parents problem? - rebelling against parent's expectations
Love problems? - gay guy urges

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - student
Age: - 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality - White (American)
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 60's-90's
Profession/status: - accountant
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - bulging muscles

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 9 (quite a lot)
United States Yes
The US: - Northeast

Style
Person - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - descript of kissing - touching of anatomy - actual description of hetero sex - male homosexuals doing their thing
Lot of foul language? Yes
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to The Mysteries of Pittsburgh
A Stone Boat by Andrew Solomon
The Last White Family on Dorchester Road by M. Lennon Perricone
Our Napoleon in Rags by Kirby Gann
In Search of Pretty Young Black Men by Stanley Bennet Clay
In Summer Light by Zibby Oneal


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Michael Chabon Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Cassidy Bommer  

SCHOLARS:
David Fletcher  Michael Engel  


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