Colson Whitehead is an undoubtedly skilled writer! This book reminds me a bit of James McBride storytelling style, but with a lot less humor. I really like the characters Whitehead created in this story, but the action of the story feels less engaging. I would try reading this at another time, but at the moment I haven't finished. This is my first attempt at reading this author, and while I'm putting it aside I am not at all discouraged from his blacklist. On the contrary I can see what an excellent writer he is and I am eager to read his other work which might be better suited to me.

I am recuperating from a visit to the ER over the wet, so my review is coming later this week! I loved it!

Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead is a historical fiction novel following Ray Carney, a furniture salesman trying to make a living to care for his wife and children. However, Ray becomes wrapped up in his cousin Freddie's illegal activities after he robs Hotel Theresa with a local gang. Soon Ray is intimated by the gang to peddle the stolen goods, bringing out the conflict between who Ray wants to be and the illegal activities historically performed by his family.

The characters in this novel were richly developed, that evolved throughout the novel. It is clear Ray is trying his best but feels conflict on how he can help his own marriage and children and his childhood family. Freddie was also an interesting character, one that you are frustrated with, but also likely recognize as the troublemaker or hurricane in your own family. However, somehow you still felt at a distance with the characters like you are watching from the outside rather than in the world. At the beginning this distance made it difficult to get into, but then the reader quickly falls into the narrative.

The novel started off slowly in the beginning, but the pacing picked up quickly once Ray become involved with Freddie's dealings. The setting that the writing create is descriptive and you can tell is well-researched and of the time. The storytelling is fantastic that is so well-written you will reread passages. Overall this was a novel with a unique premise that was well-written. I highly recommend this for those who want to read something different from what is currently in publishing and is well-written! Previous readers of Colson Whitehead will enjoy this novel!

Many thanks to the publisher Doubleday Books and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

As always, Whitehead's writing is engaging, detailed and a notch above everyone else! Even for a more lighthearted novel, where the material is less emotionally distressing than either The Underground Railroad or The Nickel Boys, Whitehead keeps the reader deeply involved in 1960s Harlem.

One of the best parts of Whitehead's novels is his strong world building. The amount of historical detail that he is able to convey without it detracting from the actual plot of the novel is tremendous.

The main character, Carney, makes for an excellent straight man and tour guide through a world that I was unfamiliar with. Sometimes, there were abrupt changes in POV that slightly confused me but once I got used to the rhythm, I greatly enjoyed it.

I know need to go back and finish up the rest of Whitehead's backlist!

What an amazing read. I will attempt to give a good review without giving away any of the plot. I recieved this book as an ARC from NetGalley and Doubleday New York.

THis book started off pretty slowly. I did not enjoy the firtst three chapters, but the story really starts to pick up in the fourth chapter. There was a lot of background infomration in the beginning and it felt like the story was taking too lng to be told. What I did not realize in my impatience to "solve the mystery" I didn;t realize that every single word, phrase, and piece of informaton is important so pay attention.

Very simply this is very different from the ther books Ahitehead has written and that is what I love about it. He is an ecellent writier who draws you into the story in a myriad of ways. The main protagonist Carney was an interesting person to follow around and to tell the story to. His cousin Freddie is like every cousin we have ever had, the one who always gets you mixed up in something. I enjoyed this book immensely.

It’s Colson Whitehead, so we all knew it’s going to be great, but it’s also fun! Raymond Carney is a furniture salesman in Harlem, trying to outrun his father’s crooked reputation, run a good business and build a better life for his growing family. That is until his cousin Freddie involves him in a heist that goes wrong, and sets Carney on a course that changes his life. NYC in the 60’s, colorful characters, sharp dialogue, and a fast paced story.

Bravo to Colson Whitehead on his new novel Harlem Shuffle. A big Thank you to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for the advanced electronic copy. The two time Pulitzer Prize-winning author has written another outstanding story. Harlem Shuffle is a beautifully rendered, richly atmospheric and truly transportive work of art. I throughly enjoyed every page of this amazing book. The author once again changes gears and writes a wholly entertaining historical fiction, crime noir, family drama set in late 1950’s-60’s Harlem, New York. A storyline that pushes the boundaries and expectations of crime writing filled with diverse characters dealing with culture, community, socio-dynamics, politics, racism, ethics and more. Colson Whitehead’s books never disappoint and his latest brilliantly written story is definitely one that you will want to add to your fall reading list.
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Book Synopsis: “Ray Carney was only slightly bent when it came to being crooked…” To his customers and neighbors on 125th street, Carney is an upstanding salesman of reasonably priced furniture, making a decent life for himself and his family. He and his wife Elizabeth are expecting their second child, and if her parents on Striver’s Row don’t approve of him or their cramped apartment across from the subway tracks, it’s still home.

Few people know he descends from a line of uptown hoods and crooks, and that his façade of normalcy has more than a few cracks in it. Cracks that are getting bigger all the time.

Cash is tight, especially with all those installment-plan sofas, so if his cousin Freddie occasionally drops off the odd ring or necklace, Ray doesn’t ask where it comes from. He knows a discreet jeweler downtown who doesn’t ask questions, either.

Then Freddie falls in with a crew who plan to rob the Hotel Theresa—the “Waldorf of Harlem”—and volunteers Ray’s services as the fence. The heist doesn’t go as planned; they rarely do. Now Ray has a new clientele, one made up of shady cops, vicious local gangsters, two-bit pornographers, and other assorted Harlem lowlifes.

Thus begins the internal tussle between Ray the striver and Ray the crook. As Ray navigates this double life, he begins to see who actually pulls the strings in Harlem. Can Ray avoid getting killed, save his cousin, and grab his share of the big score, all while maintaining his reputation as the go-to source for all your quality home furniture needs?

I suspect this will be a huge hit, from an author I admire. However, this story did not grab me. I found it hard to relate to any of the characters. I will continue to look forward to future work from this author.

Beyond Crime, Harlem, and Race: A review of the novel "Harlem Shuffle"

Harlem Shuffle
Colson Whitehead, Author
Doubleday Books, Doubleday
Historical Fiction | Literary Fiction | Mystery & Thrillers

I’ve been a fan of Colson Whitehead’s work since I read his first novel, The Intuitionist. His take on social reality is often goes far beyond obvious tropes and predictability. Besides the eclectic subject matter of his novels (from zombie apocalypse to sci-fi slave escape thriller), his strengths as a writer are often his observational talents, his attention to quotidian detail, and his straightforward writing style that tends to hint at so much more than the stark realities he depicts. Harlem Shuffle does not skimp on social intrigue or attention to detail and history.

Part of this story feels, in the beginning at least, like a channeling of a kind of Walter Moseley approach to crime-oriented fiction. Moseley often impresses me with his depictions of post-war Los Angeles. Whitehead’s full-on story is as much about Harlem in the early 1960s as it is about Ray Carney’s troubles with petty crime. Whitehead has done his homework. There’s no question you could put this book on the historical fiction shelf. The level of detail is sumptuous and fascinating – from driving the streets during the day, to eating in numerous restaurants and dives, to the basic workaday life for many characters (particularly Carney, the main character). Perhaps the biggest treat for readers is the description Whitehead provides on Carney’s home furniture company and the trials and tribulations of being a small retail business in general.

Reading Harlem Shuffle, we’re actually treated to a story somewhat broken into three novellas from closely linked periods of time. Although everything in the book is heading towards the near weeklong 1964 Harlem riots, one of the truly unique and intriguing aspects of this novel is that Whitehead leapfrogs a good deal of what could be a straightforward story about racism and Harlem in the early 1960s. Instead, we get the unraveling of class on top of race and how complicated life can be for anyone trying to become a successful businessperson.

And yet, at times I felt distanced from this story as I read. It was difficult to feel connected to the main character, Ray Carney. Part of that problem may be the dilemma Whitehead has put Carney in, bouncing him back and forth between a desire to be an upstanding, successful businessman, and his tendency to see the financial through line that hustling and the underbelly of life offers. Carney is constantly tempted to work as a “fence” for his scheming, somewhat criminal and self-serving cousin Freddie.

There is more to this distancing, though. At times, the narrative voice feels somewhat disembodied, hovering further away from Carney’s heart and soul it should. No matter how fine the language Whitehead chooses, Harlem Shuffle can occasionally feel like social history more than story.

Ray Carney’s story is special, though, and obviously parallels the story of Harlem itself. We witness the rudiments of life as an American businessperson seeks to become successful in the heady days of early 1960s down-and-out New York City. The reader witnesses Carney’s family ties and the problems of class as it insidiously bumps real people around in real situations every day.

There are important social insights here in this story. Whitehead goes far beyond the obvious and the trite, and provides an ample dose of historical and geographic information about Harlem, trusting that readers will use their own intelligence and their own judgement to understand the depths of what he has presented. It’s likely that this book is going to be hyped somehow as crime fiction or a heist novel. I have to shrug at such a depiction. Harlem Shuffle is so much more than that.

Any new Colson Whitehead book is always a must-read for me. Even if the premise or genre doesn't quite speak to me, Whitehead's engaging and brilliant writing style is enough to make it well-worth the read. I also appreciate that Whitehead continually evolves his writing by dabbling in different genres. I usually like a heist story, but I had trouble getting into this book and it felt slow, despite the entertaining premise. Perhaps it's unfair because I have such high standards for the author. You still get Whitehead's strong writing and lines that make you think, so I'm glad I picked this up though it ultimately didn't deliver for me.

It's not often that I choose to read a historical fiction. I was drawn into Harlem Shuffle by the mystery/thriller component. - especially one involving a heist! Set in Harlem in the 1960s, this was a fun and entertaining tale of shakedowns and thrill. For those readers who have enjoyed C Whitehead's back list titles, Harlem Shuffle is up there in prose and story. It was very readable!

Colson Whitehead embarks on a double-sided exploration of 1960s Harlem in his latest work of fiction, Harlem Shuffle (Doubleday). For a Black man trying to survive and keep his furniture business afloat in tumultuous times, Ray Carney finds that street smarts are just as important as his college degree. Balancing a double life as a family man and a hustler proves to be as challenging as navigating the great promise and potential danger of New York City in the sixties and seventies. When a heist goes wrong, can Ray keep the truth from his wife and children and still come out on top?

Winner of two Pulitzer Prizes and a National Book Award, Colson Whitehead’s previous titles include bestsellers The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys. His affinity for telling stories that expose deep cracks of racism in our most cherished cities and beloved freedoms has garnered him attention on a much larger scale than most contemporary writers. In recent years, he has appeared on the cover of TIME Magazine and was even interviewed on the television show 60 Minutes. Whitehead is a rare example of a talented artist who has achieved both a large popular audience and critical acclaim. He continues to gain momentum with vivid storytelling and characters that live, breathe and bleed on the page.

A VIVID SCENE OF 1960s HARLEM

Harlem Shuffle drops the reader on the sidewalk just outside of Ray’s furniture store in Harlem. This immersive, carefully detailed environment is one of the more striking points of the book as readers travel through various parts of the neighborhood. Whitehead spent hours reading through newspaper archives for articles and advertisements from the period to help him achieve an accurate and realistic setting — and it shows. He includes brand names of furniture and even describes upholstery patterns that were trendy during the 1960s, making it easy for the reader to envision the colors and textures of the store where much of the story unfolds.

Ray does whatever he needs to provide for his family, refusing to be dragged under by currents of economic pressure and rising tides of racial inequity. When a particularly troublesome cousin surfaces with a chance to make extra cash, Ray ventures into the world of crime, making himself an accomplice to armed robbery. Their first heist is another highlight of the book, rendered in meticulous detail. Descriptions of the wood trim in the hotel lobby, the careful coordination of each member of the gang, and the limited, nervous dialogue between the perpetrators make this scene particularly memorable. After one of their partners goes missing, his cousin skips town and Ray finds himself on the hit list of the most powerful men in the city, seeking revenge for what was taken from them.

SYSTEMIC ISSUES THAT ARE STILL PRESENT

This propulsive story will have you turning pages to see how it all plays out and leave you with a lot to consider long after you’ve finished. The author has a particular aptitude for depicting scenes of police brutality and including commentary on systemic racism of the era in a way that begs the question: how much has really changed in the last 60 years?

Like many of Whitehead’s previous books, Harlem Shuffle blends and blurs the lines of genre and literary fiction. Historical fiction meets crime-thriller. It’s a mystery with a deeper commentary on racism, social inequality and patriarchy, and perfect for those who enjoy a powerful story with a protruding vein of suspense. In this literary thriller, Whitehead has crafted yet another tale that can be read in just a few sittings but deserves to be revisited multiple times to unravel additional layers of complexity.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: September 14, 2021

How excited was I to get an ARC of this latest novel from two-time Pulitzer winner, Colson Whitehead? Very…and I was instantly captivated by the characters in this book about family and crime set in 1960’s Harlem. There were times when I struggled to stay focused but also times where I lost myself in the wildly well written narrative.

📚📱 Pub Day BOOK REVIEW 📱📚
Title: Harlem Shuffle
Author: Colson Whitehead
Publisher: Doubleday Books
@doubledaybooks
Genre: Historical/Crime/Fiction

Thank you to @netgalley and @doubleday for sending me a copy of Harlem Shuffle. This was a highly anticipated read for me that I was thrilled to receive. I absolutely loved the main character Ray Carney, but I don’t know if it was the long chapters, keeping track of all the secondary characters, or the format of the three separate year sections, but I somehow got lost in the shuffle in this one! 😆

To his family and customers of his furniture store, Ray is an upstanding citizen. While his father was a crook, Ray has decided to make a decent living for his wife and two kids. But life in 1961 Harlem is tough and Ray finds himself on the receiving end of some odds and ends: such as jewelry, etc. that his cousin Freddie often drops off because Ray knows a guy he can go to behind closed doors to pawn it off too. This is a gray area Ray is ok with, but next thing he knows he gets in deeper and deeper with some unsavory characters. This sets up an internal struggle between Ray the provider for his family and Ray the crook. Harlem Shuffle spans the the early 1960s in Harlem as Ray navigates a double life of sorts.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 I’m not sure if it was the point of the story or not, but for me this felt like an ethical study of morals. Which I enjoyed pondering throughout the story. It really got me thinking. Which is always a good thing! I also really enjoyed the main character, Ray. Unfortunately, overall, this one was tough for me to stay focused and engaged throughout. Maybe it was timing of the read for me? Maybe it was reading it on a digital format? This one is out today 9/14. And despite some of my struggles, I do still recommend it.

This is the second book I have read by Colson Whitehead. It was enjoyable but I felt it was a little too long or maybe just a lot of narrative. The story takes place in the 1960's and centers around Ray Carney. He owns a furniture store in Harlem, is married with 2 kids. He works hard to give his wife the life she had growing up in a prominent black household. He has a cousin Freddie who is a little shady. Freddie gets into things and has things that have been stolen that he needs to hide or resell and he always is asking Carney to help him out with that. So the story goes. Carney is always helping Freddie and trying to stay alive. On the one hand he presents himself as an entrepreneur, but on the other hand he is involved with hustlers, bad cops and other riff raff. With a bunch of different characters set in the mix it is a good read and well written. I can see why Colson Whitehead is a Pulitzer Prize winner.

Thanks to @doubleday, #netgalley and #ColsonWhitehead for an ARC of this book

The Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

A shady side of Harlem in the 1960s that you would probably never see/ have seen on your own. A borderline crook can be too easily tempted by the thrill of theft, deceit and planned robberies.

This is the case with our protagonist, Ray Carney. A furniture store owner, Ray is the son of of such a character mentioned above. Does the apple fall far from the tree? Ray has a lovely family and successful business. Why glop it up with unsavory activities?

I never felt invested in the story’s characters which caused some disinterest in the story. I love Colson Whitehead’s writing, but the story never really grabbed me. Maybe it’s just a side of NYC I’d rather not be aware of. All in all it’s a four star read for me with a nod to a talented wordsmith Whitehead.

My gratitude to #Doubleday #NetGalley.

Colson Whitehead’s first crime novel is about Ray Carne, a furniture dealer named Ray, who has established himself as a respected business and family man in early 1960s Harlem. When his cousin Freddie’s criminal schemes drag Ray right into the thick of a shady heist situation - things inevitably go sideways.

In a chain reaction of events, Ray seems to get dragged farther into the mess - in a country already rigged against him - he has to decide if he will pay or play.

I really enjoyed this pulpy and vivid story that also felt like a bit of a love letter to Harlem. While it was a bit slow for me to get into at first, you are soon enveloped by the sights and sounds of the tumultuous times that gripped the city, and the hustle it took to make it out on the other side.

I do wish the plot had moved a little bit faster and felt it was a little bit bogged down by narrative, but if you love interesting and troubled characters, stories of family loyalty, and have a love of the history of NYC - it’s totally worth the read.

I read, and loved, Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroaded. And Nickel Boys is waiting patiently on my shelf to be read this fall. So when the opportunity came along to read Harlem Shuffle, I couldn’t pass it up.

Unfortunately I was a bit underwhelmed with the story overall. I actually liked protagonist Ray Carney, son of a small-time Harlem crook. He’s a college graduate married to the daughter of a well-healed, well-respected family who constantly look down on Carney & his roots. He runs an aboveboard furniture store but also has a side gig peddling small pieces of jewelry and TVs that his cousin and other petty thieves drop off.

I also enjoyed the atmospheric setting of Harlem in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was awash in character and portrayed both the majestic and vibrant as well as the more disreputable and seedy parts of the community.

The book is really three short stories, woven together as a portrait of Ray’s life and his struggles between doing good for his family and the continuous lure of adventure that pulls hime toward crime. It’s labeled as “crime fiction,” which I think is a bit misleading. If you’re looking for hard boiled detectives and gruesome murders, this is nis not that book.

But the story itself was rather slow, even for me who is fond of slowly evolving character studies. I felt the plot and storytelling were uneven - sometimes rushed, sometimes meandering through flashbacks of Ray’s childhood. Whitehead has built a solid reputation as a “don’t miss” author and I think this may have been a case of wrong book, wrong time as many other readers seem to love it.

I visited Harlem in 2006 and fell in love with its history. Harlem has brought so many wonderful people and things into our lives. This book delves into one life and the line between a straight life and a crooked life. You have to pay attention to the details or you will miss many of the funny observations that the author uses. It's a well-developed book that teaches people about Harlem and its people.

Colson Whitehead changed directions with his newest book, taking us into Harlem of the 1950's and 60's.

Ray Carney is a the son of a conman and crook who gets himself into college and works hard for his business degree wanting a life very different from his father's. Ray's cousin, who he grew up with seems to constantly bring Ray into his troubles which fall outside the law. The lines that Ray cross to help out Freddie bring him numerous problems but also some opportunities to earn more than he ever could owning his furniture store.

We see how Ray struggles to keep his legit life with his wife and growing family and his underworld escapades separate. There is a large list of characters in Ray's life and I think Whitehead does a great job of making them all real, not caricatures. There is some humor, but a lot of "real life". The book really takes us into Harlem during the 50's and 60's, the good and the bad; the drive to make a buck, the payoffs, the police brutality, the riots, and even the knocking down of neighborhoods for the construction of skyscrapers.

I highly recommend the read. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for this honest review.