is harlem shuffle more fun to read than underground railroad and nickel boys?

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4 years ago
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Welven Wofford 50% in this book blows compared to those two. I'm struggling my way through this one. No way it compares at all to the beauty of those two books.

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Karen Nelson Definitely. I've heard the author say this was his escape hatch after the intensity of the last two. I thought Whitehead had a lot of fun creating this world down to the hilarious ad jingles featured throughout.

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Pat Definitely a more fun read…I agree Underground Railroad and Nickle Boys are better, more beautifully written and more compelling. But your question was whether Harlem Shuffle is a more fun read. Definitely more fun!

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Sarah I'd say so. Large chunks of it is plotting various heists and cons. The pervasive racism is inevitable given the setting, but it's less eye-wateringly violent than his last two books.

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Lino I am almost 50% through and also struggling to get to the finish line. My hope is that it will get better. Fingers crossed.

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Maine Mom keep going. last third is worth it...
Mar 05, 2022 07:34PM · flag

Lino My review:
“Perhaps on the street above, as in a story for children, the big black letters rearranged themselves into new names and words, and ten tho My review:
“Perhaps on the street above, as in a story for children, the big black letters rearranged themselves into new names and words, and ten thousand blinking lights expounded in an unseen, after-hours performance. Spelling out philosophical declarations. Statements of universal truth. Cries for help and understanding. And maybe among them, an affirmation intended for him and him alone: a perfect message of hate, inscribed upon the city itself.”
This is my second Colson Whitehead novel (Nickel Boys – the first). So, just based on that fact alone my bar was set high for “The Harlem Shuffle.” And quite frankly I was disappointed.
Now in baseball, a hitter is fortunate to hit a ball out of the ballpark. In general approximately 12.8% overall. Sometimes a batter will hit a baseball extremely high in the infield triggering the infield fly rule. What’s exciting about this play is that at times the opposing player will lose sight of a ball that 90% of the time is caught allowing the runner(s) to advance. My hope when reading Colson Whitehead’s novel was that at some point the ball would drop advancing the runner(s) but unfortunately, it was caught for the final out retiring the sides.
Throughout the novel’s three long parts the main character Ray Carney is drawn ever deeper into the underworld. It is in this social-realist mode that “Harlem Shuffle” most effectively frees itself from the constraints of the crime thriller; or rather uses those constraints to advance a vision of America.
In “Harlem Shuffle” the effect of Whitehead’s tendency to fall back and fill in is more obstructive, a buffering wheel just when things are getting exciting. Such lapses are all the more frustrating given the vividness on display elsewhere. When “Harlem Shuffle” springs to life, it does so with a controlled intensity that resonates beyond the immediate events of the novel.
From my perspective, this is not one of his best works but still earns a three-star rating. ...more
Mar 09, 2022 06:55PM · flag

Patricia Burgess I thought The Underground Railroad and "The Nickel Boys" were much better written, maybe the stories based on real events helped. I struggled a bit with Harlem Shuffle, didn't flow as well, trying to keep characters straight.

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Laura Yes, it is more fun, while still touching on social issues of the time. While it showcases crimes and criminals, it has a vast cast of interesting characters.

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Mary Beth It is definitely not as emotionally wrenching, which is good and bad! I think Whitehead's last two books had such emotional punch, and this one doesn't. But it is still well-written and an interesting story.

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Andy Dennis Way more fun! Not as deep, but enjoyable.

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Martin This brilliant man doesn't write bad books. Each one is a little different. He is not reaching for the stars here but trying to entertain with an adroit social commentary and nostalgia for a simpler past

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Phil Neely I enjoyed The Underground Railroad and Nickel Boys but struggled to finish this one. Don't know why but I was glad to get through this one. Gave it a rare 3 stars.

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Medh It's definitely a fun book for the most part. I haven't read the other two and based on the other comments, I guess I won't. I just can't handle pain and suffering (just like I didn't watch 12 years a slave). The references to racial abuse in this one almost seem casual but are pretty powerful for all that but all the scheming and plotting make it pretty enjoyable.

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