A Rage in Harlem

A Grave Digger & Coffin Ed Novel

By: Chester Himes

Narrated by: Samuel L. Jackson

Length: 5 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Nominee, Fiction, 2013

Academy Award nominee Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, Star Wars films), fresh off the success of his uproarious, Audie-nominated performance of the mock children’s book Go the F**k to Sleep, delivers a swaggering, darkly-humored rendering of Chester Himes’ classic first novel.

Himes, described by The Sunday Times as “the greatest find in American crime fiction since Raymond Chandler”, was no stranger to the world of crime: in his late teens and early 20s, he served seven years in the Ohio State Penitentiary for armed robbery, the confession to which was beaten out of him by the police. He delivers the tale of his hopelessly naïve hero suddenly finding himself on the run from a hypocritical and far-from-heroic police force with lurid violence and brutal humor. There is no voice better than Mr. Jackson’s to narrate this hardboiled story of love and crime, set in a richly imagined, mid-20th-century Harlem.

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©1957 Chester Himes (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Love Samuel L. Jackson!

I bought this book because of the narrator. It was a decent book made better by the excellent reading. I was NOT disappointed!

A Rage in Harlem

I read this book a few years ago enjoyed the audiobook just as much !

Great performance by Samuel L. Jackson.

If you could sum up A Rage in Harlem in three words, what would they be?

The story was fun and fast paced from a different era. Samuel L. Jackson makes the book come to life with great infections.

A great match

Where does A Rage in Harlem rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Very close to the top of my audio book list

What did you like best about this story?

Chester Himes has always been one of my favorite authors since a writer friend of mine introduced his books to me in the 90s. All of his Grave Digger and Coffin Ed stories are exellant and filled with a diverse cast of characters and places.

What does Samuel L. Jackson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Mr. Jackson is a perfect foil to bring to life the myriad of voices in this story. His range and skills are perfectly matched to this style of story.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Not all that sparkles is gold.

PHENOMENAL

Chester Himes is an unappreciated master of noir fiction. His writing sings and Samuel L. Jackson gets the tune exactly right. The story is entertaining, characters are exceptionally well drawn and the violence is as brutal as it is unexpected. Give it a try.

Awesome!

Would you consider the audio edition of A Rage in Harlem to be better than the print version?

Never read the print book, but Samuel L. Jackson was superb. The story was fun, action, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Which scene was your favorite?

All the scenes where Jackson kept saying that his woman was innocent and she wouldn't do anything like this, and everyone kept referring to him as a square. Jackson is great character.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely.

Any additional comments?

It's amazing how things can spiral out of control so quickly. I couldn't believe where Jackson started and where he ended up. Great book. Highly recommended.

the story line was so unbelievable .

What did you like best about A Rage in Harlem? What did you like least?

nothing best,least the language

What was most disappointing about Chester Himes’s story?

THE WAY HE PORTRAYS BLACK PEOPLE. All of us don't live these lives or know of these people.

What aspect of Samuel L. Jackson’s performance would you have changed?

Mr. Jackson , I feel is very hard to believe .He reads just like he talks and that is not good. My first time listen to him and my last time.

Do you think A Rage in Harlem needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

no

Any additional comments?

I did not finish this book it was to differ cult to hear Mr. Jacksons style of reading.

Tightly paced, intricately plotted

I loved this book. I kind of wish I read it, though the narration is awesome. It's so tightly paced and so intricately plotted. The writing is great, in particular the use of simile to describe things; sometimes he'll layer three or four similes on top of each other in one sentence, and if the writing wasn't as good as it is it would almost me laughable. But he makes it all work.

The characters are all mostly weird, unlikeable caricatures of hoodlums and low-lifes, with a couple exceptions. The book takes place in Harlem in the late-'40s, and you can feel how dangerous the area must have been. Everyone is a grifter or a crook, and people are shooting, stabbing, and robbing one another without a second thought. The scenes are so well drawn that you get absorbed in the setting.

The plot is byzantine, and involves a chest of gold ore, a man dressed as a nun, a couple drugged-up killers, and a con woman who's working both sides. The main character is a dimwit named Jackson, who is getting conned left and right by everyone in the book. He's probably the only redeemable character, but while he professes his religious nature he also winds up breaking the law every chance he gets, so probably not. One of the things I really like about the story is that it edges right up to the point that it's almost a comedy, because of how dimwitted Jackson is and how many surreal situations come up. In one paragraph it'll almost make you laugh out loud, but then in the very next paragraph a main character will meet an untimely and incredibly graphic demise. It really keeps you guessing.

The single best character is a cop named Gravedigger Jones, who becomes a recurring character of Himes's, and it's clear from Samuel L. Jackson's narration that this is the character he'd want to play in a movie adaptation. He's a bit player in this story, but he's framed as a force of nature, and literally everyone in the book is terrified of him. He's great.

This is the best narration I've ever heard. Samuel L. Jackson does all the voices, even the women and the couple of white characters (which is kind of hilarious to hear). He has an excellent sense of pacing, and when the (numerous) action scenes play out, he steps up the tempo to the point that he's talking as fast as he can. It really adds to the whole effect, and it's great.

an okay story

Samuel Jackson did the best he could with this so so story. I really didn't like the story iat all. The main character was pitiful.

Fast Paced Thrill Ride

Any additional comments?

I thought the book was exceptionally well narrated. S. Jackson really transmits the feeling of the place and the chaos of the life style. The charachters's different personalities are portrayed with caring detail. The story seems light and fast but the performance is well worth the effort. Well Done!