Rating: 
Summary: A masterpiece of introspection
Review: Stephen Carter has a keenly honed ability to resurrect feelings I had left far behind, a sensitivity to those innermost emotions that are simultaneously both taken for granted and the essence of what has really mattered in my life. He weaves humanity so skillfully into his plot that I find the revisiting of my past one of the more enjoyable qualities of his book. His writing makes me yearn for the days of the wraparound front porch, when I knew our neighbors and discovered I liked most of them.The plot? It is excellently crafted, and I promise you'll enjoy it. But the deepest value of Carter's writing is elsewhere. I've just ordered two of his non-fiction works; The man's mind is worth exploring.
Rating:
Summary: Great Family Saga
Review: Best novel I read this summer! Stephen Carter has written a multilayered mystery with the right amount of drama and action. The characters are drawn with professional, social, and spiritual aspects of their personalities highlighted. Talcott Garland, the protagonist, is especially likeable as he experiences conflict in his personal and professional life. Overall the story is pretty tight but does have a few loose ends. As Talcott laments in the end, we must learn to accept some "ambiguity". Carter leaves us with a very satisfying ending.
Rating: 
Summary: The Wimp of Ocean Park
Review: 650+ pages felt too long for this novel. The repeated references to the 'paler nation' also grew old. OK you are black, I don't need it hammered into my head page after page. The story, when it was not drowned out by various tangents, holds up. However Misha is mush. Where's the backbone? Stand up to your wife - let me get this straight: she's cheating on you, and then she kicks YOU out of the house? Misha is scared of his own shawdow and is hard to root for. I'll admit this book may be too subtle for my taste, I'm an Ayn Rand fan. Nonetheless after 300 pages I was determined to finish and enjoyed the book enough despite the lead character I wanted to give a pep talk to.
Rating: 
Summary: Drivel
Review: This is an awful book. I am endlessly glad I borrowed it from the library and didn't buy it. I am a scientist and read many technical documents-I have never read one as ghastly as this. Not that I read the whole thing, mind you-I could only stomach it to page 143. Is there a "yellow nation" to go with the "paler nation" and the "darker nation"? Wish I had a dime for every time THOSE words were used. Verbose, meandering, pointless, no plot, unlikeable characters. Wish I could write drivel and get paid 4 million.
Rating: 
Summary: Whoa ! finally finished!
Review: Well, what an impressive tome! The story is great, however keep a dictionary nearby.
The book is about 350 pages to long,(did he even have an editor?) His characters are interesting and well thought out,
The author gives new meaning to the phrase "going off on a tangent" The story does hold your interest, in a long drawn out sort of way. This is NOT a thriller! This is NOT a light hearted take-to-the-beach book--unless of course you are stranded on a beach for a month, in that case have at it. After about the first 415 pages, you basically want to finish the book to prove to anyone and everyone that you CAN and WILL finish it-- darnit! The author definately has a different story to tell,a lesson to teach us, and a big soap box to stand on and teach & tell from. Carter has created a well-to-do, well-educated, dysfunctional African American family story--a little something for everyone. I'd be interested in reading more fiction from Carter--just try to keep it under 600 pages and get to the point a bit quicker.
Rating:
Summary: Good first novel-Actually 3 1/2 *s
Review: Whew!! I didn't think I would ever finish this book. It was 654 pages, but could have been about 354. If Mr. Carter was paid by the word, he sure is rich!! I was determined to finish, and I'm glad I did, but I hope his next book is a little less wordy. Good plot and good finish, but way too much detail.
Rating:
Summary: A Superior and Unexpectedly Moving Family Story
Review: I realize this book has received some pretty awful reviews, and with that said, I was expecting not to like this book nearly as much as I did, especially as "legal" thrillers are not a genre of fiction I particularly care for. From page one, I was hooked. No, this is not John Grisham and yes, the plot meanders a bit and no, the ending is not as satisfying as I had hoped. But after over six hundred pages, Carter succeeds in creating a central character "Talcott" the reader can honestly root for as well as a host of other characters that are utterly sympathetic, or if not sympathetic, then wholly believable. To a certain extent, Stephen Carter does for the African American New Haven/D.C./Martha's Vineyard community what Tom Wolfe has done for New York and Atlanta: he presents not just a cast of interesting but disparate characters, but a living/breathing cross-section of society. Intelligent, thought-provoking, and one of my picks for 2002's top novels.
Rating:
Summary: Almost wonderful
Review: I loved this book for the first 150 pages or so, liked it for the next 150--and then stopped. Carter has loads of talent but could have used a stronger editor, as others have noted. the story just went on too long on the same note. Particularly wearing was the narrator's tortured relationship with his wife--divorce her, for cripe's sake. But I'll look forward to his next.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating, Exciting and Relaxing at the Same Time!
Review: I have been very interested in reading the reviews of this book. It seems that everyone who reads it has an opinion! I thought this was an excellent book. It appears to meld two genre - a thoughtful, introspective review of life by the main character, and a mystery novel. I enjoyed it very much - from the character development to the direct writing style of the author. It IS long - but I appreciated that, and feel that it's one of those books that could be even longer! I recommend this to anyone sick of the formula writing of so many books today - be prepared to sink into the book and spend time.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good
Review: I did not expect to like this book as much as I did, considering I am usually a fan of more hard edged fiction. However, Emperor of Ocean Park was a real treat for me. Instead of an author who feels it his duty to go directly from crime to case solved with only violence, sex, and profanity in between, Carter lets the case develop slowly and naturally. Amazingly enough, I still felt the tension all the way through. You never lose the feeling that Carter is a serious writer who knows his craft and is totally dedicated to giving you a good story. Other attributes of the book include dozens of humorous insights into campus and family life, along with other serious observations concerning politics and race. A good ending that I did not see coming, a sympathetic lead character, and an intriguing mystery made this a very good read.
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