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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
My sister sent me this book from her collection last year. I started it and would return to it here and there between other books. I have to say that it didn't really pull me in right away. Finally I decided to commit to finishing it. It's an interesting story and really says quite a lot about the ways that power dictates who is and isn't considered a criminal and how that power is wielded against others. The writer is obviously quite skilled and creates a realistic story filled with remarkable characters. I just saw that there will be a sequel to this story. I'm interested in what happens to Ray and Elizabeth, their kids, as well as reading the insight into the ways Harlem changes.
The story of one man’s balance between legitimate business and the the more crooked side of business in late ‘50s to mid ‘60s Harlem, this novel is quite different from the author’s previous two novels. Told in three parts, we meet many characters but always focus on Carney with strong showings from Freddie and Pepper.
This novel made me think about how things have changed, and how they have stayed the same.
This novel made me think about how things have changed, and how they have stayed the same.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Colson Whitehead is very good at transporting the reader back to a very specific time and place.
wanted to be deacon King Kong but wasn’t. I liked it but just didn’t live up to my expectations
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I could not get into this at all and I feel so bad about it.
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not what I usually read. Very different from other books of the author’s. Good enough that I’ll read the sequel.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Written like connected stories, but about the same person, this book works a similar vein to that of James McBride's Deacon King Kong: the city-within-the city that belongs to the Black denizens, the boundaries enforced by the white power structure but the interior its own universe. Carney, the protagonist, is a striver with a college degree in business, one generation removed from his crooked father's doings. Except, not so removed--Carney keeps his hand in, partly through family obligations, partly just to have another income stream, his own.
The first book I read by CW was a book that I found to be underpopulated; the second was, too, but in a way that worked for its story. Then, The Nickel Boys, a fictionalized story about the horrors of a reform school for black youth, seemed to overcome that habit; this book feels plenty busy, full of life. But it's also very talky--action takes longer than action should. It was good, interesting, absorbing, but not compelling.
The first book I read by CW was a book that I found to be underpopulated; the second was, too, but in a way that worked for its story. Then, The Nickel Boys, a fictionalized story about the horrors of a reform school for black youth, seemed to overcome that habit; this book feels plenty busy, full of life. But it's also very talky--action takes longer than action should. It was good, interesting, absorbing, but not compelling.