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The Emperor of Ocean Park

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The Emperor of Ocean Park

Written by: Stephen L. Carter
Narrated by: Richard Allen
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About this listen

In his triumphant fictional debut, Stephen Carter combines a large-scale, riveting novel of suspense with the saga of a unique family.

The Emperor of Ocean Park is set in two privileged worlds: the upper crust African American society of the Eastern seabord - families who summer at Martha’s Vineyard - and the inner circle of an Ivy League law school. Talcott Garland is a successful law professor, devoted father, and husband of a beautiful and ambitious woman, whose future desires may threaten the family he holds so dear. When Talcott’s father, Judge Oliver Garland, a disgraced former Supreme Court nominee, is found dead under suspicious circumstances, Talcott wonders if he may have been murdered.

Guided by the elements of a mysterious puzzle that his father left, Talcott must risk his marriage, his career and even his life in his quest for justice. Superbly written and filled with memorable characters, The Emperor of Ocean Park is both a stunning literary achievement and a grand literary entertainment.

©2002 Stephen L. Carter (P)2002 Books on Tape, Inc.
Legal Fiction Thriller Marriage Exciting
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What the critics say

"A thrilling read, driven by a cocktail of plot and character." (The Observer)
"An elegantly nuanced novel, with finely drawn characters, a challenging plot, and perfect pacing." (Booklist)
"[A] complex literary thriller. Carter deftly weaves together several strands, from the relationships of father and sons and husbands and wives to the politics of the Nixon and Reagan eras." (Bookpage)

What listeners say about The Emperor of Ocean Park

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An exceptionally well-executed story

The narration was superb.
The story meanders a bit in the early going, but there are moments of exceptional prose bordering on literary art.
The pace triples in the final quarter.
It was a fascinating snapshot into cultures that are relatively foreign to me: Upper-class African American, legal, East Coast.
A little more character development would have been helpful, and would have aided the punch of the final scenes.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

25% story 75% tangential filler

I really did want to know who did what to whom so I suffered through pages of show-off lectures about whatever sanctimonious piffle the author wanted to pour over us, but I couldn”t make it past the preposterous nonsense of two protagonists squaring off in the ocean in the teeth of a hurricane. Seriously?

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1 person found this helpful