This is one of those books that I'm fairly convinced is going to become a classic that gets taught in high schools everywhere. It's a wonderfully written book that vividly and (I assume) authentically captures a very specific time in place: Harlem in the 60s. The parallels it draws to societal problems that still exist today are clear without feeling heavy-handed.

Honestly, I really should have liked it more--in reflection, it's a 4 or 5 star book. But for whatever reason, I just couldn't get into it and found myself missing that propulsive need to keep reading. I was a little bit bored and detached. But I suppose that's how I felt about most of the books I read in high school too, so I still stand by my first statement. It's absolutely worth a read, and Whitehead remains a literary master.

I want to preface this by saying that I think it was a case of "it's-me-not-the-book" that caused me to not love this one. But unfortunately, it wasn't my favorite. Harlem Shuffle follows Ray Carney, a Harlem furniture store owner in the early 1960s. The story is told in 3 parts, first in 1959, then 1961, and finally, 1964. It is, at its core, a portrayal of Harlem in the early 60s and a look at the intersection of race and class at this moment in history. As the book synopsis says, this is most definitely a "love letter to Harlem" and I did love this aspect of it, and getting to see snippets of Harlem from this era. However, much of this novel just didn't work for me.

The first part of the book was very slow and we hear about much of the action secondhand instead of seeing it played out in the moment. We do learn some important background about Carney and his family in this part of the book, but I wanted to see more of them. So much of Carney's actions are driven by his love for his family and his desire to do better for them, but they are very much in the background of the story. I wish we could have seen so much more of them. The story did pick up for me toward the end of part 2, and into part 3, but it turned into a tale of revenge and payback, and though I was invested enough to want to see how it turned out, these are generally not my favorite topics to read about.

I absolutely loved Whitehead's last two books - especially Underground Railroad - but I just didn't like the stylistic choices in this one. I would have preferred to see more of the action firsthand, or even one longer flashback, instead of these vignettes. I was rooting for Carney the whole time, but I wasn't generally motivated to keep picking this one up. At just over 300 pages, it shouldn't have taken me 2 weeks to read.

I'm thankful to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the free eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Unfortunately, I was not able to finish this book. I love Colson Whiteheads past two books, The Underground Railroad, and The Nickel Boy, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get into this one. I have the audio book on hold and will try again when it's available for me.

This book is a blockbuster about Negro/Black life in Harlem from 1959-1964. It is the story of Ray Carney, son of a big-time criminal, who walks fine lines between being an upstanding business man (graduated from college and owns his own furniture store), a small-time fence, and a full-fledged criminal involved in major jewelry heists. In his orbit are his wife and two children, his in-laws, his cousin-like-a-brother Freddie, and a whole host of characters, some deeply embedded in the dark world of crime and some fine upstanding citizens. Carney deftly straddles the worlds of upstanding citizen and criminal without the upstanding citizens knowing anything about the other, nefarious underworld. He’s also on the payroll of some cops.

Early on, he’s a fence for stolen jewelry. Then something happens that reveals Ray’s dark side: he’s rejected for membership in an exclusive men’s club, duped by one of the members who demands payola but then blackballs him and refuses to return the bribe. The story then dances around an elaborate plan for revenge.

During the time encompassed by the book, race riots erupt in Harlem. Ray no longer identifies as Negro, the term having become pejorative, and now identifies as Black. He and his business manage to escape unscathed and his family moves to a larger and nicer apartment. He appears to have left his criminal ways behind.

Until. Until Cousin Freddie dumps a very valuable jewel in his lap. That’s when things really get ugly. I feared for Ray’s life. You will have to read the book for more details.

I think this is a terrific, important, book. This is the first book I’ve read by Colson Whitehead and it will certainly not be the last. There are some funny parts, some sad and poignant parts, and some parts that are terrifying. Whitehead is an amazing writer and I found myself marveling over the way he spins sentences and phrases.

I highly recommend this book. I received it from the publisher and NetGalley, to whom I am very grateful.

Well written and full of intriguing and vibrant characters, but ultimately slow moving, with time jumps that glossed over any action.

This is my first Colson Whitehead book and it will not be my last. The writing actually took me back to Harlem in the 60's. The descriptions of people and places was fantastic.

Ray Carney is a business school graduate who owns a furniture store. Ray is trying to do everything legally but his troublemaker cousin Freddie brings trouble to Ray by bringing in stolen items to sell. Freddie then gets Ray caught up in a hotel heist. What happens and can Ray keep trying to live honestly after?

Great read. One of the most descriptive books I've read where the descriptions aren't just fluff. I liked the characters but thought that Ray needed to put his family first and cut ties with Freddie.

I don't read many books set in this time period. Not sure why, but Colson brought it to life. I am a reader drawn to characters and this book did not disappoint. Thank you netgalley for an advance copy to read.

Colson Whitehead has proven his stellar writing skills once again with lyrical prose and colorful characters. This is a time period/setting that I know little about so I was immediately drawn in. What also stood out were the acts of racism and the parallels between society then and now. Definitely food for thought.

Ray Carney is heading in the right direction, doing everything to stay on track when he slowly gets pulled into a different life. He seems be straddling the fence as chances and choices seem to keep popping up and he rolls with what he’s got! I really loved the complete character and his way of thinking and wanted to scream my advice as I was reading!!! A very entertaining and full of cleverly laid situations makes this a most read!!#NETGALLEY

Wow! I love it when an artist takes a new path and nails it! This was a near-perfect book. No, it's not "literary," as were The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys. But if you want the defining example of character-driven noir, I give you Harlem Shuffle.

Ray Carney is an engaging young man, doing his best to succeed in mid-century Harlem, using his education and borrowing his street skills acquired in an early life he'd rather everyone else forgot about.

The period detail is astonishing, particularly if you're into interior decor. What a great read-- my favorite so far of 2021.

Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday for an advance readers copy.

Colson Whitehead’s newest novel is engaging as it tells the story of Ray Carney, a furniture salesman, who lives in Harlem, New York, during the 1950s and 1960s. I had the opportunity to read an ARC, and while I won’t be able to finish it before it’s archived, I will be buying a copy immediately!

“…Carney knew crime’s hours when he saw them – dorvay was crooked heaven, when the straight world slept and the bent got to work. An arena for thieving and scores, break-ins and hijacks, when the con man polishes the bait and the embezzler cooks the books. In-between things: night and day, rest and duty, the no-good and the up-and-up. Pick up a crowbar, you know the in-between is where all the shit goes down.”

“Carney didn’t like the notion of dumping bodies in the back of his truck, deceased or not deceased or any which way. Once is bad luck; twice and it looks like you’re getting accustomed.”

“The Underground Railroad” and “The Nickel Boys” were very serious books. I know that I am in the minority here, but I didn’t love either of them. “Harlem Shuffle” is a crime novel with a lot of style and I enjoyed it more than the other books I’ve read by this author. It’s rhythm was quick and the language was colorful. The riffs were enhanced by Dion Graham’s narration of the audiobook.

Ray Carney is a business school graduate who is now the owner of a furniture store in Harlem. His in laws think that their daughter Elizabeth married beneath her, but Ray is hustling his way up in the world. Some of the merchandise that finds its way to Ray was not necessarily acquired legally.

This book is set in the 1960s and is comprised of parts arranged in chronological order. Each part deals with another point in Ray’s life in which justice may be served in an unconventional way. A lot of the difficulties faced by Ray are caused by his cousin Freddie, who gets Ray involved in some ill-conceived crimes. However, Ray is not an innocent victim. He knows how to take care of business, as evidenced by a scheme to get revenge when a banker fails to respect the quid pro quo of a bribe. There was definitely more style than substance in this book, but I liked it.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

I enjoyed this entertaining heist story, and was impressed by Whitehead's command of this new genre. Very different than what patrons are used to from Whitehead, but I think most will really enjoy the reading experience.

I made it partway into part two before deciding to not finish this book. On the positive side, I think the novel creates a wonderful sense of place. I can easily picture Harlem during the time period and each of the locations described. I also think certain scenes were very compelling with descriptive writing, particularly the scene of the actual robbery of the hotel which was thrilling. I can also tell that the writing craft is strong, with memorable and creative turns of phrase. However, I found the story too slow for my taste with little focus on plot as well as characters. There wasn’t enough of a story to make me want to keep reading and I wasn’t invested enough in the characters to stick with it. I haven’t tried other books by the author but have heard only praise so I’m still excited to read his previous (and future) works.

3.5 stars for me.
I struggled a bit with this book while recognizing that the writing is superb, unsurprisingly. It tells the tale of approximately five years in the life of Ray Carney, a "slightly bent" furniture salesman who comes from an entirely crooked father. Carney has his name in large letters on the side of his furniture store in Harlem, a testament to his intelligence, industriousness, and desire to not be the father who was a criminal and terrible father. He is married with small children whom he adores, and a cousin who is constantly getting in trouble and drawing Carney into it.

It's a wonderfully and historically detailed view of Harlem and the rest of NYC in the early 1960s, with locations, restaurants, buildings, all named and described to evoke a real feel for the era. News headlines include the murder of a black child by a white cop with no accountability, depressingly reminding us of how little has changed. One of my favorite insights in the book is how crooked the wealthy, the police, the politicians are but it just looks a little differently than the underbelly criminal activity, and Carney sees both, has a foot in both worlds.

The story jumps around a lot, even within a paragraph flashbacks are thrown in, which is jarring and confusing. I often times felt like I couldn't follow the story, was confused by characters and time-period lingo and slang, and there was so much inner storyline from the head of Carney that it often felt like pure exposition without action or dialogue. Probably reading it before bed a little sleepy didn't help with my concentration.

I liked some of the side character development and back stories and so even without the heists, between the characters, the setting, and the history, it had really engaging aspects. It just got a little muddled with what kind of story it was telling. I also didn't find it humorous although it is advertised as such. (For that, James McBride's Deacon King Kong really hit a home run).

Obviously I am not qualified to be critical of Colson Whitehead, a literary genius, so all I can say is that this particular book was not my favorite.

3 stars

I read this book fairly quickly, I have never read a book by Colson Whitehead before. I have heard of them and how poignant they are the way the characters are written, the narrative style. I must say that I found the writing of this book to be very enjoyable I found myself flying through it and not wanting to put it down. That said I am not sure that the book itself was for me.

This book covers the life of the character Ray Carney and his friends and family over a course of 5 years. I liked the characters and seeing how they dealt with the situations they were thrust in. The main issue I had was with how Ray deals with his cousin, basically how blind he is to the trouble that always seems to follow Freddie. I can understand family trauma and the guilt that comes along with it but I find that at some point enough should have been enough.

I guess I had higher expectations for the book and they weren't necessarily met though I probably shouldn't have gone in with expectations.

Thank you, Doubleday and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This somehow was my first Colson Whitehead novel and I really enjoyed his style of writing. He is very descriptive and well researched. I loved reading about old time Harlem, New York. The characters were vivid and I could see it all playing out in my head. I really look forward to reading more of Colson’s work!

Protagonist Ray Carney is furniture salesman in 1960s Harlem, working to provide for his family. On the outside, he seems like an upstanding, honest businessman, although he does occasionally sell the odd item dropped off by his cousin Freddie. When Freddie ropes Ray into a heist that goes wrong, Ray finds himself entangled with some of Harlem’s more questionable characters. Can he save himself, his cousin, and his finances without shattering his reputation?

I really like the tone that Whitehead strikes with this novel. It very much suits the hijinx-filled plot of this book, while leaving room for some of the more serious themes of social power and race and ambiguous moral ground. It’s fun to see a writer with such literary prestige to venture into more “fun” territory, without forgoing some of the topics that earned him such acclaim.

Harlem Shuffle is an entertaining romp, with heists and nail biting situations, but there are also more weighty considerations that factor in the role of race, education, war, and poverty.

Carney tries to live in stark contrast to the example of his disreputable father, but he learns it can be difficult to stay on the straight path when those around you are crooked. However, he feels like he can navigate a world slightly bent, but not quite crooked.

Whitehead's skillful manipulation of language is again on frequent display, with tight insights and clever situations. He has opted to teach by entertaining, leading readers to reflect on the dynamics at play.

(I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

[#partner @doubledaybooks @netgalley]

📚B IS FOR BOOK REVIEW📚

📔Title: Harlem Shuffle
🖋Author: Colson Whitehead
🗓Pub Date: 09.14.21 (Happy pub day!🎉)

🗂Genre:
Crime, historical fiction, literary fiction

📖Plot:
Ray Carney, son of a crook, seems committed to living only a slightly crooked life himself. It is the 1960s and he is the proud owner of a furniture store in Harlem, a legitimate (if not incredibly well-paying) business by which he supports his family. As opportunities to make a little extra cash present themselves, however, how much is Ray willing to bend the rules of the law and his own morals?

‼️Trigger Warning:
Violence/murder, drug use/overdose, police murder of an innocent child

🗝Themes:
Duality of man, racism, colorism, classism/power, ethics/morals/values, family, life in NYC/Harlem

💭Thoughts:
If Colson Whitehead wrote a new version of the phone book, I’d read it. Just saying! What fascinates me about his writing is that each novel takes on something new, and HARLEM SHUFFLE is no exception. I’m not usually much for crime novels, but Whitehead does something different here. Not just a fun romp filled with heists, he divides the book into 3 sections which read almost like 3 different stories, set across 5 years. And underlying the capers in each section you’ll find slick, atmospheric prose; sharp social commentary; and carefully crafted characters. Albeit a bit repetitive in parts, you won’t want to miss this one. Especially since he’s already working on the sequel (something he’s never done before)!

🗣Recommended for those who like:
Chester Himes, Ann Petry, Patricia Highsmith, Richard Stark