Reviews

Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

taras_reading's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Too much happens off stage for me and I found the conclusions of each of the 3 mini stories within this book to be unsatisfying. 

jubbygestalt's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

jkersten's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

genthebookworm's review against another edition

3.0

{Thank you to Doubleday Books for my gifted copy and my chance to share my genuine review.}

I was eager to read The Harlem Shuffle after having reading his last two novels. While my reading experiences were vastly different, I really connected with The Underground Railroad but struggled with the writing style of The Nickel Boys so I was curious as to how this one would play out.

I like complex storylines that are drawn out over time, but I struggle with ending that seem to come out of nowhere. What I have found is that each of his books are totally unique from one another.

Undoubtably, Whitehead is a gifted and prolific writer, but what I have come to learn over time, is that certain authors just aren't always the right fit for you as a reader. His sentences are impactful and he can pack so much into so few words which is an amazing literary win.

And while this works for many readers, at many points this makes his books feel challenging for me as a reader. I found that I was focusing so much on the detailed verbiage that it affected my ability to really take in the powerful premises of this books...which focus on the brutal sides of Black-American history.

While I felt a bit lost with this storyline at times, especially the flashbacks, I was highly impressed by his ability to change directions and share a crime suspense novel that also packed a powerful punch. This was a 3/5 read for me.

annabulkowski's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

brookewallace16's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

ems888's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

nevadeve's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

argman's review against another edition

tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.5

Kind of noir but in a late fifties-early sixties setting. Well written with great characters and a strong plot.

blueviolets19's review against another edition

Boring