Colson Whitehead loves Harlem and it is so reflected in this tale in Harlem in the 1950-60’s as he places you in the midst of Harlem by relaying in minute detail block by block, restaurant by restaurant and hotel by hotel. He has fully researched the Harlem area and I found his description of the glory days of the entertainment world particularly fascinating. The plot, I found, is complex and sad in that society itself let along a family tie have combined to chain Ray to a life of crime whether he actually accepts that he is part of the problem. I wasn’t used to the tempo of Ebonics used whenever there was to be a crime caper but that is a personal preference. Readers of historical fiction, particularly New York area, and crime fiction will enjoy this book. Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday for an ARC of this book. This is my honest review.





PLEASE NOTE: I have submitted a copy of this review both on Goodreads and Amazon on September 14, 2021.

I have never read a book by the author but thought the synopsis sounded too good to pass up. So glad I requested this book. The writing was superb and the story engrossing. My next stop is the author's back catalog to see what other gems I have missed.

Thank you to Doubleday and Netgalley

I was interested in this book purely because I had enjoyed other books by the author and not really based on the description of the plot.
Though this isn't usually a book I'd pick up, I was so glad that I did. The author is able to totally transports readers to a specific time and place with this work. The writing is detailed without being overly descriptive. The plot kept me on the edge of my seat. I think this book will be great for new readers to discover an amazing author. It will especially appeal to those who enjoy a strong sense of place and crime fiction.
After finishing it, I saw that he called this book his "love letter to Harlem", and I really think it reads that way. I can't wait to go back and read more of his previous works!

Colson Whitehead does historical fiction is such a raw, atmospheric, and authentic way. This is not your light and fluffy WWII, women with her back turned to the cover type historical novel. This is multi-layered and vibrant giving readers a view into 1960s/1970s Harlem and the crime and familial relationships that colored the town.

At the end of the day, this book is about hustle. Hustle for your family, for your life, for your survival. Filled with diverse characters, events from the Civil Rights movement, and a complex plot, this is a great read for those looking to expand their understanding of the 1960s. I think this would be great for students to read for an independent novel but probably wouldn't adopt for a whole class read - maybe one day.

Another great Whitehead novel. I loved the character of Carney. He was so well developed as a character. It was interesting to see him justify his actions to himself. The pacing threw me a bit. At times I wasnt sure where the plot was headed and what the point was but I stuck with it and was glad i did. ill be recommending this to alk my patrons who like historical fiction and diverse reads.

Thank you to #netgalley for a copy of the book in exchange for my review.

Ray Carney is just a regular guy trying to make his way with his furniture store. Trying to make a living for his family, while his in-laws look down on him. Some don't know that Ray's dad was a crook back in the day, and Ray seems to no longer be able to out run his past. Is he going to be sucked into a world of crime, can he escape what others are trying to drag him into, or will everything he worked for go down the drain?

Read Nickel Boys last year with my book club and really enjoyed that book. This book was a bit slow and meandering and did not have my attention for parts. It has Whitehead's signature style and amazing writing. This historical fiction piece really painted a picture of 1960s Harlem beautifully, the characters were only a small part of that story. There was not a lot of layering for the reader, it was a bunch of backstory, and not the here and now. The meat of the story was being told after it happened not in real time. I know this all seems nitpicky, and it is, trying to lay out what was missing for me in this book. My rating 3.5⭐.

I tried so hard to like Harlem Shuffle… But every time I tried to read it, I would fall asleep. I even tried audiobook, but it just wasn’t working for me. After six weeks, I’m quitting it at 16%. ⁣
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⁣Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for an ARC.

I received a reviewer copy of Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead from the publisher Doubleday Books from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

CW: Addiction, Gun Violence, Murder, Police Brutality, Drug Abuse

What It’s About: Carney owns a reasonably priced furniture store and is living the dream, happily married to his wife, Elizabeth, and expecting a second child. So even though his in-laws don’t think much of him, he’s doing really well. Still, things are tight so if occasionally his cousin Freddie drops off a ring or necklace, he doesn’t ask questions. The one day, Freddie falls in with a bigger enterprise and suddenly things aren’t just cracks in the road.

What I Loved: The writing is fantastic as always, this is written as a love letter to Harlem and you are transported to 1960’s Harlem with references to the freedom riders and movers and shakers of the time period, the novel while written to be a heist novel is an interesting character study where we have a son of a crook wanting to live on the straight and narrow, while also being in contact with his old neighborhood people and having to deal with his in-laws constant disapproval.

What I Didn't Like So Much: I felt like often there were too many characters and I didn’t know who all of them were. Also the pacing of the story didn’t work for me, this might be because it was on audio, but I didn’t really know what was going on. I wasn’t sure what was happening and often had to pause and say, “Wait, did I miss that…” This could very well be a me problem.

Who Should Read This: People who love novels set in Harlem. People who like character driven studies. People who love classic New York city vibes.

Quick Summary: A son of a crook tries to make good as a furniture salesman but its not so easy amidst a big heist.

I really liked Colson Whitehead’s books The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys, but I didn’t find this one as enjoyable. It is also beautifully written, but I had a hard time getting interested in the stories of small time Harlem crooks.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A businessman in Harlem gets caught in some sketchy business. Interesting characters and plot lines. I would love to see this book made into a film.

Described as a crime story which isn't my normal genre I decided to give this one a chance because it was written by the fantastic Colson Whitehead. I've also seen comparisons to Deacon King Kong which probably set my standards too high before starting as I adored that book and the characters. While this one was well written (not surprisingly it's by Whitehead) I didn't have any interest in the characters and what became of them. I had a hard time following who was who. I felt too much was being crammed into this novel about too many underlying things. It follows RAy Carney born to a crooked father who tries to live life honestly with his furniture store but slowly starts to cross the line and becomes entageled between Roy the crook and Roy the family. It's quite a departure from Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys being a much less serious story but it still has the undercurrents of Whitehead's typical honest and thoughtful reflection on racism in then 1959 Harlem and how much has really changed today.

*Thank you to Doubleday and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Having read both The Underground Railroad and The Nickle Boys, I was very eager to read this new work by Colson Whitehead. It was certainly a love letter to Harlem and its inhabitants,which was vividly described. The crime caper aspect of the book, however, left me wanting. In the end, the writing made the book worthwhile for me, but not my favorite of his books.

This was an interesting book. I learned some things and I loved the setting. It flowed well and I wanted to see how things progressed. Recommend to you!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of Harlem Shuffle. I heard Colson Whitehead speak after Nickel Boys came out. He talked about his creative process and not ever wanting to get stuck in a single genre. And he hasn’t. Whitehead changes up styles with Harlem Shuffle. While it has allof his amazing characters, it’s nothing like his two most recent books. It doesn’t have to be. A book about the past that has so much insight into who we are right now. Light and funny at times, devastating at others. The man is a genius!

{Thank you to Doubleday Books for my gifted copy and my chance to share my genuine review.}

I was eager to read The Harlem Shuffle after having reading his last two novels. While my reading experiences were vastly different, I really connected with The Underground Railroad but struggled with the writing style of The Nickel Boys so I was curious as to how this one would play out.

I like complex storylines that are drawn out over time, but I struggle with ending that seem to come out of nowhere. What I have found is that each of his books are totally unique from one another.

Undoubtably, Whitehead is a gifted and prolific writer, but what I have come to learn over time, is that certain authors just aren't always the right fit for you as a reader. His sentences are impactful and he can pack so much into so few words which is an amazing literary win.

And while this works for many readers, at many points this makes his books feel challenging for me as a reader. I found that I was focusing so much on the detailed verbiage that it affected my ability to really take in the powerful premises of this books...which focus on the brutal sides of Black-American history.

While I felt a bit lost with this storyline at times, especially the flashbacks, I was highly impressed by his ability to change directions and share a crime suspense novel that also packed a powerful punch. This was a 3/5 read for me.

I was really excited when I saw that Colson Whitehead had written a new book. The title, Harlem Shuffle, intrigued me as did the time period the book captured. I had grown up in the suburbs of New York during the time period Colson Whitehead had chosen to write about. Although, I rarely if ever found myself in Harlem during my youth, I was familiar with its boundaries and reputation back then. In Colson Whitehead’s first ever crime thriller, he brilliantly and vividly described the atmosphere, neighborhoods and people of Harlem during the late 1950’s and 1960’s in Harlem Shuffle. The characters in Harlem Shuffle were well developed and complex. Compared to The Nickel Boys, which I enjoyed on so many levels, Harlem Shuffle missed the boat in my opinion. The redeeming quality for Harlem Shuffle, in my opinion, was Colson Whitehead’s gift for writing. Unfortunately, even though I forced myself to read. the entire book, I found most of the book hard to read. I did enjoy the beginning but lost interest after that.

The protagonist of Harlem Shuffle, Ray Carney, had grown up in Harlem. His father had been well known for his involvement with crime. Ray was determined to change his destiny. He wanted to live his life free from crime and he mostly succeeded. Ray had married well and had recently become a father to a little girl. He owned a used furniture store in Harlem where he and his family also lived. Carney’s nemesis was his cousin, Freddie. Ray and Freddie had grown up together and were more like brothers than cousins. Freddie, even as a young boy, was always getting in trouble and Ray found himself always having to bail Freddie out of trouble. In current times, Freddie found himself in possession of questionable items and hanging out with less than reputable people. Occasionally, Freddie would bring Ray pieces of jewelry that obviously had been stolen. Ray had a contact downtown where he brought the jewelry. Questions were never asked about how Ray came to be in possession of the jewelry. He graciously received a significant cash payment that he would put toward improving his store and the quality of his family life after he gave Freddie his cut. When Freddie dragged Ray into a major jewelry heist at the Hotel Theresa, dangerous crime figures started to infiltrate Ray’s life. Ray Carney had to decide how he wanted to live his life. Did he want to live an honest life or one that involved crime? Could Ray learn to balance crime while he earned an honest living and provided for his family in the way they deserved?

Although Harlem Shuffle was disappointing for me, Colson Whitehead did an excellent job depicting the controversial issues of race, the struggle for power and the unique history of Harlem during the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. He portrayed the glaring inequalities between whites and blacks during that time and that unfortunately still exist today. Unfortunately, this story was not one that grabbed me. However, I enjoyed how well written it was.

Thank you to Doubleday for allowing me to read Harlem Shuffle through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I adore Colson Whitehead's writing. This book was no exception to that statement. However, it is not anything like his previous books. The story is very different, the pacing is slow (especially at the beginning), and the plot is very different. I still love his writing and will likely read anything he writes in the future as well. His books always come through and are worth the time. Recommend fully.
#HarlemShuffle #NetGalley #DoubleDay

This book is *very* different from the other two I have read by Whitehead (Nickel Boys and Underground Railroad). I think that is why I was slightly disappointed, although his writing was spectacular as always. This historical fiction novel is light hearted, but there's still plenty of crime and drama. It was a little slow, but eventually I got into it and really appreciated his rich descriptions of the people and places.

While this book started off slow for me, it eventually picked up and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Everything about Harlem Shuffle was vivid. I am honored to have been preapproved. I do apologize for my late review, but believe me when I say it was well worth the wait.

3.5 rounded up

Thank you @netgalley for an eARC of this book (that I’m really delayed in finishing 😬!)

Ray Carney is a family man trying to make an honest living at his furniture store but he’s struggling to make ends meet. His cousin Freddie wants him to join in a heist, but Ray says he’s not crooked. Freddie calls Ray out, saying that Ray doesn’t question where his goods come from. This gets Ray thinking: he may not be crooked, but he is bent.

Ray becomes embedded in Freddie’s seedy underworld and we meet a plethora of mobsters who are thriving in the crime world in 1960’s Harlem. Ray questions himself and if he is a good man, comparing himself to these traditional criminals.

Whitehead is a phenomenal writer and paints a vivid Harlem in this novel. The characters are quirky and vibrant, bringing more humor than other Whitehead books I’ve read. He also brings light to real issues like he always does: racism, police brutality, and classism are all addressed brilliantly.

I enjoyed this book but the pace was very slow for me with much of the action taking place off of the page. I think the description naming this a heist book made me think it would be faster paced. While I loved Whitehead’s Underground Railroad and Nickel Boys much more than this book, it was enjoyable to read a less brutal book with the same expert prose.