The Emperor of Ocean Park (2002) (edit title/settings)

• Rated 4 stars

“complex, too much chess, imperfect characters”

• Rated 3 stars

“A good read, but very detailed and involved story.”

• Rated 0 stars

“So far the character relationships (the strained and somewhat cold relationship among the Garland family, Talcott's marriage, etc.) and the mystery of what really happened to Judge Garland will draw the most avid mystery lover in.”

• Rated 4 stars

“Very difficult but interesting thriller.”

• Rated 0 stars

“Must have patience but stick with it.”

• Rated 0 stars

“Anything Goes Discussion Group Book for April 2007”

• Rated 5 stars

“Thick, dense, deeply ambitious and richly layered, this is one of the more rewarding reads I have experienced in a long time. The plot unfolds slowly, requiring patience, and the characters are extremely flawed and, frankly, not very likable. This novel will not be for everyone, but I found it to be a fantastic read.”

• Rated 1 stars

“I typed a long review and hit a wrong key and it disappeared. Nooooo!
After reading 825 pages of this dreary book, I can't muster the energy to retype this review a second time.
For my own records, a reminder of why I hated the book:
1) The plot is old and recycled, unimaginative.
2) The only new aspect is that it is written from the perspective of an upper class black character.
3) However, do we learn anything new? No. Upper class black authors can be just as racist and classist as any white authors.
4) Racist you say? Hmmm, yes. The author makes all his black, successful, rich characters victims of any white character they come across. They are oppressed, put down, victimized. What, with their mansions, estates, tenures, partnerships in law firms, and summer homes on Martha's Vineyard. But it's all the white man's fault. Similarly his black characters are all saints. Saints, I tell you. Oh, there's the little matter of the preacher who is a cocaine addict, the cousins who commit incest, the cousin who is an alcoholic, the brother who embezzled money and flees the country, the relatives and friends (and members of the "darker nation" UGH) who are respected members of the bar but who don't seem to have a problem NOT turning in criminals to the authorities because, let's face it, the police is a bunch of racists anyway. Let's not forget that the main character cuckolded another man. Yes, he gets his comeuppance by being cuckolded as well but he remains saintly in his great love for the bitch that he married who, despite neglecting their son, is the best mother in the world and is worthy of being the custodial parent (??? or maybe the issue is that the father doesn't think that the son is worth fighting for, despite all the "darling" "dare woo" cutesy and pointless dialogues that we are subjected to throughout the book).
5) The author is a bloated, pompous, self-important, pretentious know-it-all who probably got a hold of the Scribbs Spelling Bee Word List and decided to fit every word into every sentence of the first 3/4 of the book) I love discovering new words, especially since English is not my first language, and I love an author who relishes using a rich language. But this isn't it. This is an endless list of obscure words devised to dazzle us with the author's brilliance. Only the least educated readers will be "dazzled" by this, the rest of us just want to take a snooze.

I'm going to stop here before I wipe out my own review by mistake again. So, self, don't read this book again. ”

• Rated 3 stars

“This author does a very good job of developing his characters in a way that gives them depth and makes their actions believable. I enjoyed the story but the resolution of the "mystery" was bit flat. ”

• Rated 4 stars

“A classic tale by one of my favorite authors.”