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marmoo's review against another edition
4.0
In a mid-century Harlem, Whitehouse builds a lively and immersive setting with quite a lot of complexity teeming under the surface. The stylish prose is evident right away, while the characters take a little more time to reveal themselves. At turns pulpy and profound (and often both at once), this is novel takes full advantage of its crime-genre trappings to tell an engrossing story of striving, self-deception, and—I know, I know, but really—the American Dream.
litteraire's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
kellydarline's review against another edition
Only made it 120 pages in and while some parts I enjoyed, overall this was a book that did not entice me to pick up day after day to read and unfortunately had to add it to my 'did not finish' pile.
milabooksit's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Slow start but takes off in Part 2 and 3 of the book. I appreciated all the NYC history woven in and in a way that felt so natural/effortless and not preachy at all. He is undeniable a good writer.
spacetoread's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars rounded down
Wow, this was a disappointment for me from Whitehead.
Pros: NYC and Harlem specifically becomes its own character, descriptions are wonderful, interesting look at the duality of man and morals
Cons: Dragged on and on and on without going anywhere, overwrought tangents and unclear plot. I basically trudged through this and hated almost every minute.
This was absolutely not for me and not for my taste or mood.
Wow, this was a disappointment for me from Whitehead.
Pros: NYC and Harlem specifically becomes its own character, descriptions are wonderful, interesting look at the duality of man and morals
Cons: Dragged on and on and on without going anywhere, overwrought tangents and unclear plot. I basically trudged through this and hated almost every minute.
This was absolutely not for me and not for my taste or mood.
yebbaoj's review against another edition
5.0
The characters in this story came alive but my favorite was Harlem itself! This was my first Colson Whitehead book but it won’t be my last! Because of the writing, I felt like I was actually in every scene.
christopherward's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
marcia_134's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Loved the descriptions of Harlem where I live from another era