After having been unable to finish Kavalier and Clay, I entered into this novel with no small trepidation. Chabon always seems to start strong with me and then peter out in the third reel (K&C was perhaps the most I ever read of any book I didn't finish). Nevertheless, I enjoyed the heck out of The Yiddish Policemen's Union. It proved to be the proverbial page-turner that I've (mostly) just heard about in my life. 
 There were bits that sounded over written, and the man loves his similies, but I never felt overwhelmed by the prose, even when I had to sift through it for the story. As a bonus I was introduced to "nu" which was a Yiddish word that, despite my long list of Jewish exes and their mothers, I'd never heard. 
 Highly recommended, especially for cold nights reading in bed (tho I did happen to read it at the height of summer).