Harlem Shuffle

A Novel

De: Colson Whitehead

Narrado por: Dion Graham

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys, this gloriously entertaining novel is “fast-paced, keen-eyed and very funny ... about race, power and the history of Harlem all disguised as a thrill-ride crime novel" (San Francisco Chronicle).

"Ray Carney was only slightly bent when it came to being crooked..." To his customers and neighbors on 125th street, Carney is an upstanding salesman of reasonably priced furniture, making a decent life for himself and his family. He and his wife Elizabeth are expecting their second child, and if her parents on Striver's Row don't approve of him or their cramped apartment across from the subway tracks, it's still home.

Few people know he descends from a line of uptown hoods and crooks, and that his façade of normalcy has more than a few cracks in it. Cracks that are getting bigger all the time.

Cash is tight, especially with all those installment-plan sofas, so if his cousin Freddie occasionally drops off the odd ring or necklace, Ray doesn't ask where it comes from. He knows a discreet jeweler downtown who doesn't ask questions, either.

Then Freddie falls in with a crew who plan to rob the Hotel Theresa—the "Waldorf of Harlem"—and volunteers Ray's services as the fence. The heist doesn't go as planned; they rarely do. Now Ray has a new clientele, one made up of shady cops, vicious local gangsters, two-bit pornographers, and other assorted Harlem lowlifes.

Thus begins the internal tussle between Ray the striver and Ray the crook. As Ray navigates this double life, he begins to see who actually pulls the strings in Harlem. Can Ray avoid getting killed, save his cousin, and grab his share of the big score, all while maintaining his reputation as the go-to source for all your quality home furniture needs?

Harlem Shuffle's ingenious story plays out in a beautifully recreated New York City of the early 1960s. It's a family saga masquerading as a crime novel, a hilarious morality play, a social novel about race and power, and ultimately a love letter to Harlem.

But mostly, it's a joy to read, another dazzling novel from the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning Colson Whitehead.

Suspenseful!

It started a little slow but picked up steam by the second part. I liked the characters and the way the stories touched on historical aspects. I was sorry at the end for the loss of one of the main characters but the ending closed all chapters with only a few questions to ponder at the end. Imagination! I liked it.

Starts out slow , but

The story started really slow-moving for me. So slow that I stopped listening for a couple of weeks. I got lost a few times trying to fully understand what was going on because I would zone out.
I gave the story another listen and eventually came to really enjoying it. The performance was almost perfect but he kept lowering his voice in certain situations in the story; I will assume it was for effect, however all that did was force me to increase my volume.
The story has humor, drama, and history. It let's you visualize Harlem, NY in ways you may never have thought of before and it got me to a point where I was on the edge of my seat.
I would recommend this listen.

Colson Whitehead never disappoints.

I chose this as my first book of the new year because I had confidence in this author. I am tempted to buy a hard copy just so that I might savor his beautifully crafted turns of phrases & insights. I learned so much, too.
And, Dion Graham is the best. I’ll look for his performances!

The story drew me in, narration is perfect

First off, before I even talk about the story, let me say that Dion Graham was perfect for this story. I know there were a couple of parts his voice was a little too soft, but the sound engineer should have caught that.

This book has been awaiting me on Audible for a while, and is my first book by Colson Whitehead. He invented a cast of characters who I could feel for and against. The main character, Ray Carney, is someone I rooted for from beginning to end. Sure, some dealings might have been a little sketchy, but it's tough to get by in city. I also loved tge humorous parts that usually caught me unaware.

I grew up in a different city, but I remember the mid 1960s. This book felt true to the times. I have a friend who sold vintage furniture and I was surprised at how well the author described the furniture of Ray Carney's furniture shop.

I'll be back for more Colson Whitehead. And Ray Carney. I love this book.

Not your typical detective story

With his usual intelligence , wit and style , Colson Whitehead brings us an original story of Harlem in the early 60’s. The story dragged sometimes, with not enough “action”, but the dialogue and observations are brilliant. I’m a dedicated fan!