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itsmandaaa's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
griffo's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
the_sunken_library's review against another edition
4.0
Fast paced, gritty and violent. A fantastic crime novel set in the heart of Harlem, Chester Himes paints such a vivid picture of blackness and whiteness in America. Its funny, shocking and alien to me. I will deffi be sampling more of his repertoire.
beingjada's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lwoodwould's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
missyjohnson's review against another edition
2.0
Disjointed. For the most part this almost read like a comic book. The con games, fighting, murder and all other sorts of vice. The dialogue seemed stilted and was certainly dated, but the book was written in 1958. that also may not be a fair assessment as I am not the least bit aware of how folks in Harlem spoke to each other back in the 50’s. There were a few places where the author did a good job of describing the neighborhood and tenements. Some were vividly and nicely written, the rest with the interactions between folks were caricatures. I am now a bit curious to watch the movie made of this book just to see if it was improved upon or had to be done as slap stick
vortimer's review against another edition
4.0
Hard boiled crime thriller with blackly comic elements, as dim-witted undertaker's assistant Jackson falls for a scam, and steals from his boss to pay off a fake Marshal, and enlists the aid of his scam artist twin brother to retrieve his savings and rescue his dodgy girlfriend. He digs himself further and further into trouble as he stumbles through a world sometimes seen from the outside in hard boiled detective stories, but here it's portrayed with pace and swagger by an author who was part of that demimonde.
I listened to the Samuel l Jackson narrated audio book, who really brought it to life.
I listened to the Samuel l Jackson narrated audio book, who really brought it to life.
minkkmuse's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
gritty and atmospheric: smoke-filled bars, greasy dollar bills, the rain-slicked harlem streets.
butterscotchsundae's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5