Harlem Shuffle is how one event/evening can change your life. Ray Carney owns a furniture store on 125th in Harlem in the 1960s but in order to cover the rent Ray moves small amounts of jewelry and other items for people. One night he get dragged into a heist by his cousin that will change the way his life is going. This is a story of a man who is "only slightly bent when it came to being crooked…” but will events bend him a little farther. Will he become more like his crooked father or will he find a way out of it.

This is not my favorite of Whitehead's novels but as I think back on it there is something about this Ray that makes you route for him and the hope that he finds a way out of all that has been brought upon him. This was a good read.

I was really looking forward to reading a book by Colson Whitehead, but this one just wasn’t the one for me. Set in 1960’s Harlem, the story centers around furniture salesman, Ray Carney and his cousin, who is of questionable character.

Ray is trying to make an honest living, but somehow his cousin manages to get him involved in the shady side of Harlem. Ray is juggling his business and his secrets, trying to keep his family from finding out about his double life.

I had so much trouble getting interested in the story that I set it aside for a while. I’m glad I did finish it and find out what happened to Ray during all the shady dealings. It was also an enlightening look into life in Harlem during the 1960’s.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

Colson Whitehead gives us another poignant, captivating work in Harlem Shuffle; his deft hand with historical fiction and his incredible character development are on full display. The story of Carney, a furniture store owner in Harlem in the early 1960s, takes the form of smooth narration punctuated with rich, powerful moments.

Gradual, nuanced character development creates and then systematically tightens a reader’s sympathy and frustration with Carney. He is a truly flawed hero, a Willy Loman type who just wants the American dream, but his surroundings and most of all his race place larger and larger hurdles in his way.

The book is certainly timely and explores a different part of Black history than those we often see in historical fiction. Finally, I love the fact that it is single narratiive. Whitehead doesn’t need the way-too-popular gimmick of multiple narrators or multiple time periods to show his prowess or keep a reader’s attention.

Thank you to Colson Whitshead, Doubleday Books, and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review..

"Carney was only slightly bent went it came to being crooked..." 1960's Harlem lifelong resident, Carney, has seen his days of abandonment, hardship, hustling, and temptation. With a growing family to support, he wants to be more, to do better than his own dad, and yet, he can't seem to quite get ahead without being pulled into the life of crime, a life in which his own father lived, and it costs him time and time again as he is witness and victim to acts of violence, stemming mostly from a major heist in which he becomes too involved.

Whitehead is truly a masterful storyteller. While Harlem Shuffle did not engage me as much as Underground Railroad, it is a story that is uniquely told and has such detail that I felt like I was walking alongside Carney in the streets of Harlem, among the characters of his world.

" Beneath the vast and eternal churn of the night sky, the eyes adjust. One night Freddy said the stars made him feel small. The boy’s constellation knowledge stalled after the dippers and the belt but you didn’t have to know what something was called to know how it made you feel. And looking at the stars didn’t make Carney feel small or insignificant. The stars made him feel recognized. They had their place and he had his. We all have our station in life. People, stars, cities, and even if no one looked after Carney and no one suspected him capable of much at all, he was going to make himself into something."

...Carney's story is one of struggle and perseverance. In the vein of Ocean's Eleven without the humor. Even though our circumstances and stations in life are different from each other, each of us struggles to find our own place, to carve out our own lives, making things a little bit better for the generation ahead of us. Carney never stopped trying to do this.

Thanks, Net Galley for the arc in exchange for my honest review. I paired the audio version with the digital arc and I can say the audio narration was perfection and truly made the characters come alive. While it isn't my favorite Colson Whitehead book, it was definitely worth the trip to Harlem to visit this cast of characters.

Not my favorite of Colson Whitehead's body of work, but a solid read nonetheless. Contemporarily relevant themes and ordinary characters are what make it interesting.

#harlemshuffle
#colsonwhitehead
#historicalfiction
#NetGalley published 9/14/21
#doubledaybooks

I have heard such good things about his books about slavery. Never got a chance to read them. So when I saw this book, I jumped at the chance to read it. But it has taken me forever to get to 60% and decide that it was time to put it down. Yup. This was a #dnf. I don't do this often but my falling asleep on this book constantly has made me fall behind on all my other ARC's. Also, since it was slow and library books have come in in the middle, I have deferred to the new books and didn't miss this one at all. 🤷‍♀️ I think I gave it a fair amount of time.

Now about the book itself. It took a while to even be able to understand what the book was about. The beginning was very disjointed. The writing was a little choppy. But I think that the choppiness was intentionally done. I think it's the way the main character, Carney thinks. There really is only one main character the others all seem to just be support. I could not get invested in Carney at all. He's a furniture store owner who goes a little dirty. The book started just after the war but then all of a sudden its the 50s, maybe 60s. It was not very distinct. I just could not get into it.

I'm done. I give up.

#harlem
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I don’t really know how to describe this book. I didn’t read about it going into it, I was just sold on it being by Colson Whitehead, whose writing I had heard nothing but good things about.

This book was brilliantly written. It’s divided into parts and, honestly, after part one and after part two I was like “well what could possibly come next?” And then was pleasantly surprised. It’s not the fastest paced book, but it’s very intriguing and immersive.

"Ray Carney was only slightly bent when it came to being crooked…" Carney isn’t exactly a crook. He’s a small business owner, selling furniture from the store he owns! I mean, he does sell some things on the side, every once in a while when his cousin Freddie brings something around, without asking any questions but… he’s not at all like his criminal father. Until Freddie volunteers Ray as the fence for an upcoming robbery, and everything changes…

3.5 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This is a good historical fiction mystery set in Harlem in the early 1960s. Ray Carney came from nothing and with his drive and ambition he's opened his own furniture store selling reasonably priced furniture. Money is always tight, so if his cousin Freddie drops off the occasional piece of jewelry, he doesn't ask questions, and neither does the jeweler he takes it to.

When Freddie falls into a crew that pulls a high-profile heist, Ray is drug into the aftermath. Ray must navigate the criminal world, and every step he takes could mean the end of his way of life, or even his life.

The book is well-written and the characters are fully formed. Ray is smart, cunning and very determined to better his life and stay alive. The book's pace is slow and steady, which is good as far as worldbuilding and setting the tone, but hard to plow through at times. There were definitely parts of the book where I found myself skimming to get to the next plot point. While I'm used to reading books that move a lot quicker, this slow-paced, methodical book was a nice change of pace and I liked it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Doubleday Books. All opinions are my own.

How have I not read any of Colson Whitehead’s other books? His writing is wonderful with portrayals of people and places feel so real and you will have no trouble visualizing it in your head as you read. I’d love to see it as a movie or series.

Told in three parts 1959, 1961, and 1964, Ray Carney is constantly being pulled into trouble by his cousin, Freddie. Carney just wants to make a good living for his family, but he is unwillingly pulled into a heist and things tumble from there.

Sprinkled with a bit of humor and several historical references, this book was fantastic.

Many thanks to @netgalley and @doubledaybooks for the digital copy of this book!

This is the first by Whitehead I’ve picked up and was floored. I am usually not a historical fiction fan, so I’ll admit to being a bit hesitant, but this story wows. Whitehead paints a perfect picture of 50s Harlem and opened my eyes to so many things I had not before thought of or considered. This novel is absolutely a love letter to Harlem, a place that many immediately think of in a negative light and I love the adoration which is clear through this novel.

Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead is a beautifully written novel about Harlem with all its elegance and grittiness of the 1960's . We meet Ray Carney who is striving to be a high end furniture guy with a upstanding business and well respected in the community. But is contrasted with another side of himself with a growing family and in-laws who feel his wife deserves better, that he should do better. And yet he struggles with another side of himself that has friends in low places, comes from a line of shady characters and sometimes turns a small profit from stolen goods. Carney is quickly in over his head and the struggle is coming to a head. I recommend this book, it did take a while to get moving along, but overall I am happy it is in my library. I received an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own.

Meandering, and definitely mis characterized as a crime novel. This is a character driven journey to the 1970s Bronx that happens to include a heist.

"Ray Carney was only slightly bent when it came to being crooked..." To his customers and neighbors on 125th street, Carney is an upstanding salesman of reasonably priced furniture, making a decent life for himself and his family.
Few people know he descends from a line of uptown hoods and crooks, and that his façade of normalcy has more than a few cracks in it. Cracks that are getting bigger all the time.
Harlem Shuffle's ingenious story plays out in a beautifully recreated New York City of the early 1960s.
It's a family saga masquerading as a crime novel, a hilarious morality play, a social novel about race and power, and ultimately a love letter to Harlem.
But mostly, it's a joy to read, another dazzling novel from the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning Colson Whitehead.
A special thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this novel in exchange for an unbiased review.

Another excellent, thought-provoking novel from Colson Whitehead. Expertly drawn and paced with a lush setting. Ray Carney is such a well-developed character that I know he'll stick with me for a long time.

Enjoyable but this is not his best work. I still think about The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys but as soon as I finished this book I forgot about it.

Colson Whitehead loves Harlem and it is so reflected in this tale in Harlem in the 1950-60’s as he places you in the midst of Harlem by relaying in minute detail block by block, restaurant by restaurant and hotel by hotel. He has fully researched the Harlem area and I found his description of the glory days of the entertainment world particularly fascinating. The plot, I found, is complex and sad in that society itself let along a family tie have combined to chain Ray to a life of crime whether he actually accepts that he is part of the problem. I wasn’t used to the tempo of Ebonics used whenever there was to be a crime caper but that is a personal preference. Readers of historical fiction, particularly New York area, and crime fiction will enjoy this book. Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday for an ARC of this book. This is my honest review.





PLEASE NOTE: I have submitted a copy of this review both on Goodreads and Amazon on September 14, 2021.

I have never read a book by the author but thought the synopsis sounded too good to pass up. So glad I requested this book. The writing was superb and the story engrossing. My next stop is the author's back catalog to see what other gems I have missed.

Thank you to Doubleday and Netgalley

I was interested in this book purely because I had enjoyed other books by the author and not really based on the description of the plot.
Though this isn't usually a book I'd pick up, I was so glad that I did. The author is able to totally transports readers to a specific time and place with this work. The writing is detailed without being overly descriptive. The plot kept me on the edge of my seat. I think this book will be great for new readers to discover an amazing author. It will especially appeal to those who enjoy a strong sense of place and crime fiction.
After finishing it, I saw that he called this book his "love letter to Harlem", and I really think it reads that way. I can't wait to go back and read more of his previous works!

Colson Whitehead does historical fiction is such a raw, atmospheric, and authentic way. This is not your light and fluffy WWII, women with her back turned to the cover type historical novel. This is multi-layered and vibrant giving readers a view into 1960s/1970s Harlem and the crime and familial relationships that colored the town.

At the end of the day, this book is about hustle. Hustle for your family, for your life, for your survival. Filled with diverse characters, events from the Civil Rights movement, and a complex plot, this is a great read for those looking to expand their understanding of the 1960s. I think this would be great for students to read for an independent novel but probably wouldn't adopt for a whole class read - maybe one day.

Another great Whitehead novel. I loved the character of Carney. He was so well developed as a character. It was interesting to see him justify his actions to himself. The pacing threw me a bit. At times I wasnt sure where the plot was headed and what the point was but I stuck with it and was glad i did. ill be recommending this to alk my patrons who like historical fiction and diverse reads.