Rating: 
Summary: An intelligent book for intelligent readers
Review: If pop fiction and books that are written like made-for-TV scripts are your preference, stay away from the Emperor of Ocean Park. This is an old-fashioned novel written for those who like to savor the reading experience. I loved the writing, the story, the political analysis and best of all the diversity of the African-American characters in the story. They were from all walks of life crossing socio-economic, income and political lines. A fact that is all too rare in today's literary world. This is an intelligent book for intelligent readers. Carter uses a myriad of references to literary classics, chess, politics, law and more. You have to pay attention and you have to keep up. This was as much a story about one man's journey to self-awareness as it was about the mystery Talcott's father, the Judge, left for his son to resolve. What I didn't like about the book included the author's habit of telling us the outcome before he told us the event. It seemed redundant and became annoying as you moved closer to the resolution of the mystery. Secondly, each chapter ended with a sentence(s) that added unneccessary melodrama to what I think was supposed to be a lead-in to the subsequent chapter. Overall, for a first time novelist, Mr. Carter represents himself well. He doesn't take the easy way out with this book; he works hard at telling the story, his characters work hard with their various schemes and readers work hard at unraveling this very plausible mystery.
Rating: 
Summary: A book I definitely recommend
Review: "The Emperor of Ocean Park" is both a contemporary mystery story concerning the secrets of the father who has just died, as well as a story of life being lived by a variety characters who come alive on the pages. It reminds me of some of my favorite fiction that I read decades ago - the long Russian novels of Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy, for example, that combined the politics of their times, with vivid stories and characterizations. This book is similar in nature, with the obvious difference being that it is a mystery. While I enjoyed the mystery and tried to make sense of the clues scattered about, my true enjoyment evolved from the richness of the characters that Stephen Carter created.
Misha, the narrator and son of "the emperor," speaks with casual frankness and a self-deprecating manner, often using irony and humor in his comments. His family: wife and son, father - alreay dead as the book begins- and siblings, all come alive to the reader. While the mystery has center stage as the reason for this book, the related purpose of presenting such wonderfully drawn characters, giving a true sense/a slice-of-life, was equally important to me.
I sunk into this book and finished it in a few days. My judgment of how much I liked it comes from how very much I regretted seeing it end. It's a long, satisfying book and one I would recommmend to anyone who enjoys a good novel.
Rating:
Summary: The Emperor of Ocean Park
Review: I was captured in chapter one and could not put the book down until I finished it. Carter's writing is eloquent while not being elaborate. He peppers the story with sometimes sardonic, humorous undertones. The book also offers the perspective of a middle-upper class black male. As a white female, I appreciated the insight and learned by reading this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Not What I Expected
Review: This book has gotten a lot of good press- good reviews and the distinction of being The Today Show's first book club selection. Not a bad introduction to the market. The reality, in this case, doesn't live up to the hype.
Carter's style might be better suited to writing non-fiction than fiction. The book bills itself as a thriller, yet lacks the pace needed to sustain a good thriller. Of course, there's more to this book than the solving of a mystery, for the questions to be answered are woven into an examination of the deceased Judge Oliver Garland's character, politics, and familial role as well as an exploration of love, fidelity, loyalty - all issues of life beyond the solving of a mystery. Maybe that's the problem - Carter bites off so much, that it takes him over 650 pages to digest it all, and ultimately leaves the reader with the feeling of indigestion one gets from overindulging at a buffet rather than with the satiety of having enjoyed a fine meal. There's enough material for two novels - one a mystery, one a character (or issue) analysis. Each character has his own agenda: Older son Addison is the most detached from the family crisis, although he actually knows more than his siblings. Mariah, mother of 5 (to become 6 in the course of the book) has such comforts in her affluent life that she is left with no reponsibilities, a condition which unleashes her active imagination in seeking the answer to the family mystery. Younger son Talcott narrates. He is a complex character with personal issues that sometimes hinder his search. Are we following his relationship with his deceased father, who he refers to formally as "The Judge," or is it his splintering relationship with wife Kimmer, a candidate for a Court of Appeals judgeship? Talcott, Tal, Misha, all the same person, has definite issues with race, despite his black middle class upbringing and his position as professor of law at a New England college. Talcott's issues with his straying and ambitious wife Kimmer are woven into his quest to solve the mystery of "the arrangements" his father left to be found after his death. Kimmer, consumed with her upward move, is resentful that Talcott's search will jeopardize her candidacy and distances herself from him emotionally. Talcott, on the other hand, recognizing the weakness of their relationship, would be willing to continue it since to him, "love is a behavior, not an emotion." These sound like the words of one who can think, but can't emote. Only with his young son is Talcott capable of emotional love.
There is more character development in this novel than in the typical thriller, yet none of the characters are particularly likeable. Addison is too absent, Mariah too pathetic, Tal too much of an intellectual snob. The least likeable one, though, is the deceased Judge Oliver Garland, who set the whole plot in motion, controlling his children's lives even from the grave. 650 pages after the search for "the arrangements" began, I was just happy to have reached the end.
Rating:
Summary: Kinda slow...
Review: I have been reading this book since October 2003, and it's been a struggle. One of my friends told me about this book, so I went out and purchased it. The premise of the book had me intrigued, but the pacing and structure is making it difficult to read. Several times, I've found myself picking up other books and being able to finish them, while fighting to get through a couple of pages of this one. I applaud the author for trying out a different genre, but he dropped the ball on this one. It's not exactly a "page turner."
Rating:
Summary: Worth the money
Review: This book was not at all what I expected. Having read all the bad reviews from customers and critics alike, I was prepared to hate it. And the really bad reviews just made me want to read it all the more--to see if they were true. Well, they weren't, for what I found was an exemplary piece of fiction with well-drawn characters and great pacing. And this is something, for the book is over 800 pages long. I would also recommend another great Amazon read: McCrae's THE BARK OF THE DOGWOOD. Equally excellent
Rating: 
Summary: 881 pages of complaints and oh yeah a mystery to be solved
Review: I would suggest anyone wanting to buy this book to read some reviews which have rated it less than 3 stars. I find it quite appaling to see books like this published: weighing in at 881 pages and being hyped as: "...a fine legal thriller" (accredited to John Grisham). It cannot compare to Mr. Grisham (or Mr. Turow for that matter). On reading the book (yes, I actually managed to read all 800 plus pages), I was really disappointed. No characters that I found likeable and a plot which kept tugging along, ready to crash any moment. The main point of the book was more about the whining of the protagonist (an absolute loser: "oo, I love my wife, but she is cheating on me...what shall I do, what shall I( do?), than on the mysterie that he is trying to solve. For that matter, the msyterie itself, concerning the past of his father, seemed artificial and more the vehicle on which the comlaining of the main character could ride along. In short: read the reviews and keep your money in your pocket.
Rating:
Summary: Very well-written thriller!
Review: I was curious when I heard that Stephen Carter, the highly regarded Yale law professor, had written a legal thriller. And, more to the point, I cannot believe it took me so long to pick it up and read it. But I'm glad I gave it a whirl. The novel is far from perfect, but it has an original and compelling plot. One thing I appreciated was its accurate portrayal of the legal world. Carter has some brilliant and on target observations of the justice system -- and the legal issues addressed in this novel are not as crass as most of the John Grisham-type novels. Another strong point is the great plausible plot. It is grounded in reality, without being dull or boring. Professor Carter is a very intelligent person, and he reflects said intelligence in his writing. I do, however, have some problems with this novel's editing -- or lack thereof, as it seems. The novel is too long. It could've been shortened to make the plot more fast-paced and riveting. Also, the conclusion is a bit frustrating. The author runs in circles a little too much. All in all, The Emperor of Ocean Park is a well written and engaging novel that cannot be missed. A very well-written thriller...
Rating:
Summary: Good to listen to - but to read????
Review: This book got a lot of press when it first came out but I resisted the urge to pay full price for it. A few months ago I found it on the sale table and took the plunge. I still never got around to reading it, but then ran across it on audio cassettes in the library. Thank goodness for audio cassettes - in this case all 16 or so of them. I must commend the narrator who was very good - all except for his voice of Bently, Talcot's little boy. I found it irratating. It seems to me that the author had to put in every character and plot and sub plot he ever thought about using in a work of fiction. And all of the characters had flaws. Frankly, I have to admit that I would never have gotten through this book had I read it. Conversations that should have lasted a minute or so to get the message across lasted 2 and 3 minutes. Didn't the author recognize when he made his point? I assume he wanted to make it clear that there is a black middle class and that the have the same problems as the white middle class. Ok, you made the point. I couldn't figure out what Talcot saw in Kimmer. She was miserable and a real......, well supply your own word. I'd recommend this book on tape, but I don't know that I would recommend anyone the torture of reading it word for word.
Rating:
Summary: Provactive, flawed, worthwhile read
Review: This is a book that really meets my needs for intelligent entertainment. I'm really crushed by the lack of major black male authors doing great work or finding success in getting the promotion or opportunity to publish a great work when they create one. I'm not going to elevate Carter to next great black novelist and I'm not sure he's even attempting to be one with this mystery thriller novel. He does, however, manage to create an entertaining, though overlong, book that raises some interesting issues. Most black convservatives fail to engage me critically or intellectually. Through the veil of fiction, Carter is able to get to my listen to the positions and specualtions of his character on the delicacies of the position of the black elites and to bear his attacks on liberals and affirmative action. There were a few lines that were laugh out loud funny in his jabs and digs at the conventional views of many blacks who are left of center and some of the institutions of the black middle class. The engagement with the law and the role of the law in this book is fascinating to me. You get a unique perspective on what the inside of a law school could be like and what machinations can be behind career making in Washington. The actual conspiracy of the novel and the author's seach grew overlong at times. I wasn't totally dissatisfied by the ending but the feints and misdirections were more entertaining than the actual conclusions. I give him credit for genuinely shocking me at times with revelations in the plot, however. I was also very interested in the whole flawed marriage angle. A marriage born of adultery and the permanent fissures that result. I enjoyed the writing style as well and appreciated the chess angle. Perhaps Tal is more worthy of the author than the protagonist. Tal was a chess player who had an amazing mind and was the master of the dazzling combination. It brought him flashes of brilliance, acknowledgement of genius, but not the lasting success of those who had safer more methodical styles. I feel that Carter has written a book with strong tactical elements but that has some flawed strategy especially as you get to the last 100 pages of the book are so. Nevertheless, this is an worthwhile for squatters' rights on some unclaimed turf in black fictions and the insights and creativity in its author in achieving man of his aims. Give it 20 pages or so to see if you're intrigued and you'll probably find yourself wanting more. 4 stars
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