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Brooklyn Noir (Akashic Noir)
New York’s punchiest borough asserts its criminal legacy with all new stories from a magnificent set of today’s best writers. Brooklyn Noir moves from Coney Island to Bedford-Stuyvesant to Bay Ridge to Red Hook to Bushwick to Sheepshead Bay to Park Slope and far deeper, into the heart of Brooklyn’s historical and criminal largesse, with all of its dark splendor. Each contr
...moreebook, 0 pages
Published
December 10th 2009
by Akashic Books
(first published July 1st 2004)
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BOTTOM LINE: One of the earliest of the acclaimed series of anthologies. A nice mix of regular PI stories and moody melodrama, salted with bits of neighborhood color; has little gloss but a good deal of emotion.
Stories by:
Pearl Abraham, “Hasidic Noir”
— a bit too much ethnic info, not enough noir but good characters and tricky plot
Nicole Blackman, “Dumped”
— devilishly fine revenge tale
Ken Bruen, “Fade to... Brooklyn”
— several kinds of crooks and criminals, moody
Maggie Estep, “Triple Harrison”
—...more
Stories by:
Pearl Abraham, “Hasidic Noir”
— a bit too much ethnic info, not enough noir but good characters and tricky plot
Nicole Blackman, “Dumped”
— devilishly fine revenge tale
Ken Bruen, “Fade to... Brooklyn”
— several kinds of crooks and criminals, moody
Maggie Estep, “Triple Harrison”
—...more
I inadvertently went from reading Selby’s “Last Exit” to this collection of short stories. Unfortunately, I don’t think any author truly captured the essence of Brooklyn. The tales could have come from just about any major city.
The stories ranged from first to third person and each tale was consistent with narrative. Although all of the stories were good, three truly stood out for me.
Ellen Miller’s “Practicing” was beautifully written and had the most depth. And of the four female authors, she w...more
The stories ranged from first to third person and each tale was consistent with narrative. Although all of the stories were good, three truly stood out for me.
Ellen Miller’s “Practicing” was beautifully written and had the most depth. And of the four female authors, she w...more
I am intrigued by Akashic Books Noir series - the central idea, location-based crime anthologies, appeals on a general level (sense of place captured in writing styles), an organizational level (new cities! how will they differ?), a structural level (anthologies are a favorite of mine, although anthologies of contemporary writers, and themed anthologies less so - but more on that anon) and on a "broadening-my-horizons" level (I am an avid reader of many different "types" of fiction but I've yet...more
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I'm giving up on this book of short stories. Perhaps some day I will return to read basically the second half (note to future self - you stopped on page 195 - beginning of part III). I gave the book 2 stars because of the couple of stories I liked (see below). It only got 2 starts because of the last story I read: The Code by Norman Kelley. This story about a murderous, misogynistic (not a strong enough word) rapper ends (I guess this is a spoiler) in a horrible gang rape scene set up by a woman...more
I've enjoyed a couple of the "Noir" city series - and this one has enough in the way of good writing to make up for quite a few duds. Perhaps Vegas and Boston noir worked better, as there is less to romanticise about those cities, or perhaps just less has been written about them so the danger of falling into cliche is less - two faults glaringly apparent in this collection. But there were some gems, and on the whole the book is enjoyable.
Didn't read every story because was disgusted by the language and topics. The stories were not suspenseful or enjoyable; most of the time they were just confusing or boring. I cared little for the character as there was little character development, even for the short story genre. The language was filled with swear words and crudity. One story seemed more a story about a father-daughter relationship, but there was little mystery to it. In the end, it seemed to just hint of something without expl...more
A great anthology of stories. Some of the tales fell flat, maybe a matter of taste. Some brought back the smells and sounds of Brighton Beach, Sunset Park and Park Slope. Not reading for the faint of heart, many moments of graphic sex and violence. Worth reading, certainly covers the hopeless, seamy side of life.
Brooklyn Noir is a great commuting book. Some of the stories were excellent, and a few were a bit of a struggle to get through. I may try to edit this in the future to list the stories I really liked. Overall, I liked it as my first real trip into hard-boiled fiction. I would recommend it to anyone who is familiar with Brooklyn, as it highlights the many different neighborhoods. I will likely add Brooklyn Noir 2 & 3 to my to-read list.
disappointing in that way you really hope detective books are not. it has a couple of good stories, but most of them are either just okay or downright bad.
Neighborhood specific noir stories, edited by the city. Some hit or miss, but worth it for the better stories.
While intriguing and true to the essence that is the Noir city collection, this one in particular left something to be desired. Although I enjoyed reading through it, a lot of the stories weren't all that interesting. A good deal of them were Noir worthy, but only a few truly seemed connected to Brooklyn.
I read the Havana Noir collection, and found those stories were very true to Havana, yet most of these could have happened in any urban setting in the States.
Overall, an easy read. If you enjo...more
I read the Havana Noir collection, and found those stories were very true to Havana, yet most of these could have happened in any urban setting in the States.
Overall, an easy read. If you enjo...more
Fascinating stories especially if you know the areas the stories take place in.
It's a lot of fun - covers the gamet of the Hasidim to prospect park hip hop.
Feb 04, 2011
M. Newman
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
crime,
short-stories
An excellent anthology of noir fiction, set in Brooklyn by authors including Pete Hamill, Maggie Estep, Neal Pollack, Pearl Abraham and others.
Ellen Miller's "Practicing" turned my mind inside out.
A few forgettable stories, but very enjoyable overall. Be aware, this collection defines "noir" pretty broadly.
Brooklyn + Noir = Two of my favorite things.
Apr 04, 2007
Alex
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Noir fans living in Brooklyn?
Brooklyn AND Noir?!? Together in one book? OMG -How could Alex not love it? Well, for starters - these stories need editing. Badly. Some fun stories (like Ken Bruen’s)- but far too many mediocre tales seem to have been included for content as opposed to quality. Some of them read like first draft workshop submissions. Basic simple changes could have improved a number of these stories a great deal. Too bad. So sad. Maybe just combining so many genre voices makes hard-boiled seem over-easy.
Oct 10, 2009
Steven
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2007to2009,
detective-crimes
A good collection of stories although a few had disappointing endings. The stories involve crime, and take place in various Brooklyn neighborhoods, including one of my old neighborhoods.
There are so many wonderful writers in Brooklyn, that I'm unsure why the stories chosen here are so poorly edited. I think it may be a problem with the series as a whole, as I also read New Orleans Noir and disliked that as well. I should also note: it is very, very complicated to make a book about New Orleans that I don't enjoy, but Akashic Books seemed to manage it.
Once the style of narrative meant to display all that is warped and wrong about society (READ: the Great Satan that is American ideology)at the end of WWII, noir is no longer the domain of seedy '40's era Los Angeles or New York. However, noir does have a defined voice; a parameter that is pretty strict. Just because a behavior is lurid does not make it noir. Nope. It's just depraved behavior.
I love short stories. These were some of the worst I've ever read. One read like an advertisement for Carmine's Restaurant on the Upper West Side. Most of them read like a bad Tarantino rip offs without the style or wit.
Excellent gritty, raw and interesting stories about Ralph Cramden's urban home. Many of the tales have a nice twist. I found all but one-Practicing by Ellen Miller- well worth the read.
I'm not too crazy about short stories but these are exceptional. It's a little more intersting if your from Brooklyn and you're famiiar with some of these places.
I like short stories I like mysteries and i like having some idea of the landscape all describe. It is a good idea, the collection I mean.
Well, I didn't finish it. I'm not even sure I made it through half. Not that awesome actually, despite my desire for things to be otherwise.
Oct 28, 2007
Keith
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anyone who likes a little mystery
A good collection of mini mysteries, some of them were almost unreadable but many, I'd say 60% of of them, were amazing.
Lou Manfredo is where it is at. Look for his new book coming out from St. Martin's press in the very near future.
A collection of short stories, each set in a Brooklyn neighbourhood and all with a dark twist to the story.
A couple of gems are in this collection-- I like the ones by McLoughlin and Hamill especially.
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