Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

43 reviews

bandysbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book was just okay for me. I found it a bit repetitive and a little tedious at points. I loved the New York setting and the sort of Mafia type feel that it had going on, but I didn’t find the characters all that compelling and the other plot got a bit predictable. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, and Murder

kjulie's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective tense 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? Yes

3.75

In the end I found that I appreciated this. I wasn’t sure if I’d finish it, as the writing style really didn’t work for me (it felt distracted and disjointed), but Colson Whitehead got me to eventually care about the characters! It’s loosely a collection of heist stories, but more directly the story of Ray Carney discovering who he is and what he’s capable of.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, and Murder

Moderate: Police brutality

Minor: Drug use and Homophobia

na_no's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore

Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Murder, Abandonment, and War

caroline_hutchison's review against another edition

tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

skylaturner's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: Police brutality, Death of parent, and Abandonment

ashlynhare's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, and Murder

habitualrereader's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I enjoyed the characters and their voices, and the writing did a wonderful job of transporting you. That said, the novel didn’t feel particularly plot-driven, and the different parts of the book didn’t seem connected to one another aside from following the same characters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use

Minor: Gun violence

badmom's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Whitehead’s writing is rich & engaging, blending historical details about Harlem & civil rights with the plights of his multi-layered fictional players.  Even most of the side characters are vivid and meaningful, if only in helping the reader fully grasp the gravity of poverty + systemic racism in our society. The sparks of humor, sometimes dark and grim, remind us to appreciate the humanity in everyone we encounter. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Police brutality

ncoletti's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Minor: Sexual violence

davidrb's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

STRONG, STRONG contender for my favorite book of the year, and certainly for my favorite published this year. Wonderfully paced, dryly funny, and with such a tight grasp on story and plot. I came out of it way more emotional than I banked for. The Count of Monte Cristo references...wow!

Savored every minute.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

There's a scene midway through the book that veers close to rape and will likely trigger people who are affected by sexual assault.