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New England White (Vintage Contemporaries) | 
 enlarge | Author: Stephen L. Carter
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy Used: $0.98
You Save: $13.97 (93%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  57 reviews
Sales Rank: 17639
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 640
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.2 x 1.2
ISBN: 0375712917
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780375712913
ASIN: 0375712917
Publication Date: May 27, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: GOOD with average wear to cover and pages. May contain minimal highlighting, inscriptions, or notations. We offer a no-hassle guarantee on all our items. Orders generally ship by the next business day. Default Text
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Product Description
Lemaster Carlyle, the president of the country's most prestigious university, and his wife, Julie, the divinity school's deputy dean, are America's most prominent and powerful African American couple. Driving home through a swirling blizzard late one night, the couple skids off the road. Near the sight of their accident they discover a dead body. To her horror, Julia recognizes the body as a prominent academic and one of her former lovers. In the wake of the death, the icy veneer of their town Elm Harbor, a place Julie calls "the heart of whiteness," begins to crack, having devastating consequences for a prominent local family and sending shock waves all the way to the White House.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 52 more reviews...
 I Could Hardly Be More Disappointed September 21, 2008
After reading Carter's excellent first novel - The Emperor of Ocean Park - I could hardly be more disappointed. His first book set my expectations kind of high, and he failed to provide even a glimpse of the genius that made his first book so enjoyable.
The overall plot itself is improbable, fueled by one improbable incident after another and one preposterous plot twist after another. He showed almost none of the beautiful twists of language he liberally sprinkled in his first book. He recycled some of the characters from his first book, but screwed up some of the chronological history of one of this book's main protagonists. The one area that he improved was that he (or his editor) cut back on some of his excessively meandering passages that were common in his first book.
Overall, a substandard mess. In light of his first book I am tempted to give this one just one star, but if I had read this one first I'd give it a two, so two it is.
 My own "salon" September 17, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Maybe I have "delusions of grandeur" but I really wish I could hold my own, modern day "salon" which is talked about more in Palace Council than Mr. Carter's other two books. You MUST read these books as a trilogy about the lives of some of the most influential upper-class society who happen to be of the "darker nation". If you read Palace Council first (which isn't what the author intended, obviously)but it will take you back to the begining of the interaction of some of the characters. It is the book that goes back farthest in historical times, it gives you a feel for some of the most important characters and whatever their deal is.
Emperor of Ocean I'd say to read next because it takes place next in the chronology. It is the story of one of the Garland family members who is barely mentioned in Palace Council, but who turns out to be more important than the man who is mentioned, Matty Garland and his son Kevin. So, the Emperor of Ocean Park gives a view-point of Matty Garland's nephew, by an unidentified brother of Matty's.
Lastly, New England White puts us into the 1990's. So, when you finish reading and going back and forth thru the 3 stories that are taking place around and in the time period from 1952-1996.
I hope this helps.
Glad I Persevered September 2, 2008
I, like others, slogged through the first 150 or so pages and thought I'd die of boredom. I rarely stop reading a book, but this one I couldn't continue. In fact, I started another book and read 200 pages of it, but New England White kept creeping into my thoughts. I picked it up again and am glad I did. It has been the most interesting, convoluted book I have read and enjoyed in a long time. Look forward to more by this author.
Disappointing August 29, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
A very disappointing read. I thoroughly enjoyed TheEmperor of Ocean Park. Unfortunately this was not up to that standard. There are numerous subplots that are not well connected. the narrative is from several perspectives some of which portray unbelievable characters. There are many climatic scenes which are unresolved in the narrative and later explained in flashbacks. A disappointing book by a gifted author.
 So start but well worth the wait August 29, 2008
Slow to catch my interest, but then well worth the wait. At times the multiple characters and plot a bit confusing, but complex characters and plot retains interest until the end. The slant of political manipulation makes this book quite current and makes one realize things aren't always the way they seem. Good read!
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