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bel017's review
dark
informative
sad
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
In 1960s Harlem, NYC, a black man tries to balance and separate his straight and criminal lives.
Lots of CW for marginalised people living in desperate, violent, poverty stricken and oppressive situations.
Lots of CW for marginalised people living in desperate, violent, poverty stricken and oppressive situations.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Racism, Violence, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Death of parent, Abandonment, Gun violence, Bullying, Homophobia, Addiction, Classism, Child abuse, Police brutality, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Grief, Misogyny, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Body horror, Suicide, Alcohol, Torture, Sexism, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Antisemitism
reggiethebird's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A really well crafted vibe throughout the whole book. Colson Whitehead has a great voice than can really get you lost in the world at times. Sort of a lazy recollection type feel to the whole thing deal, with some really nice sentences that jump out at you every few pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Violence, Racism, Murder, Racial slurs, Addiction, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Police brutality, Sexual content, Blood, Bullying, Kidnapping, Hate crime, Gun violence, and Torture
Minor: Child abuse, Grief, and Antisemitism
bookgurl488's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was about a man who was straddling two worlds. The first world was that of a family man that sold furniture in his store and the other one; was a two bit crook inherited from his father side of the family. The dichotomy of these worlds is what made this book interesting. He would not have survived these worlds without Pepper. He was awesome.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Bullying, Racism, and Death
Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Blood
Minor: Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and War
jessgreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Rating: ⭐⭐✨⬜⬜
Title: Harlem Shuffle
Author: Colson Whitehead
Genre: Heist Novel
Setting: Harlem, NYC, USA
Month Read: March 2022
Book Type: Hardcover
Publication: 2021
Publisher: Doubleday
Pages: 318
*Book of the Month Selection
TRIGGER WARNING-
Death / Murder / Drugs / Sex / Language / Crime / Racism
"Alma used the word settled the way less genteel people used motherfucker, as a chisel to pry open a particular feeling."
No Spoiler Summary:
Ray Carney is a black furniture salesman in Harlem, NYC in the 1960s. He comes from a hard family, his dad did crime and was rarely around, and his cousin Freddie is an on-again / off-again drug addict who ends up getting Ray involved in a heist of the Hotel Theresa. Once the heist goes off as planned, Carney stays in the crime world on the side, and used his money to upgrade his family status, as well as expand his growing furniture store.
You follow Carney through the 1960's in Harlem- race riots, heatwaves, and a cast full of characters from rich to poor, black to white, and seedy and seedier. Will Carney stay in his new double life, or will he have to pick between the two empires he's built?
Review:
I really get why people like this novel a lot, and Colson Whitehead in general- his writing is captivating and beautiful and he paints a scene better than a looooot of authors I've read. However, after this and Nickel Boys, I have to come to the hard conclusion that Whitehead's books just aren't for me- and that's okay! You won't like every book you read, or every author, and even if they're highly rated and highly hyped, some things just don't stick with you. That's really how I felt about this book, as much as I really tried to love it.
The characters were interesting, and having lived in Harlem I LOVED the setting, and could almost see the buildings and locations set. I just wish that it was a faster book? It took me over a month to read 319 pages, which is not usual for me, and eventually had to get down to a 'just finish this one chapter per day' way to get through it because I hate to DNF a book, especially when I'm already halfway through something before I realize how much I don't like it.
If you like a slow build heist novel with an open ending (Whitehead said in an interview on Book of the Day, I think, that there will be a sequel) this is for you. I personally think this book would work great in a television format, but he also said in that same interview he isn't open to adapting this.
Recommendation:
Catch Me If You Can by Frank Abagnale Jr
The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
"You have to have an inside you, she used to say, and an outside you. Ain't nobody's business who you are really, so it's up to you what you gave them."
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Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Torture
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Police brutality, Racism, and Gun violence
Minor: Rape, Abandonment, and Bullying
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