Disappointing!

I’ve been a big fan of Richard Price having read and loved the following of his books over the years… Clockers, Freedomland, Samaritan and Lush Life.

Similar to these books, Lazarus Man succeeds in: (1) being filled with extremely well-developed, complex, real-world characters, and (2) masterfully captures the sounds, sights and smells of their respective NYC neighborhoods in such a way that you feel you are right there alongside the book’s characters.

Unlike these books, however, Lazarus didn’t succeed very much for me because it lacked a strong, cohesive plot that maintained my interest from start to finish. Instead, rather than the types of dramatic plots i enjoyed in Price’s other books, in Lazarus Man Price chose to tell his story by using a series of intertwining portraits of how the collapse of a five-story tenement in East Harlem, New York in 2018 permanently impacts the lives of a number of its characters. For me, this approach was a disappointment and seriously kept me from wanting to read it at a fast pace to find out what happens next.

2 1/2 Stars rounded up to 3 Stars.

#Lazarus Man. #Net Galley

***Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this upcoming book***
This is my first encounter with the author and I found out about him while browsing NetGalley for interesting books that were on the horizon. This one jumped out at me because the author spent time writing on HBO's The Wire, which is one of if not THE greatest television show ever made.

I wanted to like this one more and was really enjoying it at parts, but the whole product seems a bit half baked. The characters are mostly memorable and feel like real life people, the dialogue sings and comes off authentic...it's the story, character motivations and ultimate resolutions that missed the mark for me.

A valiant effort and a mostly enjoyable read, I would recommend this to people interested in a character study about people in a neighborhood who are each dealing with the ramifications of a catastrophic event that has occurred in said neighborhood.

Another amazing novel of New York City by Richard Price. The "Lazarus Man" of the title is Anthony Walker, who miraculously survives being buried in the rubble following the destruction of an apartment building in East Harlem. Anthony is just one of a multitude of fascinating characters, from a cop who responds to the scene and becomes obsessed with tracking down one of the missing tenants, to a struggling undertaker, who sees an opportunity in the disaster.

Although I wouldn't characterize the plot as propulsive, it is a brilliant character study, and that is more than enough to make it a great read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a beautiful book. Lazarus Man, although different from Richard Prices other books, is a story about human connection, disaster and how we manage that disaster. In general I'm not a fan of changing points of view but here the characters are wonderfully fully fleshed. Overall a good book.

This was a beautiful novel! Richard Price is treats these characters as if they were his best friends. The amount of love and empathy is this book is incredible. It is heartfelt and full of love.

Set in Harlem, New York, in 2008, this is the story of four very different residents of the area. Mary is a policewoman with a chldhood history of trauma who is in the process of dissolving her marriage. Royal, like the generations before him, runs a funeral parlour but now it is failing. Felix has left his rural home and followed his passion for film to the big city, only to find that he is as isolated there as he was in his family. And finally, Anthony, a mixed race man, whose life is cycling down in depression, loneliness chronic unemployment.

One morning the residential building across the road from Felix's apartment collapses, killing six people. All four of them are drawn into relationship while navigating the consequences of the collapse. Pivotally, Anthony is pulled out of the ruins and becomes the eponymous Lazarus Man. He develops a strong sense of gratitude and mission which effects the lives of all concerned.

This is a story of trauma, loss, grief and the amazing human ability to recover. At the same time, the picture of Harlem at that time is quite fascinating. The writing is just sensational. At one point I thought, I've no idea where this is going but I don't care because I am just enjoying this so much. What a story teller! The ending is great but it is definitely a shame to get to the end. I sat down and devoured it in a day.

I've never read this author, Richard Price, before but I will be looking out his previous books and looking forward to future offerings.

Thanks to the publishers for granting me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for a free and honest review.

Very definitely recommended. 4.5 stars

In many ways "Lazarus Man" is markedly different from Richard Price's previous novels (I've been a huge fan since his first book, "The Wanderers"). The beginning in particular lacks the propulsive, finger-snapping energy his writing's known for. It's more cautious—think of the difference between Springsteen's first albums and his post-1980s music.

The writing becomes livelier and more assertive as the story goes on, which enhances the underlying thoughtfulness with its contrast. If some of Price's other works were celebrations—of energy, survival, grit—this is an elegy. It's a brilliant depiction of the changing Harlem of the 2010s, but it didn't move me the way "Bloodbrothers" or "Clockers" or even his previous book, "The Whites," did. There are scenes and characters from just about every one of his previous novels that still stay with me, but I don't know if anything from "Lazarus Man" will, even though I believe, more than his other works, it's meant to.

The bottom line, though, is that even a "lesser" Richard Price novel is better than most any other novel and a must-read.

Thank you, NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lazarus Man by Richard Price is an electrifying exploration of East Harlem, set against the backdrop of a catastrophic building collapse in 2008. Known for his razor-sharp depictions of urban life, Price crafts a riveting narrative that delves into the lives of those affected by the disaster, creating a vivid portrait of a community on the brink of disintegration. The novel centers on Anthony Carter dubbed the “Lazarus Man,” who miraculously survives being buried beneath the rubble for days. His survival turns him into an unlikely beacon of hope, inspiring those around him with his newfound sense of mission.

Price’s genius lies in his ability to breathe life into his characters with just a few deft phrases, making them leap off the page as fully realized individuals. Alongside Carter, we meet Felix Pearl, a young photographer whose experiences that day awaken a sharp sense of destiny, and Royal Davis, a struggling funeral home owner whose opportunistic scavenging at the disaster site sparks a personal quest for redemption. Detective Mary Roe, haunted by her own family’s brutal past, becomes obsessed with finding one of the building’s missing tenants, adding a layer of suspense to the narrative. While Lazarus Man may not be driven by plot in the traditional sense, it is rich with small, intimate moments that slowly reveal the complexities of its characters.

Despite its gentle and soulful approach, Lazarus Man is a powerful exploration of human connection, forgiveness, and the indomitable spirit of a community facing unimaginable challenges. Though the constantly shifting viewpoints may disorient some readers, the novel’s profound empathy and beautifully drawn characters make it a deeply rewarding read.

Lazarus Man grabbed my attention with its wonderful characters and stunning writing. The story begins with the explosion of an apartment building, starting a domino effect of interactions between characters in crisis, and it ends with transformation, understanding, and hope and astonishment.

Anthony is pulled from the wreckage of the building, a miraculous survivor. He is given a second chance, like Lazarus, raised from the dead by Jesus. What will he do with his newfound fame and power?

The cop Mary searches for a missing person whose wife died in the collapse. Felix uses his camera to document every day life. Royal is trying to keep his family funeral parlor afloat. All find transformation.

The message reminded me of Rilke who advises to face the scary parts of life and wait to grow into understanding and realize that “life is right, in any case.” “It’s not about the misfortune,” Anthony learns, “it’s about how you handle the misfortune.”

And what more can we ask from a novel about a disaster, what better lesson can we embrace about life?

Thanks to the publisher for a free book through NetGalley.

Love Price and his latest is truly a welcome return. Cannot wait to buy this in hardcover. Will likely make best of lists at the end of year.

In an unsettled community in Harlem, an apartment building suddenly collapses and throws lives into disarray. Out of chaos comes creation. Anthony Walker, a man found late in the rubble is regarded a hero and begins to see a new calling. Detective Roe searches for a man possibly missing on the page, and looks at her own life a little more thoroughly as well. Royal Lyons runs a failing funeral parlor, and at first thinks this will bring him business. The story follows the reality of their lives and hopes through surprising intersections and new relationships. And the community around them is backdrop and crucible, refining actions in search of meanings. Fascinating characters and smooth plotting that comes together beautifully in the end. Highly recommended.

Unlike Richard Price’s previous books, this one is not on my recommended list.
I gave it the following SCORE:
Setting: East Harlem, 2008
Characters: A wide variety of disparate characters including a female detective, a photographer, a funeral director, the “Lazarus Man,” and other people in the surrounding area with complex lives and family situations.
Overview: This book is more of an ensemble cast with viewpoints switching quickly and frequently between the lead characters. The title man has seemingly and miraculously survived a catastrophic collapse of a large apartment building and most of the action takes place around and in reaction that event.
Recommendation: I rate this book 3 stars
Extras: The writing was excellent and the characters well-defined but the short paragraphs with constantly shifting viewpoints resulted in totally missing, or uninteresting, plot lines. A story with a conclusion for the lead actors was needed and would have produced a higher rating.
Thanx to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the opportunity to provide this candid review.

As a big fan of author Richard Price's TV work, such as "The Night Of" and obviously on "The Wire," I was primed to click with "Lazarus Man" in it's similar exploration of how various people interconnected to one another deal with a shared aftermath.

The novel, similar to the aforementioned shows, has a slice of life quality that makes it interesting to drop in and check on what these people are up to without it calling for a 'binge;' it's a read that can be spaced out for when you're in the headspace for specific, finespun stories of people feeling beat down in New York, or figuring out what's next when their known familial world shifts, or navigating a struggling business, or trying to build community in places that can feel like dead ends.

There are some great turns of phrases, too ("the whole experience turning into a hallucinating block party" or "not knowing how to soothe their outraged hearts other than through petty gestures of annihilation.")

I overall enjoyed digging my teeth into this book, at once digestible —thanks to its back and forth between different characters before one feels stale— and weighty in what it depicts.

The world’s movement is rarely felt by the life forms who live on its shoulders. Ancient prophecies speak of a shift that will lead humanity to falter & require the species to change direction; to make better choices & understand that their existence is insecure & easily eliminated. Supposing that the threat is not said in jest, one may ask what the purpose of such a reset would be. Will the forest dwellers feel relief? Will the concrete scurrying rats feel free? The world functions by default, without anything but the axis; life on Earth is a blessing, one which many human beings seek to shed.

When I requested this book, I had no concept of what I would find inside. This might be a silly thing to admit but, I did not regard the title as profound insight into the plot, nor did I seek to decipher the colour scheme of the cover art to mean more than what they were—a reflection of choice.

Inadvertently, I found myself reading this novel perturbed by its approach. While a more studied reader will have further criticism of the stylistic approach that the author has taken when presenting the narrative with characters whose lives are both specific & ambiguous; my review will focus primarily on the time count, the hours it took me to realize that this book wasn’t as long as I felt like it was.

In essence, this is a story about despair. The author introduces the reader to Anthony, a man whose past is riddled with drudgery. This first chapter promised a great saga with lore to confound the reader & I anticipated the story to play a rhythmic fiddle when enunciating the malaise that accompanied Anthony. However, this was not to be.

Price’s novel incorporates the perspectives & realities of a slew of different characters & though, at first, Anthony appears to be an ideal narrator—a character worthy of following, ever so despondent as he is—the story’s shift tumbles over the heads of those whose chapters were less riveting, one from the other.

It is not easy to incorporate so many perspectives into a single story. While the main driver of circumstance is the destruction of the apartment complex, each character reflects deeply about their feelings regarding events & people whom the reader never knows. These instances are beneficial in building the realism that Price offers the reader but, while perusing the chapters, it was difficult to engage fully with characters whose value to the story remained hidden.

Anthony reappears in the later portion of the book as the titular Lazarus man, having been found beneath the rubble of the building, it appears that he was there for days. Yet, in truth, the shock that Anthony experiences led him to wander back into the building in the hopes of finding purpose, a calling, or the door that would lead him to the end. There is a great deal of time that can be spent reflecting on the build-up of this revelation however, I feel great frustration now as I did then.

Though the story is well-written in the traditional sense, the story itself is of no interest to me. Rather, the plot was filled with individuals whose lives were riddled with anger & grief but, while reading about the slow progressing days of their lives, I was acutely aware that my days were passing me by.

More often than not, I found myself wanting to toss away the book & be done with it. I could not understand how such a story could feel like such a drag. Herein lies my main issue; this is not a story to be told in the traditional sense. The modern era of visual aids, such as documentaries films & series, remind readers that the slow progression of the redundant events in this plot, would have felt far mor engaging & interesting had they been coloured by film.

This is not a stance I am averse to adopting. Arguably, all stories need to be told a certain way for them to be appreciated as they should. In the case of these characters, one may find the hours slowly ticking by without any sensation of thrill that often results from reading a good book.

The telling—the transmission of this tale—felt stilted & dull. Not all stories need to feature speeding cars & lightning bolts but, at some point one must ask what the purpose is in rehashing the same sentient patter of the life that is lead by each character.

Each character is dealing with an infidelity; their faith has faltered, they are engaged in a sexual relationship with a less than desirable person, they are experiencing financial insecurity, & they have found themselves in the environment of the apartment collapse.

At face value, their experiences are altogether human & though perhaps less than intriguing, they are lives led by individuals & they contribute to the whole of existence. Rather, perhaps a reader who has more patience than I do will find the dreadfully slow-moving chapters that are the middle portion of this book, easier to consume.

My main qualm with this book was that it wasn’t for me. I have met readers in my life, happy to consume a book because it was a book & they needed nothing further than a story & so, they read it. Readers who may connect with this approach will appreciate this story.

In reality, nothing much happens throughout the entire book. The police officer is searching for a man whose wife died in the collapse—she finds him & he’s just a man grieving the loss of his loved one. Anthony lies & acts holier than thou, & is able to continue doing so because he’s not the first, nor will he be the last.

Yet, with each character one is left wondering what the point is. What is the story trying to say about life in New York City? What is the author’s goal when presenting readers with a slice of life rather uninspiring to those who may not be living life in the same way?

Is the reader meant to feel pity for the characters who miss their loved ones or for whom family is the collection of stray pebbles? Which part of the plot highlights the earnest truth about a life sheltered by grief? Is the narrator Anthony or Mary? Does it matter if Anthony is lying to gain praise or should a person be honest to a fault if they wish to speak on salvation?

What is perhaps most odd of all is that by the end of the story, the conclusion sets nothing to right. In some ways, the reader plays the omniscient being who watches the gastric incision take place from the amp theatre, safe from splatter. In this way, the reader is able to watch poverty, praise, sorrow, love, loss, disenfranchisement, gentrification, justice, & cheating, scramble through the lives of others without adopting any value to these experiences.

I wonder whether a deeply sensitive reader might not appreciate this stance more than a reader who, like me have walked the roadway of these realities & have little care for the clinical view they may offer a privileged reader who cares naught for the consequences of these experiences.

I have spoken ad nauseum about how tired I felt while reading this book. The cold approach it took to present a cast of characters who lived within the confines of the same community was unnecessary. There is a possibility that I am wrong & that Price saw something in this approach that I have not, having spent more time with the faces that remained in shadow than I have reading about them.

Regardless, the final product left much to be desired & though the writing was enticing & the stylistic choice of vernacular well-placed, the plot itself felt dense, while vapid of any gooey elixir.

Ultimately, the plot wraps up the storylines with enough detail to highlight that life goes on. The photographs, sexual encounters, the rambling & raving, the family business & youthful hope, the changing neighbourhood & tumultuous flow of life, weave a tapestry that is daunting & humble, leaving readers with no fond feelings of gladness for the continuation of life but rather, joy accompanied by the end of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, & Richard Price for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Maybe this is like Thornton Wilder's The Bridge of San Luis Rey with less religion. Or perhaps Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent or Graham Greene's It's a Battlefield with less politics. In any case, it's the sort of novel I like, that is, a novel where the consequences of an unexpected violent event ripple outward, causing unexpected drama and surprising changes in the lives of characters who find themselves tangled up in the wreckage, both metaphorical and literal.

The novel also does something that I feel, in this day and age, is very daring, which is (SPOILER) every sympathetic character in the book ends up happier than they were before.

Price is one of those writers who have one foot in the crime genre and the other in something more serious. He has come out every few years with an interesting-sounding novel that gets good reviews (like Clockers), but life is too full of books. I never got around to reading him until now, because I am still, today, so enthusiastic about the long-gone TV series “The Wire” (to which Price contributed) that, if I saw that the third key grip on episode five of season two had written a novel, I would add it to my endless “to-read” shelf.

I had this novel on my Kindle while living through one very long and aggravating day of air travel. My endorsement adds the following context: I also had a Pulitzer-Prize winning novel that I was supposed to read for the book club, and a very serious non-fiction book about why the place I live now is a miserable hellscape. I neglected those worthy books to read this one, simply because this book does what a good novel should: it held me with compelling characters, good writing, and believable plotting all the way through to a satisfying conclusion. I welcomed all of these because they held my attention through too-crowded airports, too-small economy class seats, overpriced airport food, and finally lost luggage.

I also think it evoked its setting (2008 Harlem) very well, was fun to read, and kept the pages turning all the way to the end. What more can you ask of a writer?

I received a free advance electronic copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.

I love Richard Price. He gets right into the ways people truly think and behave. This one is more along the lines of 'Samaritan' than 'Clockers'. It also has that TV episode feel to it. Each chapter jumps between various characters. It's not difficult to keep up and truly adds to the experience of being a part of all that is happening.
I won't recall the plot or story line, but can say that this is a title, like all of Price's work, I am certain to re-read eventually.

An East Harlem 5-story tenement collapses without warning, sending the neighborhood into chaos. The search for the residents of the building ensues amongst the rubble, yet many remain missing.

Told from the perspective of a detective, a funeral home owner, one of the missing, and a photographer, we get differing viewpoints of the scene.

Overwhelming is the only word that sums this book up. From the collapse drama to the multiple characters from different backgrounds, all my senses were on high alert from the beginning. At times, the plot became confusing as I tried to keep the story and the characters in line, but that just added to the chaotic theme of the book.

Overall, a good read. Revolving around tragedy and destruction, this novel didn’t feel as heavy as I expected, but the after-burn is definitely felt more so upon reflection.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Richard Price was a precocious 24-year-old when his first novel, "The Wanderers," was published in 1974. The book landed just after the petroleum and beef shortages that ensued during the Ford presidency and was part of a trend of romanticizing the less complicated and arguably more innocent preceding era of the 1950s.

Most of the retro fixations of the '70s have long been forgotten. (Sha-Na-Na and Happy Days reruns, anyone?) So, it's astonishing that Price, a wunderkind depicting nostalgic themes back then, has been creating fiction based on the evolving New York City street scene for exactly half a century.

Even more surprising is the discovery that his forthcoming novel, his tenth, is by far his best. "Lazurus Man" is due for publication later this year. It continues several of the themes of his earlier work, offering nuanced portraits of everyday working people whose lives intersect in a manner that could be either entirely random or perhaps preordained, should you choose to think that way.

Set in 2008, when Manhattan has not fully recovered from the World Trade Center trauma, Price introduces his protagonist with one of those exhilarating run-on sentences that fill a page and test a reader's resolve.

The about-to-be born-again Anthony Carter ("forty-two, two years unemployed, two years separated from his wife and stepdaughter, six months into cocaine sobriety...") is a schlub who is unexpectedly transformed into a hero, only to repeat the cycle in his thoughts. He emerges miraculously from being trapped in a collapsed tenement building and goes on to find purpose in inspiring others. That premise could be treacle if provided by another writer, but that's not part of Price's recipe.

His current narrative style is mature and masterful. Whereas his earlier work occasionally suggested a faint Bruce Springsteen ethos, Price has matured confidently into Charles Dickens and Tom Wolfe territory. His characters are all fully realized and richly revealed, from the homeless man who shares profound observations to the South Asian bodega keepers, African American funeral home operators, storefront preachers, sex workers, and NYPD officers who make their way through a confined space and mostly learn to co-exist -- while pausing to reflect on what it might all be about.

"Lazurus Man" will be published to considerable acclaim in November 2024. I predict it will be regarded as one of the finest novels of this year. Thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for making an advanced review copy available.

Though 'Lazarus Man' shares many of the preoccupations of earlier Price novels (specifically the close cultural anthropology of New York neighborhoods, the creaky machinery of politics and law enforcement, and the glue of human relationships which hold it all together), it has a looser and jazzier feel. This may be because there is relatively little at stake in the freewheeling plot, with much more attention paid to the ups and downs of its characters' lives, and Price's continued honing of a voice that is both world-weary and refreshingly hopeful.

Richard Price writes of the City he knows. In Lush Life, it was the lower East Side, where he lived at the time. Far as I know, he now lives in Harlem. As with other authors, he sets his story pre-2016 which avoids the changes wrought in that year.

The Lazarus Man is Anthony Walker, who is extricated from the rubble of a building that leveled itself 36 hours previously. The miracle of his being found alive sets off a media frenzy, and he finds another version of himself "blessed" (it is complicated) with the ability to inspire hope in those who listen to him. I did not for one minute forget that his words were forged by Price. What makes Price such a compelling writer is his ability to create characters that jump off the page and stand in front of you. With a few phrases, he creates an entire history and the personality that has been molded by it. The entire community is here, even the victims of the building's collapse as their stories are encapsulated in a memorial, similar to the New York Times's feature on the 911 victims, "The Lives They Led."

Another area in which Prince's talent reigns is dialogue. Years ago I had the privilege of being present at a lunch with him when he recounted the first table read of his first screenplay, in which his dialogue was informed by his experience as a novelist. After reading for what seemed an eternity, Robert deNiro looked up and asked "Am I still talkin' here?" It changed how Price's approach, and his novels and screenplays reflect his snappy, cinematic repartee.

Need I say, highly highly recommended.