Reviews

Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

Only show reviews with written explanations

fromrida's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

andrewdixon1000's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

kim_j_dare's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

While Whitehead's latest doesn't pack the punch of Underground Railroad or Nickel Boys, it's worth reading-- or listening to Dion Graham's narration of the audiobook. The book starts off with the sentence, "Carney was only slightly bent when it came to being crooked." And that sums up a lot of the story arc right there. Ray Carney, furniture store owner in the Harlem of the 1950s and 1960s, is determined to be a respectable, upstanding citizen-- completely different from his small-time crook of a father. But the straight and narrow is so... narrow. Carney has big dreams for himself and his family. Readers are taken through all the ups and downs, the highs and lows, and are immersed in the cadence and the decadence of Harlem as it was 60 years ago. Rambling and meandering at times, but the prose is sly and often gorgeous, and Carney is a character worth getting to know.

Thank you,Penguin Random House and Libro.fm for the audiobook!