The Emperor of Ocean Park
by Stephen L. Carter
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Book Summary Information
Author: Stephen L. CarterEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-05-29
ISBN: 0307279936
Number of pages: 848
Publisher: Vintage
Book Reviews of The Emperor of Ocean Park
Book Review: A compelling mystery
Summary: 4 Stars
I just finished this book and loved it. The mystery is satisfying and the chess metaphors and culture well used. I thought that the characters were complex and interesting, particularly for this genre. I also appreciated Stephen Carter sharing insights into the culture of Washington, DC's black elite. Though a 30+-year (white) resident of DC, I know little about the lives of my neighbors who grew up on the other side of the park on DC's Gold Coast, participated in Jack and Jill, and vacationed on Martha's Vineyard. I also found the internal musings of the hero, Misha Garland, on race relations and white liberals very interesting.
Another standout is a wonderful scene in the book that seats persons of faith within the academic community at the dinner table with secular agnostics who assume people with religion are stupid. Although it doesn't resolve anything, the contrast between the formidable Morris Young bravely discussing the work of Satan in the midst of cynical academics is jarring and believable.
A few things in the book bugged me. As previous reviewers have noted, the editing is poor. Not only could the book be shorter and tighter, but there are internal inconsistencies that should have been caught. For example, on page 189, Misha mentions that he would "wink...but I never actually learned how." Then, on page 215 he writes "I wink at Bentley again...". Stupid, annoying error. In a similar vein, he uses the phrase "chewing on cotton" way too often. Without getting into any spoilers, I also think that some of the loose ends could have been tied up better. (Is there more to K's stonewalling than just the potential nomination?; How did WWW learn of last trip to MV?) On the whole, though, a very good read.
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