Unfortunately, I did not like this book. While I enjoyed the setting and the plot, reading it was not a pleasant experience. The author kept wandering off in different directions and almost every paragraph kept taking me out of the story. I think this is one of these rare books that would be much better as a movie (with a slightly different screenplay)

Thank you to Doubleday and Netgalley for an ARC of this novel for my honest opinion.

I am not a big reader of a heist novel. I had a tough time getting into Colson Whitehead's novel about crime in 1960's Harlem. I really wanted to root for Ray Carney but he just couldn't keep himself out of trouble, could he?
A cast of many, many interesting named characters had me struggling to retain who was who.

I am giving stars for the writing. Whitehead is a beautiful writer and there were parts of the story that I was really into.

Overall, Harlem Shuffle is a great read if crime novels are what you are looking for.

I enjoyed reading Harlem Shuffle. The characters were well drawn and the plot interesting. The era and setting were unusual. I would highly recommend this novel.

A sensitive and enlightening tale of one man’s journey to become a respectable member of society in Harlem.
No matter where you come from it seems there are always “right” and “wrong” sides of the track and Harlem is no exception. And, just like any other place, those on the “right” side have all the same character flaws and primal instincts as those on the “wrong” side though they are able to disguise them with money and influence. Oftentimes, they are just the more successful criminals.

I wish I could like this book but this was a miss for me. The writing as usual was lovely, however, the book felt like 3 different books and plots in the same book. The second part dragged for me too much and I didn't get the point of it. The last part was my favourite part though.

The characters were interesting though and I loved seeing the way the time was described. Will definitely read more from the author but I also think there was some mis-marketing with this where this book was described as a 'heist' novel and the heist bit got over in just a few pages.

I loved The Nickel Boys so much and this was one of my most anticipated releases for the year. Unfortunately, it just did not work for me. I think it was more of my expectations and not so much the book that made me feel that way. I still look forward to what Colson Whitehead writes next as the writing is also amazing.

I absolutely love the idea of a book about a heist, especially in the 196os in Harlem. This book just felt flat for me though. There wasn't enough plot or action for me and my attention was lost. I'm at the 50% mark and I'm going to finish the book in audio, as slow paced books work better for me in that format.

Thank you NetGalley and Doubleday books for the ARC.

Although this book was not what I expected, I especially appreciated the historical fiction aspects. I've always enjoyed New York City gang stories, and this one did not disappoint. Colson Whitehead is an amazing author - in that aspect, this one does live up to it. Don't miss this one!

I know this is a very popular author who writes meaningful books, but I just can't get into it. I stopped reading at about 30% because it was just so much about furniture... This is probably the kind of book I would need to get via audio so I could at least multitask while reading.

Thank you Doubleday books for an ebook to read a review

I recently described this to a friend as “Whitehead lite” - it’s the perfect introduction to his gorgeous prose, but with enough humor and charm to soften the lessons ever so slightly. Looking forward to going back to Underground Railroad now that I’ve devoured this.

I absolutely LOVED The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, so I was really excited to read this book. I was expecting to be completely captivated by another one of Colson's works, but unfortunately I just couldn't get into this one. I do appreciate the story setup and Ray's character, and did like the ending. I will definitely still be buying Colson's books in the future... this one just wasn't for me.

Thanks to Doubleday and NetGalley for the ARC!

I wanted to—expected to—love this book. I didn’t.

Beautiful writing shouldn’t bore me, but that’s exactly what happened here. The story wasn’t going anywhere. I fell asleep twice with my Kindle in hand.

When I can put a book down at the 50% mark, impressed I made it that far, I know it’s time to give up.

A DNF for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Doubleday Books for sending me this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

TW: violence, murder, crude language

Colson Whitehead is one of those esteemed and highly awarded authors that I’ve heard about for a while. I was very excited to finally read one of his works, especially one set in Harlem and a heist at that. I must admit that while I enjoyed the setting, prose, and the sympathetic and often-frustrating, Ray Carney. This book ended up being a little more genre-bending than I had initially anticipated, in addition to the heist/mystery aspect, it also gave a detailed look into 1960s Harlem and provided ample amounts of family drama.

However, I will say I struggled at times to stay engaged while reading this. There is no doubt Whitehead is a talented writer and I fully plan to indulge in some of his other works. Perhaps, it is due to my formulaic approach to storytelling that I have been accustomed to through the majority of the books I consume, but oftentimes this felt a bit like I was reading Ray’s personal journey. Instead of this feeling like a “typical” story with a beginning, middle, end, clear conflict and resolution, I felt like I was inside Ray’s head, as if this was his journal and not a fully cohesive tale. This led to me taking several breaks while reading the book as I essentially felt myself slogging through certain parts and then becoming fully engaged with others.

Overall I would say this was an OK read for me. Am I happy that I read it? Ultimately yes, however it will not be a book I reach for again for a reread. Whitehead's ability to create distinctive and fully fleshed character perspectives was magical. At times I could envision myself in the time, in Harlem, and it created a kinship with the characters I was reading about. I enjoy a morally grey or ambiguous character, someone who skirts the good/evil binary we are often fed and teeters on the edges of grey. It was a good introduction into Whitehead’s work and now I look forward to reading some of his other titles.

This was a fun departure for Colson Whitehead and I liked the heist plot line. I thought the characters and setting were very well drawn and enjoyed this read.

The New York Times says, "Colson Whitehead is on a tear. In the last five years, he has published three novels, two of which have won the Pulitzer Prize. Taken together, these books showcase Whitehead’s mastery over structure, history and atmosphere, not to mention a zest, shown throughout his career, for savvily mixing the palettes of literary and genre fiction." 
His latest outing, '"Harlem Shuffle" is set in the late '50s & '60s in a Harlem that is struggling with economic revival, Black upward mobility, protest marches and violent crime. His lead character, Ray Carney, is married to a beautiful and intelligent woman whose family despises him for his low birth and criminal father. Ray just wants to expand his furniture store on 125th Street and avoid trouble. Of course the reader just knows that his small-time criminal cousin is going to drag him into "just one last job" which will give all of them a chance to get a big leg up while taking down a ruthless huckster.
Whitehead has an unerring eye for spotting "shuck-n-jive artists" whether he is in an elite private club or hanging on a street corner. Unlike his last couple of books, he has fun in this one and allows us to peep over his shoulder and enjoy it as well. Definitely a change in direction but a good journey to be on.

A great exploration of everyday crime in 1960s New York City—the kind of crime about getting by, getting through, and only occasionally about getting even. I enjoyed how each section jumped forward and was its own short episode—each built on the one before, but was self contained. It built up an impression we were checking in with this group of people over time, seeing how events of the previous chapters/capers were ricocheting through their lives. I also enjoyed how the omniscient narrator seemed to speak with full knowledge of the end of the chapter and the results of each tale of criminal malfeseance, and so would occasionally drop a heavy hint to a twist or shocking outcome right before the main events—a narrative enticement to keep reading that I fall for literally every time.

This is my third Colson Whitehead novel which I have had the pleasure to read. Whitehead is gifted in drawing you into a world that he paints, so much so that you start to second guess if you don't actually live in the 1960's and are observing the protagonist's life right alongside them.

Carney walks the thin line between what is straight and crooked. The crooked side lets him dream of a bigger home for his family, however he is careful not to stray too far. But what happens when he is yanked across the line? How will he shake the responsibility thrust upon him? Harlem Shuffle follows Carney as he navigates the fine fence between "good" and "bad."

This story keep you on your toes. Constantly looking over your shoulder to see who is keeping their eye on you. This novel has me looking forward to the next world that

Thank you to Netgalley and Doubleday for access to this title for my honest review.

Colson Whitehead is certainly a good writer and I found myself smiling or chuckling at quite a few of his phrases, BUT, somehow, on the whole, Harlem Shuffle was a whole lot of nothing much of a story. I definitely enjoyed being immersed in the Manhattan of the late 1950s and early 1960s, and specifically the Harlem neighborhood. But there were so many characters to keep track of that it was hard to follow the story. Also lots of name-dropping of famous people who really had nothing to do with the story. There were a lot of asides that added some historical point of information, such as the mention of how NYC demolished Seneca Village to create Central Park, thus displacing a lot of black people, and lots of information on home furnishings (the main character owns a furniture store in Harlem), but these didn’t really move the story forward. It seems I’m in the minority when it comes to Colson Whitehead’s books, generally enjoying them but not gushing over how great they are.

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

While I received the eARC from NetGalley, I wound up mostly listening to the published audiobook by Random House Audio on a long plane flight. The narrator, Dion Graham, did an excellent job with the many voices.

I am a big fan of Colson Whitehead’s books so I was really excited when it was announced he had a new book coming out this year. The plot of this book felt really different than his others but his rich writing style never disappoints regardless of the subject.

Harlem Shuffle is a wonderful mixture of mystery, historical fiction, and pop crime novel. Set in 1960s Harlem, we meet Ray Carney. Ray owns a furniture store that’s part legit business and part front for other dealings that Ray finds himself involved - particularly when his cousin Freddie swings by. We meet his family, friends, employees, and business acquaintances along the way.

Whitehead’s way with words allows the reader to really visualize the city. You can see the people and the way they dress. The furniture store, apartments, diners, and other buildings come to life.

I don’t want to give away too much as to not ruin the plot but I really did enjoy this one and will always pick up any new Colson Whitehead book!

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Although I found the descriptions of the characters and 60's Harlem to be interesting, the novel was very repetitive and, at times, slow. There was neither enough plot nor action for the book to be engaging. The criminal activity was more background, rather than the center of the story.