Harlem Shuffle is a gloriously delightful novel of mobsters and crooks, elaborate heists and shakedowns, schemers and dreams, and the harsh reality of those who must toe the lines of morality to earn a living.

Harlem Shuffle’s inventive story plays out in a beautifully recreated New York City in the early 1960s. The setting paid ode to the Civil Rights era and elegantly wove in the historical inequality of Blacks and whites of that period.

Harlem Shuffle as its core can loosely be described as a family saga masquerading as a historical crime novel, an amusing morality play, and a human novel about race and power. There is an authenticity to the characters that enhance the plotline and endears the readers.

Ray Carney is the epitome of morally grey and I equate his predicament to having an angel and a devil on each of his shoulders. On the one hand, Ray wants to be a legitimate businessman but on the other is his dire reality where his furniture business is struggling, and his wife is expecting which causes him to agree to the heist of a lifetime.

This is a stark reminder of the duality residing in all of us as individuals and how easily we can sway to each extreme. Harlem Shuffle reminds us that life isn't always a bed of roses and that our decisions impact not only how we live, but who we are.

Harlem Shuffle MADE me want to read it, it simply bewitched me into turning the pages, and I am completely under its spell. I relished the scheming, family drama, double life, and ultimately the heist that had Ray Carney blurring the line between petty theft to major crime.

Harlem Shuffle is my first read by Colson Whitehead and certainly not my last, as it was a spectacularly pleasurable read!

Thanks to Doubleday and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

This review will be available on my blog from 25-09-2021 here: https://jessicareadsit.wordpress.com/2021/09/25/book-review-harlem-shuffle-by-colson-whitehead/

Colson Whitehead does it again - in another genre, another time period - and it's delicious.
The timeline ranges from 1959 to 1964, showing life in Harlem from Ray Carney’s hard childhood, his in-laws from Striver’s Row, to the riots and the razing of neighborhoods to build the World Trade Center. It’s a relatively lighthearted novel, certainly compared to “The Underground Railroad” and “The Nickel Boys,” Whitehead’s two previous novels, each of which won the Pulitzer Prize. Colson - who I first met by serendipity when his first book, The Intuitionist, wound up on the remainder table. Book after book followed with dips into a variety of genre frames and all hitting the mark. Enthusiastically recommended.

Thank you, Knopf Doubleday, for this review copy on NetGalley! Also, check out the reading guide here: https://tinyurl.com/r7nfspdd.

Harlem Shuffle is unlike Colson Whitehead's previous books. He takes a lyrical approach to describe a historical period that witnessed the simultaneous unity and division of a famous black neighborhood. Harlem is portrayed as a place with optimism and despair but without agency. It hums along as undercurrents of power are apportioned to black people by a network of rich white people. Families try to balance loyalties and obligations, and they are always one breath away from a collapse.

It was initially difficult for me to get into this book due to the fast-paced lyrical nature of it. Thankfully, it wasn't long before became immersed in a fascinating culture that was as exhilarating as it was exhausting. This is more than a simple crime story; it is a story of survival. The hardened criminal trope unravels into a transactional series of business dealings as robberies are perpetrated by the haves as well as the have-nots.

The language, particularly the use of the "n-word," is sure to be a contentious topic of discussion. This book will be banned in schools but secretly checked out or read inside of public libraries. It is a vital piece of literary fiction that demands attention - one that will be dissected and debated until it is read and understood by all.

Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

It’s New York City, circa 1960, and Ray Carney, an owner, and purveyor of a fine furniture store in Harlem finds he can’t quite distance himself from the crooks in his family and the semi-striving life he is trying to lead. Once his cousin, Freddie, volunteers him to fence items procured from a large heist, Ray finds himself mixed back up in a shadier world of criminals once again.

This novel demonstrates Whitehead’s mastery of both plot (intricate) and character (eternally evolving) as the tale itself unspools flawlessly—and enjoyably.

Central questions include: Can you really escape the influence of family? And, What are the ideals that make a man a good man in a bad situation versus a bad man in a “good” situation?

As a reader, you will enjoy not only the ride through history but also the twisting tale of right and maybe not quite so right. Don’t miss this novel!

3.5 stars
HARLEM SHUFFLE is my first book by acclaimed author Colson Whitehead, and I enjoyed this step back in time to Harlem in the late nineteen-fifties and early sixties. The writing is lyrical and evocative, and the characters are well drawn. The story reads like three novellas featuring protagonist Ray Carney. Carney is relatable, a mostly honest family and business man who finds himself plagued by small time crooks, mob bosses, dirty police, and crooked businessmen. His desire to be out of his disreputable father’s shadow and move up in the world is a common thread that binds the three sections of the book together. This is a lighter read than his Pulitzer Prize winning works, but I still found it pretty heavy at times and not as quick reading as I expected. Overall, it is an interesting, informative, and entertaining read.

I received an ARC of this title from Doubleday Publishers through NetGalley and voluntarily shared my thoughts here.

I just love Colson Whitehead’s writing—no one does a turn of phrase like he does. Harlem Shuffle was an interesting saga of the changing culture in the late 50’s & 60’s, seen through the lens of the “slightly bent” Ray Carney who skates the edge of criminality. He keeps getting pulled deeper into by his cousin Freddie. Almost 3 separate stories that are woven together, it was a unique historical fiction that I really enjoyed.

Ray Carney is the son of a crook. He’s college educated and owns and operates a furniture business in the heart of Harlem. Ray has hopes and dreams of a better life for himself and his wife and children. Ray is caught between two worlds . His outward profile is as a successful, professional upstanding citizen, however some of his success and income comes from selling “pre-owned” (stolen) appliances and furniture along with fencing stolen goods. The author provides an interesting history of Harlem in the late 50s early 60s.

Harlem Shuffle was my introduction to Colson Whitehead—what a phenomenal writer!
Whitehead depicts Harlem in the late 1950’s-early 60’s. His characters jump off the page, from the not quite bent furniture salesman Ray Carney to his ne’er-do-well cousin Freddie, to his uppity father-in-law, to his wife who does not know of his shady side. Whitehead paints a picture of the culture and the underbelly of this Harlem. Carney’s greatest desire is to be respectable, to rise above his father’s criminal past, to succeed and live on Riverside Drive, to live up to this wife’s standards. But it is just so hard, particularly with Freddie jumping in constantly with another caper.
I love that throughout the book, Ray remains the consummate furniture salesman—everywhere he goes, he notices the furniture. This reminded me of a method actor, who get into character and stays there throughout the run of the show.
You really need to read this book—it is just that good.

I have absolutely adored every book by Whitehead and the way that he constantly delivers a new and unique time of novel shows just how talented that he is. With that being said, it is important to always expect the unexpected. This book was an incredibly well done time piece novel set in the 1950's-60's. This is a crime novel set in Harlem during this time period and I was completely entranced in the story he is telling. I highly recommend if you are a fan of whitehead's other novels!

I so wanted to really enjoy this book but unfortunately I didn’t. I gave this book 2.75 stars and rounded it up to 3 stars on good reads.

This book is about a man named Ray and it goes through several years of his life in Harlem. He owns a used furniture store that he bought or inherited from a former employer. Business is slow at the beginning and he has to go to people who are saling off things either because they money or a family member has passed away. He is so worried about following in his footsteps. He has a wife who is pregnant and a daughter. He does want to do better by them. His in-laws really don’t like him because he is a furniture sales man even though he owns his own store.

As the story goes on it tells about him always being there for his cousin who is constantly in trouble. He allows his cousin to do this to him. This causes him to actually follow in his father’s footsteps.

Those were some of the things I didn’t like. Now the things I learned and were interesting. Harlem is a rough area and blacks had it rough even in this area. Cops and drug lords or gang leaders required you to make a weekly pay off to keep your business safe. Learning about Harlem and how people survived and interacted back then was an eye opener.

In conclusion, I like his writing style because once I opened up the book I was able to read quickly. The wanting to open the book was the problem it just didn’t draw me to it. I enjoyed his book The Underground Railroad so I will continue to read his books.

If you took a historical fiction novel and a murder mystery novel and married it to an old detective radio show your get this book.

I have several of this Whitehead’s books on my TBR list but this is the first I’ve read so I was excited to read Harlem Shuffle. I found myself easily able to picture the characters and the locations within the book as the writing itself was well done. I found the concept intriguing and especially loved the iconic imagery.

With that said, I found myself unable to connect with or get into it for extended periods. I felt my interest in the story ebb often. This particular book just wasn't for me. However, I believe that others will love this book.

Voluntarily reviewed after receiving a free copy courtesy of NetGalley, the Publisher, and the author, Colson Whitehead.

Colson Whitehead is a new to me author whose past successes I had heard of so when I had the chance to read his newest book, Harlem Shuffle, I decided to take the chance. The story begins in 1959 Harlem with Ray Carney, the owner of Carney’s Furniture. Carney was mainly raised by his criminal father and has worked hard to make himself into an upstanding citizen and good husband to wife Elizabeth and father to his children. Unfortunately for Ray, his cousin Freddie pulls him occasionally into the other side, bringing him into contact with questionable people he begins to do business with. He makes justifications for his forays into the criminal side of things and as things get more intense, he must decide which side he will walk on.

It is very evident that Whitehead has a knack for putting words on paper. I was mesmerized by the story at times, but at other times had a hard time keeping up mostly due to the multitude of characters. The story jumps into three different times and occasionally I found myself lost. Some of my favorite parts were when Ray reminisced or talked with family which gave me insight into his backstory. This book intrigued me enough that I look forward to reading his backlist.

I gave this book three stars and I thank the publisher Doubleday and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this it for my honest review.

This is by Colson Whitehead, need I say more? I mean there is a good reason he's won some many big awards! This is a different kind of book than his two Pulitzer prize winning novels. There a lot of fun in this one, but tension too. Just a really good read.

We have a tendency to want to categorize writers, to pigeonhole them. We like to label them by way of their output: sci-fi writers and literary writers and mystery writers and horror writers and romance writers and on and on and on. It’s easy to do and generally accurate – even authors who diversify tend to be primarily identified by one label, so when we get writers that aren’t so readily tagged, we’re not entirely sure what to call them.

Colson Whitehead is an author who defies those sorts of labels. He’s written speculative fiction – sci-fi and horror. He’s written historical fiction. He’s written immersive participatory nonfiction and literary satire. Really, one of the few descriptors shared across his body of work is “excellent.” As far as previous books go, he’s eight-for-eight.

His latest is “Harlem Shuffle,” a crime novel of sorts that offers a vivid look at the Harlem of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. It’s got potboiler DNA, packed with capers and unsavory elements, but all of it is informed by the narrative brilliance of the author. The result is a wild ride of a novel, one that focuses on one man’s inner struggle with his past and present, wherein he seeks to do right by his family while also being the man he wants to be.

Any book by Whitehead is an event – the guy’s last two novels each won the Pulitzer Prize (“The Underground Railroad” in 2017; “The Nickel Boys” in 2020) – but this one feels like something of a throwback. It’s plenty sophisticated and carries forward many of the themes Whitehead traditionally explores in his work, but “Harlem Shuffle” is a looser read, content to lean into the narrative and let the story be what it will be.

And what it will be is outstanding.

Carney lives in Harlem with his wife and child; they’ve got another on the way. He’s a hard worker, a striver; he owns his own furniture store right there on 125th Street. It’s been a climb – he comes from a family of crooks and cons – but he’s played it straight. Well … mostly straight, at any rate. Sure, his wife’s parents don’t think he’s good enough for her – they’re among the city’s Black elite – but he does what he has to do to take care of his family.

He’s doing pretty well for himself, offering a selection of new and gently-used furnishings to his discerning clientele. He’s also reasonable with regard to installment plans, which earns him some goodwill but sometimes leaves him a touch cash-strapped. So if part of his income springs from the sale of items delivered with … questionable provenance, well, what of it? Maybe his cousin Freddie shows up with some jewelry or whatever, Carney knows a guy who can help move it along. As he himself thinks of it, he’s only slightly bent when it comes to being crooked.

But as time passes, Carney finds the draw of the shadier side of the street more and more compelling. And when Freddie’s actions pull him into the periphery of a heist that brings him to the attention of some of the bigger fish in the Harlem pond – on both sides of the law – he’s left to confront his own morality. Like it or not, he’s in it. He’s in the game, torn between the upstanding citizen and the unsavory criminal. How deep remains to be seen.

How far is he willing to go? Can he stay on the (mostly) straight and narrow? Is he going to prove to be far more his father’s son than he ever would have believed possible? Or can he somehow maintain this balancing act, a foot in both worlds? All while operating in a powder keg of a city set to explode?

“Harlem Shuffle” is divided into three sections, set a few years apart – 1959, 1961 and 1964. Whitehead takes us along on Carney’s journey; we’re right there as he deals with the myriad shifts and changes in his world. We’re privy to the choices he makes – both good and bad – as he floats in the gray area between the straight world and the shadows.

The evolution of Carney is fascinating to watch. We’re introduced to his fundamental dichotomy early on, but he’s engaged in a constant struggle. He wants to succeed; ideally, that success would come through socially acceptable means, but he’s enough of a pragmatist – not to mention smart and self-aware enough – to recognize that the paths provided him by the world in which he lives are limited. With each leap forward in time, while Carney’s interiority remains largely the same, the manner in which he presents to the world at large gently shifts. It’s a duality that makes for one hell of a character study.

Prominent among Whitehead’s many gifts is a remarkable ability to evoke a sense of place. “Harlem Shuffle” is no different, packed with tossed-off details that come together to breathe life into the setting. It’s so rare for a writer to be able to fully transport you, but Whitehead is so good at sending you where he wants you to be that you almost can’t help yourself – you’re going, so you might as well pack a bag.

We also get the exploration of racial dynamics that so often permeate Whitehead’s work, though in this case, they’re baked into the setting. With a few exceptions, Carney’s orbit consists entirely of fellow African-Americans – racial inequity here is an invisible constant, the water in which these fish are swimming. Even as resentment simmers and flares into protests and even riots, Carney and those of his ilk view the uneven playing field as simple reality. To their mind, you don’t protest reality – you accept it, as unpleasant as it may sometimes be. That mindset – as well as the stratified social echelons within Harlem society – provides compelling insight into this cast of characters.

And lest we forget, “Harlem Shuffle” isn’t afraid to get into the pulpier aspects of crime fiction. There are notes of inspiration drawn from the sorts of dime novels that Whitehead references numerous times within the context of the narrative. His prose isn’t nearly as purple and his storytelling isn’t nearly as grimy, but there’s some spiritual overlap there, not least in the almost compulsive readability of Whitehead’s prose. Once you’re in, you’re in – get ready to spend some time.

Look, “Harlem Shuffle” probably won’t be Colson Whitehead’s third straight Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. That likelihood doesn’t change the underlying truth – that this book is fantastic. This is the work of a man who loves and respects the possibilities presented by genre, a man who is unafraid to tell the stories he wants to tell in the manner in which he wants to tell them.

Make it nine-for-nine.

Set in Harlem throughout the 1950s-1960s, Colson Whitehead's Harlem Shuffle follows Ray Carney during three separate heists. Carney, trying to deviate from his father's background in crime, tries to keep his furniture business legitimate. However, his family and environment keep leading him back into the criminal world, and sometimes he embraces it.
I immediately knew I wanted to read this book because of the Colson Whitehead hype, but it was not what I expected. The over-arching plot is fun, and it's interesting seeing Carney evolve throughout the three parts of the book. I think Whitehead did a great job fleshing Carney out into a realistic character.
Out of the three parts, I liked the third one the best. I especially liked that Whitehead set the novella during the race riots, as it emphasized the underlying racial tensions in Harlem. Without the third part of the book, I probably would've rated this book 2 stars.
Overall, I was not engaged at all. The writing was choppy (definitely a style choice, and it just didn't vibe with my preference), and the structure was jarring to me. The three "novellas" tended to end abruptly, and I found that the endless detail made me want to skim the text as opposed to engaging with it. I also felt that most of the dialogue didn't add anything to the plot besides maybe ambiance, and the space could've been utilized better.
Although I didn't love it, I would recommend this title to those who prefer pulpy crime novels and those who don't mind a sentence fragment, lol.

Thank you to NetGalley and DoubleDay Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the writing style and vibe of this book but I found it easy to put down, I don't think this book was not for me but that doesn't make it a bad book. It was a bit slow though in addition to my lack of interest in the characters. If you're a fan of Colson Whitehead, I say give it a try.

Colson Whitehead once again proves that he can master and subvert any genre he decides to try his hand at!
I loved every page of this book and appreciated and SAVORED all the research that he put into the story (as it takes place in the neighborhood in which I live) and his characters.
Totally recommend to lovers of history, mystery and New York!

Harlem Shuffle is a lighter historical fiction/dramedy novel than Colson Whitehead’s two most recent Pulitzer winning novels (both of which I enjoyed immensely). The main character, Ray Carney, lives in Harlem in the 1960s, owns a furniture store, and wants to be successful through this legitimate business. However, his father was a small-time crook, and his cousin Freddie occasionally brings him stolen goods to resell. So, Ray struggles as he tries to escape a background of crime while enjoying the extra income it affords him. Will he attain his goal of success legitimately, or will he always be embroiled in the hustle?

Ray is a well-developed character, who I couldn’t help but cheer for. Whitehead beautifully describes the hustle of the crooks, Harlem in the early 1960s, and a diverse cast of characters.

I enjoyed this novel. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! Beautiful writing, loved the characters, loved the pacing. I can’t wait to read whatever Colson Whitehead writes next!

This book was so different from his last two books. I have read his earlier books but I plan on reading them, I have heard they are also much different than The Nickel Boys and The Underground Railroad.
I love when an author is this versatile, yet the beautiful writing is a constant.

I found the setting to be very interesting, I enjoyed reading about Harlem and New York in the 50s and 60s. The setting felt real. The characters, especially Carney were well developed. You could understand his motivations and also his struggles.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a book with a great setting and well written characters. I think it is a great choice for those who have wanted to read Colson Whitehead but maybe were hesitant to read The Nickel Boys due to the subject matter.

Full disclosure: I have read The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead and thought it was amazing. I wanted to read Harlem Shuffke. I enjoyed this book and found it totally different than Underground Railroad. Set in Harlem in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, it is a story of Ray Carney who is trying to make his way by owning a radio-television and furniture shop. His father was a crook. Ray’s in-laws feel their daughter, Elizabeth, married beneath her. His father-in-law called him a peddler. Ray was trying to make enough money to buy a better apartment. He found he had to pay protection money to different people and this does not help him save money. Ray agrees to fence some items for a heist his cousin, Freddie agrees to participate in of the Hotel Theresa. There is a large cast of characters which is sometimes hard for the reader to remember who they are. I think a character list would be helpful.

I liked the writing and descriptions in the book most of the time. One of the characters I liked was Pepper. He had a hard time growing up and the fifth time he got in trouble, the judge told him he could sign up for the army or go to jail. An example of Whitehead’s writing when Ray was driving his truck and Pepper was the passenger. “Pepper rode shotgun but was in the driver’s seat.” Many times Whitehead lets us know something without just saying it. There is a bit of humor. An example of humor was when Ray inherited his father’s truck.. One day he had a flat tire and when he got the spare tire out he found $30,000 in the spare. He was so glad he had not sold the tire. Ray really does want to do good but does his environment force him into some things he should not need to do? This book was an enjoyable read. At times, however, some of the descriptions did seem to be too long. my thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.