The Emperor of Ocean Park

Rating:
Summary: Thought-Provoking Page-Turner
Review: At the time of writing this I am still reading the book, but it certainly is a page-turner. I can't wait for the end. This book is an interesting commentary on law, politics, and society in general. While concealing his own beliefs, Carter cleverly uncovers the tattered world of academia that is corrupted by politics and condemning of religion and non-conformist thought. The beginning of the book is resonant with both ends of the political spectrum; but further into the book he reveals the pitfalls of people who think no farther than the party line and consider themselves holier-than-thou because of what they, and other members of their political party, believe. All this is disguised within the mysterious death of a former Supreme Court judicial nominee. It's an excellent mystery with phenomenal character development. You won't be able to put it down. It is a MUST-READ!

Rating:
Summary: Really needs an editor
Review: Carter has the ingredients of a great book - unique social environments (upper middle class black america; academia and highest levels of legal/judiciary); murder; an unusual protagonist (nerdy law professor); and, a good command of the English language.

Unfortunately, he doesn't produce a good result from the mix. The publisher should have had an editor cut about 100 pages of unnecessary repetitive whining. The protagonists constant anguish over his crumbling marriage adds nothing to the story. Rather than being an interesting dimension to his character as he pursues the question of his father's murder, the discussion of his marital woes becomes an annoying distraction.

While the protagonist talks about race with frequent annoying use of the term "darker nation" which none of my African-American friends or colleagues use, it is not a factor in the plot or the interaction of the characters.

The central plot regarding the mystery of the Judge's death gets so lost in the sideline whinings and musings that by the middle of the book, one feels that the real virtue of the last page is that it means this story is finally over - not that some intriguing story has been resolved.

The one positive note is that Carter does a fine job of describing settings. The descriptions of physical places are clear and add to the story.

Lastly, Carter includes so many characters that few add anything significant to the story, and many are defined in only the shallowest terms. Even key actors such as the mysterious agent/private detective aren't well defined.



Rating:
Summary: Phenomenal first novel
Review: I have been a voracious reader since, well, kindergarten, and when I read several of the Amazon readers' reviews of this novel, I experienced the irritation and disdain I often felt when some of my classmates bellyached about the length of a book, when it was these students' poor reading comprehension skills that were the problem. The Amazon reviews suggest that the readers lacked the depth and intellectual curiosity necessary to fully appreciate Emperor. I have an advantage over the average reader in that I earned my undergraduate degree in English, but even without my knowledge of elements of the novel--character, plot, dialogue, imagery, setting and description--it seems patently obvious that Carter has crafted a marvelous work of fiction. I appreciated his flawless sentence structure and economy of language--I do not believe that Carter ever falls prey to the bombastic long-windedness that plagues many scholars-turned-writers. I disagree wholeheartedly with the critiques of his writing as verbose. His narrative style is fluid. As someone with an extreme case of Attention Deficit Disorder, perpetually seeking high stimuli and having no patience for the mundane things in life, it is quite a feat to capture and sustain my interest in anything. Having said that, The Emperor of Ocean Park is all the more remarkable, for I was entranced by it, compelled to read it in two sittings. So, if it drew ME in, one can assume that it was both interesting and exciting. It was thought-provoking, and not just in a philosophical sense. It broached topics such as unspoken obligations members of each race feel to their own people and to other races. The issue of one's color and how it is or is not reflected in one's chosen political persuasion is also raised. Carter does not employ stock characters in this novel. Talcott's red vision/feelings of redness motif was effective and not overused. The cultural references are relevant, as they give the reader a frame of reference when he envisions certain characters in Emperor. However, Carter differentiates Judge Oliver Garland from Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas by not going into much detail about Bork and making no mention of Thomas; had he borrowed more from history, the reader would merely draw a parallel between the fictional Judge Garland and a real-life black conservative judge or an historical event in which a conservative Supreme Court nominee (Bork) was not confirmed. The reader's natural inclination to compare a black conservative Justice to Oliver Garland would not allow for the fictional Judge's character to be developed in the reader's mind. In a way, Carter could be saying little about Bork and Thomas to prove the point that people frequently do make value judgments and assumptions based on race, if only because it fits within a person's limited frame of reference regarding another race. I also believe that the author would not stoop to stealing from history so blatantly. Because of how well the novel is written, I willingly submit to a logical suspension of disbelief regarding one event near the conclusion. Another reader criticized Carter for going into detail about his neighbor's children because he is providing a complete picture of what Talcott Garland experiences, demonstrating that important events, discussions and revelations usually take place in conjunction with mundane, everyday occurrences. It is an excellent novel and I am eagerly anticipating Stephen L. Carter's second work of fiction. In the meantime, I will be reading his non-fiction works to learn more about this fascinating author's mind.

Rating:
Summary: Ugh! He makes the Upper Crust...well, crusty!
Review: Stephen L. Carter's Emperor of Ocean Park was interesting but not the provicative, page turner that I expected. The main character, Talcott, a snooty, pretentious fella with absolutely no common sense leads the reader down hundreds of pages of intense academia laced jargon that would turn off the average reader. There is something for everyone in this book...a vocabulary lesson. Here is hoping that the next book is less intense and more fun to read.

Trinice Speight-Moses
Sisters with a Purpose Book Club
New Jersey

Rating:
Summary: Nice Try
Review: This book could have been spectacular - but it just misses the mark. I think the issue is Carter's ancillary narrative goes on and on and on. As for Talcott's character - I didn't know if I wanted to strangle him or just slap him across the face and say "Snap out of it!" The root story, however, is very good. I look forward to Carter's next fiction novel, hoping he's improved his style.