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Ellington Boulevard: A Novel in A-Flat
by
Adam Langer
Clarinetist Ike Morphy, his dog Herbie Mann, and a pair of pigeons who roost on his air conditioner are about to be evicted from their apartment on West 106th Street, also known as Duke Ellington Boulevard. Ike has never had a lease, just a handshake agreement with the recently deceased landlord; and now that landlord’s son stands to make a killing on apartment 2B.
Centerin...more
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Hardcover, 352 pages
Published
January 22nd 2008
by Spiegel & Grau
(first published 2008)
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. . . a New York story;
. . . a real estate career primer;
. . . a (man/dog) love story; and
. . . a warm and satisfying, mildly quirky modern novel.
One reviewer called this book predictable---but that didn't diminish its fun for me. It is well written and entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
UPDATE: "the morning after." I woke up thinking about this book---a rare occurance for me, particularly since it was a casual read. One o...more
. . . a real estate career primer;
. . . a (man/dog) love story; and
. . . a warm and satisfying, mildly quirky modern novel.
One reviewer called this book predictable---but that didn't diminish its fun for me. It is well written and entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
UPDATE: "the morning after." I woke up thinking about this book---a rare occurance for me, particularly since it was a casual read. One o...more
The bookstore I work at is located near the neighborhood where this novel is set. The references to area shops/bars/streets/schools, as well as other parts of Manhattan, made this an especially enjoyable read for me, probably more so than others, because I am about to move into this area of the city. And I saw Avenue Q last week too, so I couldn't help but compare the central "New York story" themes they share. I liked how Langer weaved together interrelated characters and story-lines....more
A real estate fairy tale set in New York. If I'd ever lived in New York, or Manhattan Valley in particular, I would probably have enjoyed this more, but it's still a good read.
Very similar to his previous novels Crossing California and The Washington Story. Almost too similar... in the early chapters, Ike and Rebecca appear to be adult versions of Muley and Jill. Eventually, I stopped noticing the similarities and just enjoyed the story. A favorite passage, from Ike:
"...more
Very similar to his previous novels Crossing California and The Washington Story. Almost too similar... in the early chapters, Ike and Rebecca appear to be adult versions of Muley and Jill. Eventually, I stopped noticing the similarities and just enjoyed the story. A favorite passage, from Ike:
"...more
Larry Hoffer
added it
Adam Langer hit another home run with this book, his third. What I like best about his books is his ability to create funny, memorable and even touching situations out of seemingly mundane events (man finds himself priced out of his own apartment, couple struggles with finding themselves and pursuing parenthood, aspiring actor struggles to make it and finds himself distracted along the way), as well as his ability to create truly vivid characters. Even if I didn't like all of the characters (a...more
Langer's first two novels take place in his native Chicago. Following his move to New York, this novel takes place there (although one of the principal characters comes from Chicago).
I found "Ellington Boulevard" to be less successful that the prior novels. Langer attempts a comic novel but confusingly periodically reverts to a more romantic/emotional tone, particularly at the end. Comic novels work best not with real, fleshed-out characters, but with characters built on...more
I found "Ellington Boulevard" to be less successful that the prior novels. Langer attempts a comic novel but confusingly periodically reverts to a more romantic/emotional tone, particularly at the end. Comic novels work best not with real, fleshed-out characters, but with characters built on...more
What a glorious read. This book, mostly full of humor but with its share of pathos, concerns Manhattan's continuous uptown gentrification. The neighborhood is upper upper west side (according to real estate broker's description), and the flat in question is on West 106th now called Ellington Boulevard. Towards the end of the book there is a biography of the flat, the ups and downs of the building, the various inhabitants and how long they'd lived there. The characters here are its current te...more
i started this book based in nyc. i am trying to read some books based here so i can go visit some of the places mentioned.
i need to restart it.
i need to restart it.
My first apartment in New York City was on 107th between Columbus and Manhattan, a block away from the apartment around which the plot of Ellington Boulevard turns. And let me tell you, what Langer has written is not so much a novel as a field guide to that neighborhood, from the local dive bar to the nearby entrance to Central Park, and everything in between. It's also something of a Cliff's Notes to the last 10-odd years of real estate in up-and-coming neighborhoods in the city. And it's funny...more
throughout this book you follow a cool cast of new york characters as their lives intersect and influence one another. the writing is a bit overwrought for my taste and though there were some densly detailed and heartbreaking scenes that i loved, others just left me wishing the point would arrive already. by the end i really only cared about three of the characters. the rest couldve left the narrative 150 pages prior and i would have been fine with that. i am intrigued enough to check out other ...more
Wow, I feel that I just hovered over NYC and a spied on cosmopolitan group of some of its proud citizens. While doing so I could smell the strong scent of the cities ethnic foods, hear the loud noise of its traffic and feel the emotions as its neighborhoods continue change. Adam Langer creates a wonderful tale trip over the Upper West Side of Manhattan. He becomes multiple characters including a dog (loveable Herbie Mann one of the best supporting characters in a novel in my opinion) and a co...more
Timothy
added it
i unwittingly took this novel out of the library that's about the gentrification of the neighborhood i grew up in. the story is pretty good. but the worldview & politics... kinda liberal. mediocre.
but whoa, it was pretty surreal to read this account of what's changed. it's very surface-y -- basically a list of stores and businesses. you can tell the "past" the author's comparing now to is probably, like, when he moved there 10 years ago, which was frustrating. but still, ...more
but whoa, it was pretty surreal to read this account of what's changed. it's very surface-y -- basically a list of stores and businesses. you can tell the "past" the author's comparing now to is probably, like, when he moved there 10 years ago, which was frustrating. but still, ...more
This is one of those books where you have to pay attention, but its easy to do so. It reminds me a lot of The Count of Monte Cristo (one of my favs) in this way. However, in this plot line you read the same time period from multiple character's point of view. Though at times it was hard to keep who's who in their relationships, it was all well worth it in the end.
This is an extremely well written novel that brings to life the New York we picture in our fantasies...of creative people, friendly neighborhoods...all set just like a Neil Simon play of old. The almost incestuous criss-crossing of lives is unrealistic, but works well with this type of frenetic pace. This would be perfect on stage or film....hope to see an adaptation soon.
Amy
rated it
Recommends it for:
musical theater nerds, real estate nerds, dog nerds
Shelves:
2010-resolution
Another winding tale of people and their city from Adam Langer. The loose-limbed narrative about gentrification and love is engaging, funny, and frequently insightful, but the book just didn't hang together for me as well as Crossing California. Langer packs in a few too many characters and a few too many coincidences, although I laughed out loud at the unexpected Rovner! callback. Also, the Broadway musical motif just didn't resonate for me. But there's a great dog named Herbie Mann!
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Jeanne
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people who enjoyed Crossing California and The Washington Story.
Shelves:
new-york
Adam Langer is back! After reading Crossing California and The Washington Story, I eagerly awaited Ellington Boulevard, and I am not disappointed. That's right--I love, love, love this novel that revolves around New York's real estate scene.
Ellington Boulevard showcases Langer's talent in creating characters and then connecting all of them in interesting and wonderful ways.
Quirky characters include:
Rebecca Sugarman, prospective buyer and literary editor; her hu...more
Ellington Boulevard showcases Langer's talent in creating characters and then connecting all of them in interesting and wonderful ways.
Quirky characters include:
Rebecca Sugarman, prospective buyer and literary editor; her hu...more
After two novels set in Chicago, Langer takes on Manhattan. A man with a rent-controlled apartment returns from a trip to find that his building has been converted to condos. The renter, the buyer, the seller and the real estate broker all get to tell their stories.
This is the second book by Adam Langer that I have read. This one is as good as the first (Crossing California) but the setting has changed from Chicago to New York. The humor is a little on the dark side, but still funny. The quality of the writing is very good.
Started OK, but spent too much time with the least likable characters...Feh! LOVED the other two books of his I've read (Crossing California,and Washington Story) - Go read them (start with Crossing California)
Nowhere near as good as Crossing California, but Langer still had me pinned down for the last third of the book, dying to find out What Happens?? If you like character-driven books with fun plot twists, check it out. But read Crossing California first, because that book is *amazing*.
The inter-related storylines are spectacular. Langer is a great study is transparent narration and rich character perspective. I couldn't find the author in this book, his characters were that alive.
This has it all...real estate boom in New York, hippie parents, rich WASP parents, rich, poor, self-absorbed, a great dog, a clarinet, endless jazz references, did I mention the real estate boom
I had mixed feeling about this book. It jumped around, but in this case it worked...just like busy New York City where it is set. The characters are well-drawn and very interesting. As the connections between them emerge through their connection - direct or indirect - to Apt 2B in the Roberto Clemente apartment building which is going up for sale after the owner died. One of the tenants is left with an undocumented promise that he would keep Apt 2B for lif, something his some chooses to ignor...more
Quick read. A must read for someone who lives on the Upper West Side/Morningside Heights in NYC.
Ugh. Apparently this guy used up all his juice on Crossing California, which I really liked and was goddamned genius compared to this piece of crap. The characters were obvious, lame caricatures and the plot outright stupid. It had one or two funny bits, like the titles of this one girl's short stories, but if I had to make a title for the experience of reading this book it would be something like: "So I wasted part of my life reading Ellington Boulevard and barely skimmed it towards the en...more
Not the best book ever.
This book had a lot of interesting relationships between characters and every character was connected in some way. It was cool, it was easy to keep the characters separate, but it wasn't earth-shattering and I don't think it really made much of a blip on my own personal seismograph... bizarre metaphor, but whatever.
Point is, I read it, it entertained to some degree, I read it all the way through, and some other people might be interested in it. Just not me.
...more
This book had a lot of interesting relationships between characters and every character was connected in some way. It was cool, it was easy to keep the characters separate, but it wasn't earth-shattering and I don't think it really made much of a blip on my own personal seismograph... bizarre metaphor, but whatever.
Point is, I read it, it entertained to some degree, I read it all the way through, and some other people might be interested in it. Just not me.
...more
I am about 150 pages in and I am loving this book. If you have ever dreamed of moving to New York you should read this.
AFTER FINISHING:
I really enjoyed the basic plot set-up of the book--real estate in New York and all the players.
I liked all the characters and I think Langer fleshed them all out wonderfully.
As the novel continued I felt like the novel was a hostage to what Langer already had in mind. (The way all the characters interconnect and drive th...more
AFTER FINISHING:
I really enjoyed the basic plot set-up of the book--real estate in New York and all the players.
I liked all the characters and I think Langer fleshed them all out wonderfully.
As the novel continued I felt like the novel was a hostage to what Langer already had in mind. (The way all the characters interconnect and drive th...more
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I can't say that I was completely satisfied with the latest Adam Langer novel, but I do love his characterization. Though set in New York instead of Chicago's Rogers Park, Langer's characters are believably flawed, and despite this, things seem to end pretty neatly. The novel follows a tenant, landlord, buyer, broker, and the people in their lives as an apartment in a quickly gentrifying neighborhood is shown, bought, and sold. I'd be curious to see an Ellington Boulevard musical...
Dawn has been after me to read Adam Langer, so I was pleased to start with this new book set in New York. Like many books or movies about the intersecting lives of a large group of characters, the accumulated coincidences can be creaky, but there is so much charm in the writing - and the characters' actions are so variously amusing, heart-rending, or reprehensible - that the novel surpasses the occasional shopworn plot element. Plus, there's a dog.
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Adam Langer is a journalist, author, playwright and filmmaker.
His work has been featured most recently on NPR's Selected Shorts, in The Best Men's Stage Monologues 2000, and The Best Women's Stage Monologues 2000, as well as in the Chicago Reader's Fiction Issue, and in the literary magazine Salt Hill. His plays have been produced in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, and n...more
More about Adam Langer...
His work has been featured most recently on NPR's Selected Shorts, in The Best Men's Stage Monologues 2000, and The Best Women's Stage Monologues 2000, as well as in the Chicago Reader's Fiction Issue, and in the literary magazine Salt Hill. His plays have been produced in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, and n...more
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