I keep hearing about how wonderful a writer Colten Whitehead is, and I jumped at the opportunity to review his latest novel, Harlem Shuffle. I loved his writing style and I’m ready to read more of his books.

Harlem Shuffle takes us back to the 1960s in Harlem. There are three separate, but related, sections of the book. Ray Carney owns a furniture store in Brooklyn and is happily married to Elizabeth. Elizabeth grew up in a wealthier family and her father does not approve of Ray. Ray grew up the son of Big Mike, a criminal in Harlem. Ray is only slightly crooked. He may fence stolen items for his cousin Freddy, but he is mostly on the up and up. When Freddy gets Ray inadvertently involved in a jewel heist, Ray’s life changes forever. It becomes harder and harder to keep the two sides of his life separate. Is Ray the striver or Ray the crook his true nature?

This book was excellent. I loved the noir aspect of it and vivid descriptions of Harlem in the 1960s. I felt like I was immersed in this world. I loved the characters and Ray’s internal struggle. I loved his loyalty to his cousin Freddy. I had a hard time with the format after the first one third of the book until I realized they were basically three separate stories. In the first and last story, Ray gets involved in bad business to help out Freddy, and in the middle Ray gets vengeance against someone who crossed him. I thought it was interesting that there wasn’t much difference between crooks and “high class” people.

Favorite Quotes:
“’I may be broke sometimes, but I ain’t crooked, ‘ he said to himself. Although, he had to admit, perhaps he was.”

“A few blocks was the difference between the strivers and the crooks, between opportunity and the hard scrabble.”

“How long do you keep trying to save something that was lost?”

“You could never know what was going on with other people, but their private selves were never far away.”

Overall, Harlem Shuffle was a great novel set in the world of Harlem in the 1960s. It was a family drama, crime caper, and the American dream all rolled up into one.

A Review Copy from NetGalley and Doubleday. Thank-you! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. There is no doubt that Colson Whitehead is a leader in literary fiction. He has written and won well deserved awards. I really enjoyed how Harlem Shuffle was a little more light hearted yet dramatic with bits of comedy thrown in.

Colson Whitehead does it again! This book transports you in time to the 1950s and 60s and tugs at your heartstrings in ways Whitehead manages to do in each of his books. Highly recommend!

Harlem Shuffle is a story that follows the life of Ray Carney, a family man who owns a furniture store and is just trying to provide a better life for his family. When money gets tight Ray finds himself laundering stollen goods and getting caught in a vicious cycle that he can't get out of. With the influence of his cousin Freddie things get very dicy. I had very high hopes for this book. I LOVED The Underground Railroad, but this one just didn't live up to that standard for me. I just didn't find myself engrossed in this story and it fell short for me. I still gave it 3 stars because Whitehead's writing is still amazing. I just didn't click with the storyline. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC.

Pacey caper plot - fun genre play from Colson Whitehead, delivering, as always, well-crafted prose. But Harlem is the real star.

Harlem Shuffle follows the activities of Ray Carney, a black owner of a furniture store in New York. Thanks to his relationship with his cousin Freddie he becomes involved in fencing stolen property. Even so, Carney works on elevating his status within the community, seeking to join a business association and sell upper-end furniture. Peppered with corrupt cops, street thugs, and even some white collar crime, the story is compelling and the writing is excellent. While the book offers an enlightening glimpse into the black community of 1960’s New York, the ending is disappointing, leaving the reader asking, “Is that it?” Because the ending was less than satisfying, I have rated it four instead of five stars.

The descriptions in the book are rich, the dialogue believable. The reader can easily imagine the office, restaurant and apartment settings where much of the story takes place. There is not a slow or dull moment, The story moves along at a good pace and keeps the reader engaged. Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was the first I have read of this author; I look forward to reading more of his work.

I received an ACR from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Harlem Shuffle was unexpectedly very different from the previous book by Colson Whitehead that I've read, The Underground Railroad, but it was just as good. Harlem of the late 50s and into the 60s came alive with this trio of heists that Carney finds himself involved in, culminating in the Harlem riot of 1964, which felt all too timely living in Minnesota with the death of not only George Floyd, but most recently Amir Locke, Winston Smith, Daunte Wright, more black men than I can name, and the protests and riots in Minneapolis and across the country. Harlem Shuffle is historical fiction that felt all too current at the same time.

This is an author that’s always a must read. #colsonwhitehead #harlemshuffle #doubledaybooks every book this author writes is different. It’s about Harlem life in 1959. It’s a love letter to Harlem and it’s time in the past. This is one of those authors. Books. Where you need to read it. And. Judge for yourself. #bookstagram #netgalley #readersofinstagram #bookshelf #netgalleyreads #readerlife

I could not get into this book. It was so slow and it could not keep my interest . I've read 2 other books by Colson Whitehead and his writing style is very textbook-like. His story ideas are great but his delivery is dull. He tells a story like a textbook instead of involving you in the story.
Thank you for the advanced copy.

I received an a Kindle ARC of this book and it also happened to be my book of the month pick for October 2021.

I picked this book because of all the buzz around this author's work. I really want to read The Underground Railroad, but this was the first book I got my hands on.

My expectations for this book were really high, but I could not get into this book at all. I stuck with it hoping it would pick up, but the pace was very slow. The story itself was okay, but we are told about events that happened rather than being part of what happened (if that makes sense). This book is definitely not a page turner; it took nearly three months to get myself through it. It was very easy to put down.

Even though I was rather disappointed with this book, I am still going to read The Underground Railroad as soon as I get my hands on it!

'Harlem Shuffle' by Colson Whitehead is a book in the style of Elmore Leonard, a departure for Colson Whitehead, or is it?

Ray Carney is a family man in Harlem in the early 1960s. He's got a furniture business and is a 'striver' during the day and has a shadier side at night, thanks to his cousin Freddie. Freddie pulls him in to capers and Ray acts as a fence, reluctantly sometimes. When Freddie steals the wrong thing, Ray may be in over his head.

A crime novel is a departure, but not the themes of race and power. The world here is palpable and living. The descriptions of the neighborhood and all that furniture are great, but do slow the pace down, which I leisurely took in, but other readers may balk at. Ray is an interesting character, neither good nor bad, he's just trying to do what's right for his family against a system that seems rigged against him. I really liked this book and Colson Whitehead is a favorite author. I highly recommend this book.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Doubleday Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC (egalley) in exchange for an honest review. Colson Whitehead is one of the most talented and versatile writers in modern time. Every book is different - it's really amazing that his catalog of books have all been written by the same person. This book is interesting because it takes place in a time that I don't often read about -- the 1960's and it's main character Ray is flawed in a way that many people are . He is a "crook" but trying to make his way through life as an upstanding citizen. This is a family drama novel as much as it is a crime story. I highly recommend this book. Plus it's Colson Whitehead...can he really do wrong? My great-grandchildren will be reading his novels in high school American Lit class one day as classics.

My review of this complimentary advanced reader copy is my unbiased and honest opinion.

I found this story an interesting view of life in Harlem in 1959. Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed by the characters and the story. The characters were predictable in their struggles to make life better but feel trapped in a life dealing with unsavory police.

Ray Carney went to Queens College and desperately tries to leave his relationship with the crime world behind. He runs a legitimate business or that’s his intention. It seems that being “bent” is different than being “crooked.” That is, of course, until he gets lured back into a situation which does little to maintain his reputation.

The writing is strong but the story unjust underwhelmed me.

I love Colson Whitehead - but this one fell short of the mark for me.

His talented writing is right at the forefront, but the plot lacked cohesion, a decent pace, and any intrigue. The summary promises a heist, which is really just a background plot to the main one which is... actually, I still don't quite know. There were many subplots but none really gathered enough momentum to become poignant enough for me to tell you what the book was about without giving you a full summary. On top of all of this, the timeline kept confusing me, as it felt like we were being pushed backward and forward through time - although we were not. Additionally, there wasn't a single character that I particularly bonded to, and there were quite a few who made me actively roll my eyes. This one wasn't for me, and the only reason it didn't get a 1 star review was because Whitehead's prose and tone was still spot on - but the story really wasn't good.

Whitehead does it again! It's 1960s Harlem and the community is thriving. Ray Carney is working to move out from the cloud of his father's shady lifestyle and make his new furniture store a success. Ray's story seems to constantly have him taking two steps forward and one step back as he gets dragged back into trouble by his cousin time and time again.

The book is broken up by chunks of time and can read a little disjointed. It took a little while to get into the swing and timing of the story but ultimately was a great read!

WOW a great book that EVERYONE should read at some point in their life.


Ray Carney, owns and operates a furniture store in Harlem. Carney is living in two worlds though: the up and up furniture store and the goods that must have fallen off a truck somewhere. Will Carney be able to navigate these two worlds or will everything hes ever known change?

First of all, I want to say that I am extremely honored to have received an e-arc from Doubleday and Colson Whitehead.

This is first and foremost, a love letter to Harlam and a time in the past. This novel is very well written. There are scenes that I will remember long after reading this book. Colson Whitehead has a way with describing characters like no one else. It is a great look into Black Harlam in the early 60s. If I were to classify it, I would call it a crime novel. I found it slow in the beginning. The pace definitely picked up in the third part of the novel.

I ultimately gave it 3.75. I would recommend it for people who want to be immersed in the time period it is set in. I would not recommend it for people who are looking for a thriller. The audiobook is also extremely well done.

In Harlem in the 1960s, used furniture shop owner Ray Carney considers himself only “slightly bent when it came to being crooked.” To his customers, he’s a friendly businessman making a living for his family, and no one knows the crooked life he grew up in. When money starts to get tight, and his cousin Freddie brings in the odd jewel, Carney doesn’t ask where it came from, he just passes it along. Eventually though, his slight bend begins to catch up to him.
…
The setting of Harlem in the 1960s and gangster noir introduced me to a new style of historical fiction. I enjoyed learning about all of the various stories from Carney’s life and the strong community aspect of his neighborhood on 125th. I grew more worrisome as the novel progressed as to what types of situations our MC was going to find himself in next. However, the jumping timelines and POVs did make parts of this novel difficult to follow and I had to go back and re-read sections more than once after being dropped into a new setting or POV at random. In the end everything comes together but it was a journey to get there. This was my first Colson Whitehead novel and while the prose is absolutely beautiful, the odd plot and lack of action left me disappointed and underwhelmed. I walked away feeling like this was not the Colson Whitehead I’ve been continuously hearing about.

Thank you NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Different shift from Colson Whitehead's previous books. More humor but the same engaging feel. Painted Harlem in my mind's eye and was hard to put down. Recommended to all public adult collections.

A love letter to Harlem indeed.

Not my favorite Colson Whitehead novel by a mile, but a good book nonetheless. I’m not sure Whitehead is capable of writing a bad novel. Harlem Shuffle features a fantastic cast of complex and highly readable characters. Character development left nothing to be desired, I was blown away by how fluidly and authentically his characters grow and change across the narrative. To that point, the writing is incredible (as usual), though I do remember having to move slowly through a few passages to make sure I wasn’t misinterpreting his meaning (something to keep in mind, but not necessarily unusual for this author). It was usually worth the slog through.

I’m not sure if that’s the case here, though.

It’s disappointing, and maybe it’s just that I’m comparing too much to the other Whitehead novels I’ve read (namely Nickel Boys and Underground Railroad, which are, with good reason, his most popular), but this one just…didn’t deliver. I think the pacing is what suffered here. I couldn’t really sink into Harlem Shuffle, and that made it feel like a much longer novel than it was. It lacked the engaging quality I’ve come to expect and appreciate in his books. I loved the backdrop of 1960s Harlem

It’s unfair, I think, to compare Harlem Shuffle to his more popular titles because it’s just so different from what he’s written. Less historical fiction, more thriller/heist/noir. It was an interesting deviation, but I don’t think it was an effective one. The writing was good, of course, but that just wasn’t enough to make up for the lack of momentum throughout. Caught myself skimming through a lot of parts just searching for something to happen.

Still, even a mediocre Colson Whitehead novel is worth picking up, if for no other reason than his books are very readable just for the wonderful writing.

Thank you very muchly to NetGalley and Doubleday for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.