Not what I was expecting at all, but I liked it!

The Doorman takes an anthropological view of the residents and staff of the Bohemia, a famous apartment building on Central Park West. As tensions simmer in the city following a police shooting, violence also finds its way inside the solid walls of the Bohemia. But who, what and why? You'll have to wait until the end as events slowly, slowly spool out. It does have a Bonfire of the Vanities feel, if you like Tom Wolfe.

I normally love Chris Pavone's book but for some reason this one wasn't doing it for me.

I ended up DNFing it around 65%. It didn't keep my attention and I didn't care about any of the characters.

I think I'll have to try and reread this when I'm more in a thriller mindset - because normally I LOVE Pavone's novels!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the opportunity to review this book! I think I'll have to reread in order to appreciate it as the masterpiece that I know it will be.

I have always enjoyed Chris Pavone books. I find them interesting and fast-paced. The Doorman is a little different, focusing on a larger cast of characters all living in one apartment building. This book leaned more heavily on character development than plot, a contrast from Pavone's other works. While I enjoyed it, it is my least favorite of his novels. If you're expecting a fast-paced thriller like his other works, you might be disappointed. The action doesn't really pick up until the very end. It was a good story - just not what I'm looking for or expect from Pavone.

Thank you to #FarrarStrausandGiroux and #NetGalley for a free copy of #TheDoorman by Chris Pavone. All opinions are my own.

This book was not for me. I could not get into the storyline, could not relate to the characters, too political and used some crude language which I am not a fan.

The Doorman is a pitch-perfect, riveting, social satire of society beneath the glossy surface of contemporary Manhattan. While showcasing author Chris Pavone’s previous award-winning talents for fiction, this thought -provoking novel is also much more intense than his earlier works. In this well-paced story, narrated by the long-term Doorman and residents of one of New York’s most famous and exclusive buildings, the author explores behaviors of the ultra-wealthy; struggles of the less fortunate; absurdities of left and right political extremes; racial tensions, sex, greed, crime and despair. The writing is clever, the characters are realistic, the plot is believable, the city is authentic in its tarnished splendor, the suspense becomes extreme, and the story twists, turns and speeds up like the NYC subway as it hurtles along its path. Nothing is missing in this powerful book that I could not put down while I also did not want to end.



Thank you to Net Galley and Farrar, Strauss & Giroux for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Doorman by Chris Pavone tells the story of a group of people who live and or work inside the Upper West Sides luxury apartment building, The Bohemia. It's told through the lens of the various characters experiences, and explores American's current political climate, love, loss, and betrayal, all with intertwining story lines leading up to crime that connects all of them.

I enjoyed this book and looked forward to reading it. It may not be enjoyable to those that don't want the angst of politics creeping into their literature. I would not likely recommend this book to a friend unless I felt like they had a specific interest.

Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux for an advanced copy of the book, through Netgallery, in exchange for an honesty review.

Although I am a big fan of Chris Pavone, this book didn't really work for me. It tells the story of the doorman at a fancy New York apartment building as well as those of some of the residents. I felt it could have been a lot shorter and although I agree with the points he was trying to make about income inequality, classism, racism, etc,, these were not organic to the story and seemed heavy handed.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the DRC of #TheDoorman. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

A contemporary story of privilege, class and race set in an exclusive New York apartment building. The story centers on two residents (Emily & Julian) and employee Chicky Diaz, the doorman. Chicky is drowning in debt, yet every day he is surrounded by the uber-wealthy at his job. Emily IS the uber-wealthy, but now that she knows where the money comes from, she wants out. And Julian realizes that his career, marriage and life might be ending very soon. Everything converges on a night when racial/social tensions in the city are ready to blow. And 3 lives are changed forever.

I enjoyed this a lot. Feels timely in this current social/political climate.

A lot of this book, apart from being a thriller, is an upstairs-downstairs kind of novel, aspiring to be satire. I say aspiring, because at many points, I was really confused if Pavone was satirising the mega wealthy Upper West Siders or sympathising with their pro-Trump, post-truth rhetoric.
Either way, a book so in tune with the confusions of the immediate times, that is what makes it interesting. The story progresses like many of these do: rich people doing rich people things, thinking they can get away with murder. There is also a lot of the standard world building — descriptions of New York neighbourhoods; adjectives heaped on to describe the "Bohemia", this art deco apartment building on Central Park West, where our characters either live or work, and which is as good as a character itself. Voyeuristic, but I enjoy reading about the shenanigans of the rich. There is a special kind of joy in looking down upon the rich and their meaningless existence in their million dollar clothes and apartments and shoes.

The novel takes place over the course of a day, as the personal lives of the three central characters - the mega rich and glamourous housewife Emily, kinda-sorta-rich gallerist Julian, and the mostly poor doorman, Chicky — progressively devolve into a complete and utter mess. Of course you are rooting for these three — Emily because she is a stunner (she is compared to Alexandra Daddario at least twice), Julian because he is earnest, and Chicky because he is truly, a good guy. I could see the final confrontation coming; but because of the heavy dose of politics, Pavone kept me guessing almost until the end.

I have only two gripes: one, when switching point of views between the three principal characters, the titles used their residence/ work as the indicator instead of name. Apartment 2A, it would read, and we'd be on a morning jog in the Central Park. Pretty confusing. And two, it took some time to get into the story. I powered through maybe the first 80 pages before the story became less clunky and more pacy.

Great Sunday read. Even for the politics.

I have read previous books by this author and was looking forward to this one, however, it didn't quite, in my estimate measure up to his previous works, good, just not as good. Chicky Diaz is the doorman for the very exclusive Bohemia apartment building where apartments sell in the millions, Chicky likes his job, but he's got issues in his private live, his wife passed away and he's facing huge medical bills, he's behind on rent, owes a loan shark and is worried about his kids and his own health. The story is told from the perspective of a few tenants, the Longworth's who own the largest and most expensive apartment in the building, Whit, the husband, makes his money in questionable fashion, something his wife, Emily never questions. It's a loveless marriage, though Emily is very attached to the lifestyle she enjoys, but that doesn't stop her from making a very unwise decision. In another apartment Julian Sonnenberg is an art dealer, very expensive art, usually in the hundreds of thousands or millions per piece. Emily and Whit know Julian, they have purchased art from him in the past, so when one piece is questioned, things start to sour. During a protest about the killing of a black man, the Bohemia becomes ground zero for an epic showdown. I really found the ending part of the book the best written part. I would recommend. thanks to #Netgalley and #MCD for the ARC.

Overall, I thought The Doorman, by Chris Pavone was a curious mix. The characters and their arcs are solid and compelling. As someone who lived in Manhattan for over a decade, I found the references to city life were spot on. But for almost the first third of the book there is a near complete absence of plot. The first real plot point appears at the 30% mark. As a bestselling published author. (DS Kane's Spies Lie series), I think thrillers should have their first tplot point no later than the 15% mark.

I almost gave up on this book, but after the first plot point dropped, the book took off and drew me in. It is, from that point on, a great read.

I really tried with this book but it was so very slow and a little too overtly conservative for me. I am giving it a few stars for good writing and an interesting character in Chickie Diaz, but the pacing is very off. Two and a half stars rounded up.

Not a bad story, but parts made me bored or uncomfortable so 3 stars is my rating.

I had read Pavone's books previously and looked forward to this one. Chicky is a doorman with problems of his own, let alone having to deal with problems of the residents of the condo building in NY city where he works. He always has a smile in spite of his problems as he realizes that no one wants to hear his problems and they only want someone to fix their problems.

The lives of the uber wealthy do have aspects that even their money cannot fix. Money can't fix who you love and who you want to kill. Their relationship made me want to skip over them; enough said for now so i don't spoil it for you. Another couple has a better relationship, though only marginally better, but he has health issues to worry him.

Conflict on the streets has everyone worried and facing danger which heightens the tension for all, wealthy or not.

The details on art were what bored me and I thought it was overdone and not needed for the storyline, even though art as an investment and life choice plays a big role; it wasn't interesting to me so I skipped that.

Maybe it was just too long? I don't know that I could give it more than 3 stars even without the issues I mentioned.

thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy. Opinions expressed here are my own and are freely given.

The Doorman by Chris Pavone’s is the second book I have read by this author.
The book was a little long and with the history of the characters told in detail.
The doorman, Chicky Diaz has been there for 30 years and never misses a day.
Emily Longsworth, the sweet wife of the richest and mean man in the penthouse.
Julian Sonnenburg is an art dealer who is at the end of his career.

It was an interesting book about class – the desperation all classes feel. I did enjoy the story = worth a read

Thanks NetGallery for this Arc. Unfortunately for me the book was very slow moving until the end. It didn't really keep my interest at all

This book was overwritten, the writing was glib and the characters were depressing. I enjoyed Mr. Pavone's previous novels, but this journey into literary fiction didn't work for me. I won't be reviewing this for Booktrib.com as I don't write negative reviews, but I'm sending these comments along.

The Doorman by Chris Pavone is a timely look at class, racism, political divides, and the grimy underbelly of capitalism in the United States. The titular character, Chicky Diaz, is the doorman at the Bohemian on the Upper West Side, a building well-known for its millionaire and billionaire residents. This novel follows Chicky and two residents of the Bohemian as tensions build in New York City. Tensions around race in the wake of the murder of a black man by NYPD, tensions around the unchecked greed of one of the Bohemian's residents, and personal tensions surrounding relationship struggles.

Pavone builds the suspense and anxiety in The Doorman with precision, scattering small bread crumbs into the narrative to keep you turning page after page. Some of the characters will have you hate-reading because they are so abhorrent and others will have you cheering for them to get their happy ending. The Doorman is heavy on social commentary and politics, which might not be for you, but it definitely was for me, particularly from the pen of Pavone, who examines these issues with tenacity.

Huge thanks to Chris Pavone, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The Doorman.

The Bohemia is an iconic historical apartment building in the fancy part of New York City. Chicky, the doorman of the title, is one of a cluster of people with difficult and complicated lives. This impressive novel follows each of them as their paths cross and their lives mingle in the run-up to the startling conclusion.

Amid the compressed story, the author shows thought-provoking insights into current events in our society and into human experiences and motivations.

The novel is beautifully written, with a wealth of telling details and fully developed characters as well as evocative glimpses of New York City and its history.

Chris Pavone’s THE DOORMAN is a big book, maybe longer than optimal, but big also in the sense of its scope and goals. Set in a venerable West Side Manhattan apartment building, the Bohemia, and amply peopled by staff and residents, the book offers a microcosm of our stratified society, with its thriller plot coalescing in the final pages.

The book is told from multiple perspectives, most notably Chicky Diaz, the ever-scrupulous doorman, and Emily, the heart of gold, perfectly attired wife of the richest and most evil of the building’s residents.
The time frame is tightly controlled also, with flashbacks to fill in details, and spatially located primarily in the building, from the front door to the penthouse.

That is the structure of the book, but its main interest lies in Pavone’s incisive writing style and his trenchant social and political observations. This is a novel brave enough (and egalitarian enough) to ask why one group of people were more likely to hold open doors and kowtow to another group than the reverse. And conclude: “No one wanted to ask these questions or everything fell apart. Absolutely everything.”

With thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book was very slow moving and spent quite a bit of time on background information. Basically, nothing exciting happens until about the last 10% of the book, and I found myself often impatient for the story to move more. However, I did was to read it to the end to find out what happened.

Thank you to Net Galley and Farrar, Straus & Giroux for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.