Any new Colson Whitehead book is always a must-read for me. Even if the premise or genre doesn't quite speak to me, Whitehead's engaging and brilliant writing style is enough to make it well-worth the read. I also appreciate that Whitehead continually evolves his writing by dabbling in different genres. I usually like a heist story, but I had trouble getting into this book and it felt slow, despite the entertaining premise. Perhaps it's unfair because I have such high standards for the author. You still get Whitehead's strong writing and lines that make you think, so I'm glad I picked this up though it ultimately didn't deliver for me.

It's not often that I choose to read a historical fiction. I was drawn into Harlem Shuffle by the mystery/thriller component. - especially one involving a heist! Set in Harlem in the 1960s, this was a fun and entertaining tale of shakedowns and thrill. For those readers who have enjoyed C Whitehead's back list titles, Harlem Shuffle is up there in prose and story. It was very readable!

Colson Whitehead embarks on a double-sided exploration of 1960s Harlem in his latest work of fiction, Harlem Shuffle (Doubleday). For a Black man trying to survive and keep his furniture business afloat in tumultuous times, Ray Carney finds that street smarts are just as important as his college degree. Balancing a double life as a family man and a hustler proves to be as challenging as navigating the great promise and potential danger of New York City in the sixties and seventies. When a heist goes wrong, can Ray keep the truth from his wife and children and still come out on top?

Winner of two Pulitzer Prizes and a National Book Award, Colson Whitehead’s previous titles include bestsellers The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys. His affinity for telling stories that expose deep cracks of racism in our most cherished cities and beloved freedoms has garnered him attention on a much larger scale than most contemporary writers. In recent years, he has appeared on the cover of TIME Magazine and was even interviewed on the television show 60 Minutes. Whitehead is a rare example of a talented artist who has achieved both a large popular audience and critical acclaim. He continues to gain momentum with vivid storytelling and characters that live, breathe and bleed on the page.

A VIVID SCENE OF 1960s HARLEM

Harlem Shuffle drops the reader on the sidewalk just outside of Ray’s furniture store in Harlem. This immersive, carefully detailed environment is one of the more striking points of the book as readers travel through various parts of the neighborhood. Whitehead spent hours reading through newspaper archives for articles and advertisements from the period to help him achieve an accurate and realistic setting — and it shows. He includes brand names of furniture and even describes upholstery patterns that were trendy during the 1960s, making it easy for the reader to envision the colors and textures of the store where much of the story unfolds.

Ray does whatever he needs to provide for his family, refusing to be dragged under by currents of economic pressure and rising tides of racial inequity. When a particularly troublesome cousin surfaces with a chance to make extra cash, Ray ventures into the world of crime, making himself an accomplice to armed robbery. Their first heist is another highlight of the book, rendered in meticulous detail. Descriptions of the wood trim in the hotel lobby, the careful coordination of each member of the gang, and the limited, nervous dialogue between the perpetrators make this scene particularly memorable. After one of their partners goes missing, his cousin skips town and Ray finds himself on the hit list of the most powerful men in the city, seeking revenge for what was taken from them.

SYSTEMIC ISSUES THAT ARE STILL PRESENT

This propulsive story will have you turning pages to see how it all plays out and leave you with a lot to consider long after you’ve finished. The author has a particular aptitude for depicting scenes of police brutality and including commentary on systemic racism of the era in a way that begs the question: how much has really changed in the last 60 years?

Like many of Whitehead’s previous books, Harlem Shuffle blends and blurs the lines of genre and literary fiction. Historical fiction meets crime-thriller. It’s a mystery with a deeper commentary on racism, social inequality and patriarchy, and perfect for those who enjoy a powerful story with a protruding vein of suspense. In this literary thriller, Whitehead has crafted yet another tale that can be read in just a few sittings but deserves to be revisited multiple times to unravel additional layers of complexity.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: September 14, 2021

How excited was I to get an ARC of this latest novel from two-time Pulitzer winner, Colson Whitehead? Very…and I was instantly captivated by the characters in this book about family and crime set in 1960’s Harlem. There were times when I struggled to stay focused but also times where I lost myself in the wildly well written narrative.

📚📱 Pub Day BOOK REVIEW 📱📚
Title: Harlem Shuffle
Author: Colson Whitehead
Publisher: Doubleday Books
@doubledaybooks
Genre: Historical/Crime/Fiction

Thank you to @netgalley and @doubleday for sending me a copy of Harlem Shuffle. This was a highly anticipated read for me that I was thrilled to receive. I absolutely loved the main character Ray Carney, but I don’t know if it was the long chapters, keeping track of all the secondary characters, or the format of the three separate year sections, but I somehow got lost in the shuffle in this one! 😆

To his family and customers of his furniture store, Ray is an upstanding citizen. While his father was a crook, Ray has decided to make a decent living for his wife and two kids. But life in 1961 Harlem is tough and Ray finds himself on the receiving end of some odds and ends: such as jewelry, etc. that his cousin Freddie often drops off because Ray knows a guy he can go to behind closed doors to pawn it off too. This is a gray area Ray is ok with, but next thing he knows he gets in deeper and deeper with some unsavory characters. This sets up an internal struggle between Ray the provider for his family and Ray the crook. Harlem Shuffle spans the the early 1960s in Harlem as Ray navigates a double life of sorts.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 I’m not sure if it was the point of the story or not, but for me this felt like an ethical study of morals. Which I enjoyed pondering throughout the story. It really got me thinking. Which is always a good thing! I also really enjoyed the main character, Ray. Unfortunately, overall, this one was tough for me to stay focused and engaged throughout. Maybe it was timing of the read for me? Maybe it was reading it on a digital format? This one is out today 9/14. And despite some of my struggles, I do still recommend it.

This is the second book I have read by Colson Whitehead. It was enjoyable but I felt it was a little too long or maybe just a lot of narrative. The story takes place in the 1960's and centers around Ray Carney. He owns a furniture store in Harlem, is married with 2 kids. He works hard to give his wife the life she had growing up in a prominent black household. He has a cousin Freddie who is a little shady. Freddie gets into things and has things that have been stolen that he needs to hide or resell and he always is asking Carney to help him out with that. So the story goes. Carney is always helping Freddie and trying to stay alive. On the one hand he presents himself as an entrepreneur, but on the other hand he is involved with hustlers, bad cops and other riff raff. With a bunch of different characters set in the mix it is a good read and well written. I can see why Colson Whitehead is a Pulitzer Prize winner.

Thanks to @doubleday, #netgalley and #ColsonWhitehead for an ARC of this book

The Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

A shady side of Harlem in the 1960s that you would probably never see/ have seen on your own. A borderline crook can be too easily tempted by the thrill of theft, deceit and planned robberies.

This is the case with our protagonist, Ray Carney. A furniture store owner, Ray is the son of of such a character mentioned above. Does the apple fall far from the tree? Ray has a lovely family and successful business. Why glop it up with unsavory activities?

I never felt invested in the story’s characters which caused some disinterest in the story. I love Colson Whitehead’s writing, but the story never really grabbed me. Maybe it’s just a side of NYC I’d rather not be aware of. All in all it’s a four star read for me with a nod to a talented wordsmith Whitehead.

My gratitude to #Doubleday #NetGalley.

Colson Whitehead’s first crime novel is about Ray Carne, a furniture dealer named Ray, who has established himself as a respected business and family man in early 1960s Harlem. When his cousin Freddie’s criminal schemes drag Ray right into the thick of a shady heist situation - things inevitably go sideways.

In a chain reaction of events, Ray seems to get dragged farther into the mess - in a country already rigged against him - he has to decide if he will pay or play.

I really enjoyed this pulpy and vivid story that also felt like a bit of a love letter to Harlem. While it was a bit slow for me to get into at first, you are soon enveloped by the sights and sounds of the tumultuous times that gripped the city, and the hustle it took to make it out on the other side.

I do wish the plot had moved a little bit faster and felt it was a little bit bogged down by narrative, but if you love interesting and troubled characters, stories of family loyalty, and have a love of the history of NYC - it’s totally worth the read.

I read, and loved, Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroaded. And Nickel Boys is waiting patiently on my shelf to be read this fall. So when the opportunity came along to read Harlem Shuffle, I couldn’t pass it up.

Unfortunately I was a bit underwhelmed with the story overall. I actually liked protagonist Ray Carney, son of a small-time Harlem crook. He’s a college graduate married to the daughter of a well-healed, well-respected family who constantly look down on Carney & his roots. He runs an aboveboard furniture store but also has a side gig peddling small pieces of jewelry and TVs that his cousin and other petty thieves drop off.

I also enjoyed the atmospheric setting of Harlem in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was awash in character and portrayed both the majestic and vibrant as well as the more disreputable and seedy parts of the community.

The book is really three short stories, woven together as a portrait of Ray’s life and his struggles between doing good for his family and the continuous lure of adventure that pulls hime toward crime. It’s labeled as “crime fiction,” which I think is a bit misleading. If you’re looking for hard boiled detectives and gruesome murders, this is nis not that book.

But the story itself was rather slow, even for me who is fond of slowly evolving character studies. I felt the plot and storytelling were uneven - sometimes rushed, sometimes meandering through flashbacks of Ray’s childhood. Whitehead has built a solid reputation as a “don’t miss” author and I think this may have been a case of wrong book, wrong time as many other readers seem to love it.

I visited Harlem in 2006 and fell in love with its history. Harlem has brought so many wonderful people and things into our lives. This book delves into one life and the line between a straight life and a crooked life. You have to pay attention to the details or you will miss many of the funny observations that the author uses. It's a well-developed book that teaches people about Harlem and its people.

Colson Whitehead changed directions with his newest book, taking us into Harlem of the 1950's and 60's.

Ray Carney is a the son of a conman and crook who gets himself into college and works hard for his business degree wanting a life very different from his father's. Ray's cousin, who he grew up with seems to constantly bring Ray into his troubles which fall outside the law. The lines that Ray cross to help out Freddie bring him numerous problems but also some opportunities to earn more than he ever could owning his furniture store.

We see how Ray struggles to keep his legit life with his wife and growing family and his underworld escapades separate. There is a large list of characters in Ray's life and I think Whitehead does a great job of making them all real, not caricatures. There is some humor, but a lot of "real life". The book really takes us into Harlem during the 50's and 60's, the good and the bad; the drive to make a buck, the payoffs, the police brutality, the riots, and even the knocking down of neighborhoods for the construction of skyscrapers.

I highly recommend the read. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for this honest review.

If you enjoy books in which place is a character, where the writing evokes the sights, sounds, and smells so vividly that you feel like you have been transported, then you will appreciate this book. That said, it is in no way overly-descriptive or flowery. Whitehead takes us in to 1960's Harlem from the perspective of Carney, a man struggling to get his furniture business to flourish while simultaneously struggling to live a more respectable life than his criminal father. Carney has a cousin, Freddie, who has been like a brother to him through the years who plays a key role in Carney's unfolding story.

I feel like this book has gotten some comparisons that may set up false expectations - this is not another Deacon King Kong - it is very different both in story and tone. And I personally wouldn't call this a "heist book." There is a heist in the book, but it happens very early in the story. It is not the focal point of the story as much as the jumping off place.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. A historical fiction unlike any I have read before! The writing is spectacular - vivid descriptions, amazing characters, every scene was described so clearly that I felt as if I were a part of the book!

An incredible story about Harlem in the 1960’s - following Ray Carney, a man who does not want to follow in his criminal father’s footsteps. He owns a furniture store, married to Elizabeth and expecting his second child. As time goes on and cash flow tightens, Ray finds himself accepting used items to resell in his store - no questions asked. His cousin gets him involved with some of the local crooks - and Ray finds himself living a double life. Can he maintain his reputation and keep his family safe?

Whitehead does an amazing job of describing New York City in the 60’s. The internal and familial struggles that were faced will make you laugh and cry. A book that touches on morality, power, and race - all in an incredible way.

💰 Harlem Shuffle 💰

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Why be a doctor when you can make more money being crooked? Ray Carney owns a used furniture store in Harlem 1960’s, making a decent living for his family. His dealings may involve leading a blind eye when his cousin Freddie brings in some probably stolen goods for Carney to sell. When his wife Elizabeth is expecting their second child, she is really wanting to move to a nicer community and a nicer home with more space. As money gets tight, Carney ends up being the middle man for a large hotel heist his cousin was involved in. Can Carney maintain his good salesman persona, keep him and his cousin safe, and get the money he needs to support his family?

I am really thankful I had the opportunity to read this advanced copy. It was very eye opening to look at the difficulties people of color faced in the early ‘60s trying to make ends meet. I can’t believe the segregation that happened, such as a black man wasn’t allowed to sell a specific brand of furniture, and the ‘60s really weren’t that long ago!

Colson Whitehead has won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction twice, and so every novel he produces will come with the weight of high expectations.
His newest work of historical fiction „Harlem Shuffle“ captures Harlem and its Black community in the early days of the Civil Rights Era. Set in the early 60s , New York plays a dominant role in the story with its pavements, smells, ramshackle buildings, vicious gangsters and bent cops.
This book is a brilliant family saga which is both a crime novel and an ode to Harlem. It is also a social and racial dissection of America society of the era. His wonderfully dark humour may surprise you all the way throughout the novel.
The main character Ray Carney is a loving young husband and father, college-educated, he runs his own furniture store on 125th Street. But it’s his side hustle - as a fence for select stolen items - that allows him to get ahead. The likable Carney has convinced himself that he’s only “slightly bent” and that surely he is on the way to becoming a respectable member of society. But his cousin Freddie (raised as a brother) inevitably draws him into the crooked life, with all the potential repercussions.
Carney’s decision to join in on a heist at a swanky Harlem hotel accidentally puts him at odds with a local gangster, and he realizes that if he’s going to save himself, his family and his cousin he’ll have to embrace after-hours New York… and things take off from there…
A beautifully told tale, a hilarious morality play, a social novel about race and power, atmospheric and rich – split in three parts each three years apart reminiscent of the rhythm of the Harlem Shuffle.

Harlem Shuffle was my first book by Colson Whitehead. I look forward to reading his other books because I have heard so many great things, but this particular book was just not for me.

Harlem Shuffle is set in Harlem in the 1960s. An interesting setting for sure, and I did enjoy the atmosphere of this story and learning more about life in Harlem in the 1960s. This story mainly focuses on a black man named Carney who runs his own furniture store in Harlem and is trying to keep his life on the up and up. But he is also swayed by the temptation to make more money through various crime schemes and ends up living a double life--operating the furniture store in daylight and getting involved in more seedy operations at night.

This is a slow paced novel, and I just did not ever really figure out the plot or the point. I tried so hard to stay interested, but it never connected with me. The story is told through many small stories, and it felt disjointed. Much of the action is told by characters recollecting the events in hindsight, and that led to a lot of "telling" without much action.

Many other reviewers call this an entertaining crime noir novel. I saw someone compare it to a Tarantino movie. And perhaps that is the problem for me, as those are movies that I also have never connected with either.

While this book had an interesting setting, it ultimately did not connect with me. However, I still hope to pick up Whitehead's other books in the future, and perhaps a different reader would enjoy Harlem Shuffle more than I did.

🚨Book Review

Harlem Shuffle
By Colton Whitehead

Unpopular Opinion Warning: ⭐️⭐️/5

Sole Behind the Story: To begin, happy pub day to Colton Whitehead. You can tell a lot of time and effort was poured into these pages, but unfortunately the book didn’t do it for me. I felt like the pages just trudged along, you weren’t ever totally sure where you were in time in the book and honestly I felt like the book could be best described as a man with his hands in his pockets walking slowly down the street. There was a lot of opportunity for the action to be described and for the characters to have more personality but everything was a slow nod. Ray Carney owns a mostly honest furniture store with the occasional “hot” item. Faced with supporting his family during slow business and keeping his crooked cousin Freddie from going to jail for one thing after another, Carney bends his “rules” a bit and works with a local jeweler to keep the cash flow coming. After a heist that goes array, Carney gets involved with new clientele including a few gangsters and corrupt cops. His only hope is to come out safely on the other end. Great concept, talented writer, but maybe not another Pulitzer. Or maybe it just wasn’t my jam.

Story Behind the Soles: Carney’s wife, Elizabeth, works for a travel agency in the 1960’s. Both professional and a nice little flair, I felt these shows would fit her vibe well.

Thank you to Doubleday for the gifted copy of the book.

Colson Whitehead is a fiction's chameleon. He has never repeated himself. Going through his backlist shows that he writes about subjects that vary. Most admirably,.Whitehead isn't afraid to tackle genres.

The Harlem Shuffle is Whitehead's foray into the crime novel. The novel takes place in Harlem. between the turbulent time of the early 60's. It revolves a furniture salesman who finds himself in a world of con artists, criminals, and gangsters.

Whitehead fully emerses himself into the story. He brings the reader into this world by bringing the reader into Harlen. I was engrossed from the first chapter. I felt like I was in this world thanks to Whitehead's keen sense of atmosphere. He has definitely done his research and embraces Harlem during this time.

Colson Whitehead once again proves with The Harlem Shuffle that he is a born storyteller.

“Big mouth, small time.”

Harlem Shuffle is an historical fiction novel from double Pulitzer Prize-winner Colson Whitehead.

Carney is a small business owner in 1960s Harlem with a cousin who has from childhood often led him down a troubled path. While as kids they were shoplifting and talking back to parents, the book kicks off with adult Freddie suggesting Carney’s name for a robbery. Soon Carney becomes a fence—holding stolen goods and selling them to a third party.

The book is about Carney’s journey from a troubled, traumatizing childhood to a seemingly happy marriage, family and successful business. It’s not that Carney isn’t happy but he’s got a “crooked” side as he says.

This is an intricately plotted novel and a departure from his blockbuster Underground Railroad. It’s a departure but boy is it good. There are layers of trauma, security, inheritance and risk that cannot be explained quickly here but stay with the reader. There are many sad parts—Carney’s mother died when he was young and he was left in the care of his father who was volatile and often on the make. His best times were when he and his cousin Freddie shared a room during Carney’s time living with his aunt. When his father came back for him, he cried. This seems like his only idea of what family is and one he seeks to recreate yet risks.

The details make this book; some completely gutted me. In particular, the middle of the book where Carney tries to gain entry to a gentleman’s club and is forced to bribe a leader to allow him in, was a favorite part of the novel. In fact I liked “dorvay” the book’s middle section the most. The entire book was so moving. As I imagined the world it was easy to build an image in my mind of what Carney’s New York City looked like.

I don’t know how this book will be received and I’m sure there will be those who don’t like it. However I can’t imagine why. I knew as soon as I heard about this book that it would probably be a favorite novel for this year. I read a lot of books within the suspense-mystery-thriller genre. This book,
categorized as historical fiction, feels like a suspense novel. I keep picturing grown-Carney trying to process the trauma of his childhood while becoming a go-between for thieves and shady businessmen. It’s not easy to parse and it is this undefined main character who will stick with me.

I also appreciated that the biggest and worst scam in the book was perpetrated by white guy.

There is only one author that can pull off a book like this: Colson Whitehead. He grabs the reader immediately with his action-packed novel with cops trying to keep up with robberies, killings and the mob in NYC in 1959. One cop said, "There is a circulation, a movement of envelopes that keeps the city running."

The main character, Carney, married a beautiful woman, Elizabeth, with her father's disappointment. Carney owned a furniture shop in Harlem but also sold stolen items on the side. Elizabeth's father called her husband a "rug peddler" and always felt she deserved more. A percentage of his showroom was stolen TVs, radios and lamps -- a "wall between the criminal world and straight world."

At nine-years-old, his mother died and father disappeared. "When he was little, Carney and his father played a game where he had to guess whether or not his daddy was wearing his revolver under his pants leg." His father was testing his tailor's competency. Later, his father was killed by a cop when he broke into a pharmacy.

Carney was determined to acquire a better life. He earned a business degree and later learned how to determine the color, clarity and cut of precious and fake gems. After their second child was born, his wife helped by going back to work at a travel agency specializing in places and driving routes that were safe for Blacks. Later, the book gave the reader a glimpse of protests, riots and continued discrimination in the 60s which made their work an additional hardship.

The writing is incredibly good which is no surprise with the author's previous awards. The story has a lot of characters to remember, but there's a clear image of each one from the description that is created. There was a lot of research done and the timing of each part was perfectly presented without repeating pieces which takes skill. He added in a lot of thought-provoking expressions from what was happening in their life. It is, however, such a huge sadness to read more about the history of discrimination and rights taken away from Blacks that has not changed. "We're not going to rise unless we all rise, right?"

The cover art by Oliver Munday is colorful and striking with a sense of the 60s which makes you want to open the book.

My thanks to Colson Whitehead, Doubleday and NetGalley for allowing me to ready this copy.