I absolutely love the idea of a book about a heist, especially in the 196os in Harlem. This book just felt flat for me though. There wasn't enough plot or action for me and my attention was lost. I'm at the 50% mark and I'm going to finish the book in audio, as slow paced books work better for me in that format.

Thank you NetGalley and Doubleday books for the ARC.

Although this book was not what I expected, I especially appreciated the historical fiction aspects. I've always enjoyed New York City gang stories, and this one did not disappoint. Colson Whitehead is an amazing author - in that aspect, this one does live up to it. Don't miss this one!

I know this is a very popular author who writes meaningful books, but I just can't get into it. I stopped reading at about 30% because it was just so much about furniture... This is probably the kind of book I would need to get via audio so I could at least multitask while reading.

Thank you Doubleday books for an ebook to read a review

I recently described this to a friend as “Whitehead lite” - it’s the perfect introduction to his gorgeous prose, but with enough humor and charm to soften the lessons ever so slightly. Looking forward to going back to Underground Railroad now that I’ve devoured this.

I absolutely LOVED The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, so I was really excited to read this book. I was expecting to be completely captivated by another one of Colson's works, but unfortunately I just couldn't get into this one. I do appreciate the story setup and Ray's character, and did like the ending. I will definitely still be buying Colson's books in the future... this one just wasn't for me.

Thanks to Doubleday and NetGalley for the ARC!

I wanted to—expected to—love this book. I didn’t.

Beautiful writing shouldn’t bore me, but that’s exactly what happened here. The story wasn’t going anywhere. I fell asleep twice with my Kindle in hand.

When I can put a book down at the 50% mark, impressed I made it that far, I know it’s time to give up.

A DNF for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Doubleday Books for sending me this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

TW: violence, murder, crude language

Colson Whitehead is one of those esteemed and highly awarded authors that I’ve heard about for a while. I was very excited to finally read one of his works, especially one set in Harlem and a heist at that. I must admit that while I enjoyed the setting, prose, and the sympathetic and often-frustrating, Ray Carney. This book ended up being a little more genre-bending than I had initially anticipated, in addition to the heist/mystery aspect, it also gave a detailed look into 1960s Harlem and provided ample amounts of family drama.

However, I will say I struggled at times to stay engaged while reading this. There is no doubt Whitehead is a talented writer and I fully plan to indulge in some of his other works. Perhaps, it is due to my formulaic approach to storytelling that I have been accustomed to through the majority of the books I consume, but oftentimes this felt a bit like I was reading Ray’s personal journey. Instead of this feeling like a “typical” story with a beginning, middle, end, clear conflict and resolution, I felt like I was inside Ray’s head, as if this was his journal and not a fully cohesive tale. This led to me taking several breaks while reading the book as I essentially felt myself slogging through certain parts and then becoming fully engaged with others.

Overall I would say this was an OK read for me. Am I happy that I read it? Ultimately yes, however it will not be a book I reach for again for a reread. Whitehead's ability to create distinctive and fully fleshed character perspectives was magical. At times I could envision myself in the time, in Harlem, and it created a kinship with the characters I was reading about. I enjoy a morally grey or ambiguous character, someone who skirts the good/evil binary we are often fed and teeters on the edges of grey. It was a good introduction into Whitehead’s work and now I look forward to reading some of his other titles.

This was a fun departure for Colson Whitehead and I liked the heist plot line. I thought the characters and setting were very well drawn and enjoyed this read.

The New York Times says, "Colson Whitehead is on a tear. In the last five years, he has published three novels, two of which have won the Pulitzer Prize. Taken together, these books showcase Whitehead’s mastery over structure, history and atmosphere, not to mention a zest, shown throughout his career, for savvily mixing the palettes of literary and genre fiction." 
His latest outing, '"Harlem Shuffle" is set in the late '50s & '60s in a Harlem that is struggling with economic revival, Black upward mobility, protest marches and violent crime. His lead character, Ray Carney, is married to a beautiful and intelligent woman whose family despises him for his low birth and criminal father. Ray just wants to expand his furniture store on 125th Street and avoid trouble. Of course the reader just knows that his small-time criminal cousin is going to drag him into "just one last job" which will give all of them a chance to get a big leg up while taking down a ruthless huckster.
Whitehead has an unerring eye for spotting "shuck-n-jive artists" whether he is in an elite private club or hanging on a street corner. Unlike his last couple of books, he has fun in this one and allows us to peep over his shoulder and enjoy it as well. Definitely a change in direction but a good journey to be on.

A great exploration of everyday crime in 1960s New York City—the kind of crime about getting by, getting through, and only occasionally about getting even. I enjoyed how each section jumped forward and was its own short episode—each built on the one before, but was self contained. It built up an impression we were checking in with this group of people over time, seeing how events of the previous chapters/capers were ricocheting through their lives. I also enjoyed how the omniscient narrator seemed to speak with full knowledge of the end of the chapter and the results of each tale of criminal malfeseance, and so would occasionally drop a heavy hint to a twist or shocking outcome right before the main events—a narrative enticement to keep reading that I fall for literally every time.

This is my third Colson Whitehead novel which I have had the pleasure to read. Whitehead is gifted in drawing you into a world that he paints, so much so that you start to second guess if you don't actually live in the 1960's and are observing the protagonist's life right alongside them.

Carney walks the thin line between what is straight and crooked. The crooked side lets him dream of a bigger home for his family, however he is careful not to stray too far. But what happens when he is yanked across the line? How will he shake the responsibility thrust upon him? Harlem Shuffle follows Carney as he navigates the fine fence between "good" and "bad."

This story keep you on your toes. Constantly looking over your shoulder to see who is keeping their eye on you. This novel has me looking forward to the next world that

Thank you to Netgalley and Doubleday for access to this title for my honest review.

Colson Whitehead is certainly a good writer and I found myself smiling or chuckling at quite a few of his phrases, BUT, somehow, on the whole, Harlem Shuffle was a whole lot of nothing much of a story. I definitely enjoyed being immersed in the Manhattan of the late 1950s and early 1960s, and specifically the Harlem neighborhood. But there were so many characters to keep track of that it was hard to follow the story. Also lots of name-dropping of famous people who really had nothing to do with the story. There were a lot of asides that added some historical point of information, such as the mention of how NYC demolished Seneca Village to create Central Park, thus displacing a lot of black people, and lots of information on home furnishings (the main character owns a furniture store in Harlem), but these didn’t really move the story forward. It seems I’m in the minority when it comes to Colson Whitehead’s books, generally enjoying them but not gushing over how great they are.

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

While I received the eARC from NetGalley, I wound up mostly listening to the published audiobook by Random House Audio on a long plane flight. The narrator, Dion Graham, did an excellent job with the many voices.

I am a big fan of Colson Whitehead’s books so I was really excited when it was announced he had a new book coming out this year. The plot of this book felt really different than his others but his rich writing style never disappoints regardless of the subject.

Harlem Shuffle is a wonderful mixture of mystery, historical fiction, and pop crime novel. Set in 1960s Harlem, we meet Ray Carney. Ray owns a furniture store that’s part legit business and part front for other dealings that Ray finds himself involved - particularly when his cousin Freddie swings by. We meet his family, friends, employees, and business acquaintances along the way.

Whitehead’s way with words allows the reader to really visualize the city. You can see the people and the way they dress. The furniture store, apartments, diners, and other buildings come to life.

I don’t want to give away too much as to not ruin the plot but I really did enjoy this one and will always pick up any new Colson Whitehead book!

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Although I found the descriptions of the characters and 60's Harlem to be interesting, the novel was very repetitive and, at times, slow. There was neither enough plot nor action for the book to be engaging. The criminal activity was more background, rather than the center of the story.

I’ll start with what I loved- the writing in this book is pure Colson. Always a treat to enjoy his unique comparisons and vivid descriptions.

Unfortunately, I found this one tough to follow and not a terribly cohesive story. Perhaps it’s just me and how I like to enjoy a story, but the jumps in time were loosely connected and it felt like skimming the surface instead of diving into the characters.

Ray Carney is a furniture store owner in 1960's Harlem whose straddling the line between the honest life with his wife and kids and the crooked life as a fence. His cousin Freddie is no help in his endeavors to follow the honest path, but the money earned from his work as a fence will help to give his family a more comfortable life. As we follow him through pieces of his life as a fence, we learn that the two halves aren't as separate for him, or anybody else, as he would like to believe.

If you go into this book wanting a good crime caper, you will be disappointed. Thats how I went into it, and I nearly DNF'd it as a result. This, to me, is much more of a historical fiction character study of Ray and those he crosses paths with. Once I saw it this way, it enhanced my reading experience tremendously and I'm glad I pressed on. I liked getting to know the characters and how Whitehead made the city itself a character of the book.

One complaint is that there is a LOT of narrative (there are more details about furniture in this book) and sometimes it became a slog to get through. Overall, I'd recommend to those who enjoy a more character driven novel.

Thank you to Doubleday Books, author Colson Whitehead, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

A gloriously entertaining novel of heists, shake downs and rip offs set in Harlem in the ,960s, come from Pulitzer prize winning author Colson Whitehead. What I loved moat was the struggle the main character, Ray Carney, faces between living his family friendly life versus the life he lives underground, in the complicated world of 1960s Harlem. What wasn't my favorite was the author's writing style. It was difficult for me to follow as it jumps around a lot from viewpoint to viewpoint and character to character. For me this is not a style that I engage in well. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this writing and fully believe that this will soon become a classic. My favorite quote from this book was "How long do you keep trying to save something that has been lost?" Stopped me in my tracks. Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for an advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

Harlem of the 50s/60s is the real star of Harlem Shuffle, though Ray Carney gives it a run for its money. Ray uses a small legacy from his crook father to go straight as a furniture dealer, but can't resist being pulled back to the underworld as a fence by his cousin. It was hard for me to enjoy all the twists of the story, as I was always holding my breath that things would go seriously wrong for Ray. But the book paints a vivid and interesting picture of the New York City as experienced by a black businessman who was able to pull himself up by someone's bootstraps.

This is my second book by Colson Whitehead and the second I struggled to finish. . The setting is amazing and Colson Whitehead is a great author but perhaps not for me.
Thanks to NetGalley for my review copy.

Colson Whitehead does not disappoint in his newest novel, “Harlem Shuffle.” A tale of how one man, who goes by Carney, desperately wants to be on the “right” side of the law or fence and to run a legitimate furniture store. Carney longs to have a stable home for his wife and children. Unfortunately, his cousin’s rash decisions as well as his father’s criminal dealings from the past forces Carney to deal with the seedy-side of Harlem. Carney and his cousin become pivotal players in a heist that goes awry. Over the span of several years, Carney is haunted by his involvement all while trying to climb the social ladder to make a better life for himself and family.

Whitehead demonstrates how no matter how badly one strives for the “American Dream”, it often is just out of reach because of forces beyond our control such as race, class, and education. It is impressive how Whitehead examines such issues amidst creating a suspenseful story about a heist. The reader receives an education while being entertained. Equally impressive is how the 1950s & 1960s culture of Harlem is captured. The setting is developed so well that the reader can visualize it; this would be an amazing movie. An added bonus is the deep dive into Midcentury Modern furniture design, which the main character lives and breathes.

As a high school teacher, this book would be a great addition to a reading list for AP Literature & Composition because of the complexity of plot, characters, and setting.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me early access to this book. As I write this, this novel has become so popular that it is nearly impossible to check out at the library and is on the list for Goodreads list for 2021 Best Books of the Year.