Reviews

• Carter's foray into fiction is a smashing success mostly because he writes a story that can be BELIEVED even while being enjoyed. One might wonder how an intellectual like Carter, with plently of NON-fiction under his belt, would make the jump to fiction. The answer is: flawlessly. He writes with depth and character analysis that creates a tantalizing thriller on several levels: a whodunnit (and did anyone DO it) murder mystery, a chess and map puzzle for the ages, mysterious figures surrounding a failed judicial nomination from the 80s affecting a potential judicial nomination during the story, and the paranoia and anxiety of suspicions of infidelity and a failing marriage. The narrator speaks with such passion in his bitter outlook on society (with plenty of biting yet satisfying commentary on topics like race relations, family relations, marital relations, politics, judges,and the legal/ academic profession) that this book could have easily been a sequence of intereting essays on each - and the mystery is enhanced accordingly by these topics' inclusion in the tale. The narrator drags you down with him as he drifts deeper and deeper into a mystery that threatens his stability and his sanity. There is enough "Hollywood" action - the mandatory car chases, foot races, and shootouts in the rain, etc - to keep the story exciting, yet I found the REAL action to be the mental struggles of the narrator. And I give EMPEROR high marks for putting together a "solution" to the various mysteries that give you plenty of "a-HA!" while not seeming contrived or too "perfect" - at the end of the story, the reader still has plenty left unresolved, but in a realistic way - in which Carter suggests that for a lot of life's struggles, there ARE no solutions or answers. An EXCELLENT read. I will certainly buy Carter's next fiction novel as soon as it comes out.

• Brilliant story well written

• When I heard that Stephen Carter, the highly regarded Yale law professor had written a legal thriller I was very curious, very intrigued. So I ran out and got The Emperor of Ocean Park. While the novel is far from perfect, it has a good many qualities which I think many will enjoy. One thing I appreciated was its accurate portrayal of the legal world. Carter has some brilliant and on target observations of that world, particularly of that of the law school that are a refreshing departure from, let's say, the works of John Grisham. Another strong point is the entirely plausible plot. It is grounded in reality, without being dull or boring. Professor Carter is clearly a very intelligent person, and his writing, for the most part, reflects that. I do, however, have a few complaints about the novel--my main complaint being that his editor appears to have forgotten to actually edit. This novel is very long, and probably could have been better if it were about 100 pages shorter. I also warn that the ending is a bit frustrating--some may be disappointed by it--but that's all I am going to say. Overall, however, The Emperor of Ocean Park is a well written and engaging novel which I believe most will enjoy.

• En fait, j ai du lire la version en allemand, car je n'avais pas trouvé la version anglaise. Affreuse traduction. Puis j ai acheté la version anglaise en pensant que c était un autre ouvrage du même auteur, les titres étant si différents. Mésaventure donc.

• Très bien mais comme souvent avec cet auteur un poil trop long . Description de le la fac et la vie estudiantine très bien

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