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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
reflective
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:
Yes
3.5/5
Still immensely enjoyable, but doesn't mean the heights of Harlem Shuffle.
Glad Pepper stuck around, though.
Still immensely enjoyable, but doesn't mean the heights of Harlem Shuffle.
Glad Pepper stuck around, though.
An excellent follow-up to Harlem Shuffle, and I found myself much more invested in the characters and story.
I recommend reading these books in order, but I enjoyed this continuation of Ray Carney's life. He is a likeable criminal who just wants to do right by his family. This is less of an adventure than the first one, but still an enjoyable read.
In the sequel to Harlem Shuffle, Whitehead again writes three stories about Carney, his family, friends, co-conspirators. This time, we're talking 1971, in a story about the now right-side-of-the-law Carney and Munson, the cop he paid off for years when he was a fence. Carney did the impossible, promising his daughter Jackson 5 tickets. Munson has access to everything. Meanwhile, favor for favor, Munson is petrified that the famous Knapp commission, appointed to deal with corruption in the police force, is coming for his partner and him. His favor drags Carney into a mess that he might not get out of. If we didn't know there are two more stories, things did not look favorable.
In 1973, Carney's furniture store is the perfect setting for scenes for a Blaxploitation movie but the leading woman takes a powder. Possibly literally as she has some drug issues. The Director seeks help and Carney rustles up Pepper, his deceased criminal father's partner in crime and a player in Harlem Shuffle. Pepper is a fabulous character, with a few principals that are concerning themselves and a serious problem pulling together good help. He is Uncle Pepper to Carney's kids and there is some amusing stuff that makes clear Carney's wife, Elizabeth, knows more than he realizes about his past business and Pepper's unsavory side. But Pepper just rocks the rest of the novel with his efforts to help, his regrets about agreeing to help, his judgment and his methodology.
Off to 1976, with Harlem burning and suspicions about what people (besides owners getting the insurance) are behind the fires. Elizabeth, concerned the travel agency she has helped to build will never end up hers, gets caught up in a political campaign to elect her high school boyfriend-former prosecutor-now real estate mogul to City Counsel. The Dumas Club, part of a Harlem Shuffle story, plays a central role in his campaign and Carney, who is hostile to the candidate, dwells on the idea of his getting this power. Pepper is back, helping Carney look into a fire that inadvertently injured his tenant's son. The kids were using a deserted building as a hangout and this child was sleeping when the fire went down. Carney and Pepper attract problematic resistance to this investigation. This section of the novella had a keystone cops feel to it at times.
Bottom line? I did NOT realize this is a planned trilogy, with Crook Manifesto the second entry. It reads like the middle and while I enjoyed it, and the writing and characters are great, the stories fell a little flatter with fewer surprises about what people are capable of who don't walk the straight and narrow. But Harlem. Harlem as a character remains fresh and fascinating. I almost wish Whitehead would write PREQUELS to this trilogy. Bring back Carney as a kid! So, this was really, really good. The narrator for both books is great. And, it's "just" four stars. Harlem Shuffle was five for me. Whitehead will never fall below four stars because he's just that good. I will read the next entry with pleasure.
In 1973, Carney's furniture store is the perfect setting for scenes for a Blaxploitation movie but the leading woman takes a powder. Possibly literally as she has some drug issues. The Director seeks help and Carney rustles up Pepper, his deceased criminal father's partner in crime and a player in Harlem Shuffle. Pepper is a fabulous character, with a few principals that are concerning themselves and a serious problem pulling together good help. He is Uncle Pepper to Carney's kids and there is some amusing stuff that makes clear Carney's wife, Elizabeth, knows more than he realizes about his past business and Pepper's unsavory side. But Pepper just rocks the rest of the novel with his efforts to help, his regrets about agreeing to help, his judgment and his methodology.
Off to 1976, with Harlem burning and suspicions about what people (besides owners getting the insurance) are behind the fires. Elizabeth, concerned the travel agency she has helped to build will never end up hers, gets caught up in a political campaign to elect her high school boyfriend-former prosecutor-now real estate mogul to City Counsel. The Dumas Club, part of a Harlem Shuffle story, plays a central role in his campaign and Carney, who is hostile to the candidate, dwells on the idea of his getting this power. Pepper is back, helping Carney look into a fire that inadvertently injured his tenant's son. The kids were using a deserted building as a hangout and this child was sleeping when the fire went down. Carney and Pepper attract problematic resistance to this investigation. This section of the novella had a keystone cops feel to it at times.
Bottom line? I did NOT realize this is a planned trilogy, with Crook Manifesto the second entry. It reads like the middle and while I enjoyed it, and the writing and characters are great, the stories fell a little flatter with fewer surprises about what people are capable of who don't walk the straight and narrow. But Harlem. Harlem as a character remains fresh and fascinating. I almost wish Whitehead would write PREQUELS to this trilogy. Bring back Carney as a kid! So, this was really, really good. The narrator for both books is great. And, it's "just" four stars. Harlem Shuffle was five for me. Whitehead will never fall below four stars because he's just that good. I will read the next entry with pleasure.
Colson Whitehead remain remains one of the best writers of my generation. The reason I only gave this 3 stars is because I had to return Harlem Shuffle before I finished it, but I will!
Read this series out of order but will get around to the others after this. Great characters and story telling. The writing is dense and requires full attention which is a frustrating but welcome challenge since the end product ends up being worth it.
fast-paced
I didn’t think this would be better than Harlem Shuffle but it was! It took all of the elements that made that great and made them even better!