Reviews

Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

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lori2024's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

ellenclibrarian's review against another edition

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4.0

It takes a bit, so give it more pages than normal because it is so worth it. Sentences that take your breath away, set you down in the middle of Harlem in the 60s, and leave you making every turn of the shuffle.

laurareane's review against another edition

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3.0

Audiobook. I read a few reviews that this was difficult to get through but the audiobook was better. I enjoyed it. It is slower paced, not a an action thriller, but I appreciated how the story wove through time. I could see how reading the book would have been more difficult to follow in parts.

bart_gunn's review against another edition

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2.0

Tedious and underwhelming

dracola112's review against another edition

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emotional fast-paced

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

3.5

kcrouth's review against another edition

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5.0

Colson Whitehead delivers another beyond excellent tale. Harlem Shuffle is a story of life in Harlem in the mid 1950s to mid 1960s. It is about living with your family and your history, and overcoming it, while at the same time being pulled back into the rut of how things have always been, yet still pushing up and out and beyond. The writing and story telling is nothing short of amazing to read. Colson Whitehead is a rare treasure of a writer. This story is not as heavy or powerful as his previous two works (The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys), but is nevertheless a beautiful read, one of those i found myself wanting to read every word, because the author makes every word count. This is a great story, highly recommended.