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eslsilver's review
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Murder, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Racial slurs
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
wrestleacademic's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
tense
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Murder, Blood, Racial slurs, and Racism
samsearle's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Murder
ninjamuse's review
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Violence, Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse and Police brutality
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Police brutality, Addiction, Drug use, Gun violence, and Racism
bandysbooks's review
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual content, Death, Toxic relationship, and Violence
kjulie's review
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Racism, and Gun violence
Moderate: Police brutality
Minor: Homophobia and Drug use
na_no's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Abandonment, Gun violence, Murder, Police brutality, Death, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Violence, War, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, and Racism
caroline_hutchison's review
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder