Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

24 reviews

ajamwelch's review against another edition

adventurous tense slow-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

This book is a glimpse into life in Harlem back in the 60s with enough hints of American Gangster to keep you wondering what’s going to happen next. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction

litliz's review

adventurous challenging tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Death, Drug abuse, Violence, Racism, Xenophobia, Addiction, Alcohol, Gun violence, Hate crime, Murder, and Police brutality

Moderate: Death of parent and Forced institutionalization

elenatamsen's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Classism, Drug use, Murder, Racism, Violence, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Gun violence, and Police brutality

Minor: Abandonment, Blood, and Death of parent

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

leah_alexandra's review

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

3.25

I wanted to like this so much more than I did. The story had potential, but was not compelling in the way that, e.g., Deacon King Kong was, thinking about other literary writers turning to mid-century NYC for a crime caper genre. The stakes didn’t feel as high as I know they were supposed to, and it was hard to get into the characters’ motivations. The book got better generally as it went on—the third part was the best, but still not that good. This was shallow. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Police brutality, Addiction, Drug use, Gun violence, and Racism

e_tully4's review

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? It's complicated

4.0

This started off slow for me and I had a difficult time connecting with Carney in the first third of the book. The second third is when the book picked up for me, which makes sense, because it begins to be less about the heist and more about familial relationships and the pressure of being a family member more. Obviously whitehead’s prose is amazing, seriously amazing writing here, and the way the plot unfolded was very nicely done. Overall enjoyable! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction

Moderate: Death

sjh541's review

adventurous funny 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

4.75

Absolutely delightful. Carney is a wonderful, lovable, flawed protagonist, and spending time in his world is a blast. Really enjoyed the theme of overlapping but separate worlds. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction

skylaturner's review

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

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: Abandonment, Death of parent, and Police brutality

klfgasaway's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Blood, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Police brutality, Racism, Racial slurs, and Violence

davidrb's review

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

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