Historical Fiction

James

James

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  • Create Date：2024-02-26 14:22:01
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
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  • Author：Percival Everett
  • ISBN：0385550367
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Summary

A brilliant， action-packed reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn， both harrowing and ferociously funny， told from the enslaved Jim's point of view

When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans， separated from his wife and daughter forever， he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan。 Meanwhile， Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father， recently returned to town。 As all readers of American literature know， thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond。

While many narrative set pieces of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place （floods and storms， stumbling across both unexpected death and unexpected treasure in the myriad stopping points along the river’s banks， encountering the scam artists posing as the Duke and Dauphin…）， Jim’s agency， intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light。

Brimming with electrifying humor and lacerating observations， James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first century American literature。

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Reviews

Novel Visits ，

3。75 stars？ - While I liked much of this book， the first half almost lost me。 Huck Finn is not my favorite story anyway and I felt like there wasn't enough new between James and the original。 There was much more change in the second half， so I enjoyed it much more。 Still need to digest it。 Full review to follow。 3。75 stars？ - While I liked much of this book， the first half almost lost me。 Huck Finn is not my favorite story anyway and I felt like there wasn't enough new between James and the original。 There was much more change in the second half， so I enjoyed it much more。 Still need to digest it。 Full review to follow。 。。。more

Siddi654 ，

In diesem Buch geht es um Jim einen Sklaven Anfang des 19。 Jahrhunderts。 Mit seiner Frau und seiner Tochter lebt er in den Südstaaten der USA， als er eines Tages mitbekommt， dass er verkauft werden soll， beschließt er von der Farm zu fliehen。 Auf seiner Flucht trifft er den Jungen Huckleberry Finn， der ebenfalls auf der Farm lebt， aber eben auf der anderen Seite des Schicksals， nämlich als weißer privilegierter Junge。 Gemeinsam versuchen sie die Flucht und das Leben in der Wildnis zu meistern。 D In diesem Buch geht es um Jim einen Sklaven Anfang des 19。 Jahrhunderts。 Mit seiner Frau und seiner Tochter lebt er in den Südstaaten der USA， als er eines Tages mitbekommt， dass er verkauft werden soll， beschließt er von der Farm zu fliehen。 Auf seiner Flucht trifft er den Jungen Huckleberry Finn， der ebenfalls auf der Farm lebt， aber eben auf der anderen Seite des Schicksals， nämlich als weißer privilegierter Junge。 Gemeinsam versuchen sie die Flucht und das Leben in der Wildnis zu meistern。 Dabei stoßen sie auf die unglaublichsten Geschehnisse， finden Freunde und durchlaufen die Hölle und beide verbindet mehr， als sie vielleicht zunächst denken。Für mich hat Percival Everett mit dieser Neuerzählung des Klassikers von Huckleberry Finn einen großartigen， ganz entstaubten Roman geschaffen。 Der sehr einfach erzählt ist und trotzdem sehr gut geschrieben ist。 Zwar hatte ich am Anfang einige Probleme mit dem Slang， den der Autor bzw。 die Übersetzerin für die "schwarzen Sklaven" wählt， dies legte sich aber sehr schnell。 Die Geschichte ist anrühren und oft herzzerreißend， aber nie so， dass man Tränen verdrücken muss。 Ein sehr schönes und wichtiges Buch， dass die Vergangenheit aufgreift und die Missstände zu dieser Zeit。 。。。more

rebecca_booklover ，

Jim bekommt seine eigene Stimme und was für eine！"James" erzählt den Klassiker "Die Abenteuer des Huckleberry Finn" erfrischend neu。Erzählt wird die packende Neuerzählung der bekannten Geschichte， die in den 1840er-Jahren in Missouri spielt， aus der Sicht des Sklaven Jim， der sich lieber James nennt。Jim mimt den dummen Sklaven， er ist aber genau das Gegenteil davon。 Er ist intelligent， kann lesen und schreiben und zeichnet sich durch Empathie gegenüber seinen Mitmenschen aus。Als er an einen Mann Jim bekommt seine eigene Stimme und was für eine！"James" erzählt den Klassiker "Die Abenteuer des Huckleberry Finn" erfrischend neu。Erzählt wird die packende Neuerzählung der bekannten Geschichte， die in den 1840er-Jahren in Missouri spielt， aus der Sicht des Sklaven Jim， der sich lieber James nennt。Jim mimt den dummen Sklaven， er ist aber genau das Gegenteil davon。 Er ist intelligent， kann lesen und schreiben und zeichnet sich durch Empathie gegenüber seinen Mitmenschen aus。Als er an einen Mann in New Orleans verkauft werden soll， was ihn von seiner geliebten Frau und Tochter trennen würde， flieht er gemeinsam mit Huckleberry "Huck" Finn， der seinem gewalttätigen Vater entkommen will。 Für beide beginnt eine Reise voller Abenteuer den Mississippi herunter， um die freien Staaten zu erreichen。 Mehr als einmal muss Jim hierbei Huck retten。Anfangs noch der ursprünglichen Handlung folgend， beginnt Everett etwa ab der Mitte des Romans anhand überraschende Wendungen die Geschichte in eine andere Richtung zu lenken。Es wird deutlich， dass es nicht Hucks Geschichte， sondern Jims ist。 Man taucht in Jims Gedanken- und Gefühlswelt ein und bekommt einen Eindruck davon， was es heißt， ein Sklave zu sein。 Stimmungsvoll wird hierbei eine Bild der damaligen Zeit erzeugt。 Der Autor ist sich des historischen Kontextes des Romans bewusst， schafft es jedoch， die sozialen und rassischen Belange unserer heutigen Zeit anklingen zu lassen。Einzig am Anfang braucht der Roman etwas， um an Fahrt aufzunehmen。"James" ist voller Action und Satire， aber auch ernsten Momenten und ein gelungenes Beispiel dafür， wie man einen Klassiker in die Gegenwart überführt， ohne dabei den Geist des Originals zu verlieren。Everett erzählt all dies in seiner scharfen und direkten Prosa düsterer， gewalttätiger， unheimlicher und moralisch verdorbener als im Original。 。。。more

Jacob Goldberg ，

A thought provoking re-writing of Huck and Jim's story。 Changes were made to the original not for the sake of change but to re-frame the story into one of agency on the part of Jim， and highlight the importance of education and its equalizing force。 I received an Advanced Readers copy from a Goodreads giveaway， and am so glad I had the opportunity to read it。 A thought provoking re-writing of Huck and Jim's story。 Changes were made to the original not for the sake of change but to re-frame the story into one of agency on the part of Jim， and highlight the importance of education and its equalizing force。 I received an Advanced Readers copy from a Goodreads giveaway， and am so glad I had the opportunity to read it。 。。。more

Richard Mcgowan ，

I know some think this is much better than The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn。 I have to be honest， I don't think this comes close to that level。 Does that mean this is not good？ Not at all。 It is quite good - but I do think it has some small issues。 I think Part 3 is concluded far too quickly， I think it could have been explored further。 However， even with this issue， this book will win awards。 AND。。。 I think it is going to make some people really mad， people that have their eyes closed， people I know some think this is much better than The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn。 I have to be honest， I don't think this comes close to that level。 Does that mean this is not good？ Not at all。 It is quite good - but I do think it has some small issues。 I think Part 3 is concluded far too quickly， I think it could have been explored further。 However， even with this issue， this book will win awards。 AND。。。 I think it is going to make some people really mad， people that have their eyes closed， people only able to view historical events through a very narrow prism。 。。。more

Kris ，

Just as searing and brilliant as The Trees。

Havers ，

Bei Retellings bin ich grundsätzlich skeptisch， da diese oft nur alter Wein in neuen Schläuchen sind。 Aber nachdem Percy Everett spätestens 2022 mit seinem auf der Shortlist des Booker Prize stehenden „Die Bäume“ überzeugen konnte， sollte sein neuer Roman „James“ durchaus einen Blick wert sein。 Auch， oder gerade deshalb， weil er hier eine Figur aus Mark Twains Klassiker „Die Abenteuer des Huckleberry Finn“ ins Zentrum stellt， die uns allen bekannt sein dürfte。Zwei auf der Flucht， eine Schicksals Bei Retellings bin ich grundsätzlich skeptisch， da diese oft nur alter Wein in neuen Schläuchen sind。 Aber nachdem Percy Everett spätestens 2022 mit seinem auf der Shortlist des Booker Prize stehenden „Die Bäume“ überzeugen konnte， sollte sein neuer Roman „James“ durchaus einen Blick wert sein。 Auch， oder gerade deshalb， weil er hier eine Figur aus Mark Twains Klassiker „Die Abenteuer des Huckleberry Finn“ ins Zentrum stellt， die uns allen bekannt sein dürfte。Zwei auf der Flucht， eine Schicksalsgemeinschaft auf dem Weg in ein neues Leben。 Der titelgebende James， der entlaufene Sklave， der verkauft und von seiner Familie getrennt werden soll und Huck， der vor den Misshandlungen durch seinen Vater flüchtet。 Zusammen auf dem Mississippi gen Norden in Richtung Freiheit unterwegs。 Wie im Original eine Reise voller Gefahren。 Was allerdings diesen Roman besonders macht， ist die Perspektive， die sich aus dem geänderten Blick ergibt und so die Twain’sche Erzählung auf den Kopf stellt。Es ist ein Roman über Rassismus und Ungleichheit。 Über Vorurteile und die Befreiung davon。 Über maskierte schwarze Identität， die es zu verbergen gilt – selbst in einer Gruppe von Black Face Sängern。 Über Sprache， die eine Überlebenstaktik darstellt， um den Weißen ihre Überheblichkeit zu bestätigen。 Eine dunkle， erschütternde und entlarvende Odyssee， die den Spiegel vorhält。 Es ist ein Roman über Rassismus und Ungleichheit。 Über Vorurteile und die Befreiung davon。 Über maskierte schwarze Identität， die es zu verbergen gilt – selbst in einer Gruppe von Black Face Sängern。 Über Sprache， die eine Überlebenstaktik darstellt， um den Weißen ihre Überheblichkeit zu bestätigen。 Eine dunkle， erschütternde und entlarvende Odyssee， die den Spiegel vorhält。 Eine bitterböse Satire voll mit komischen Momenten， die allerdings dafür sorgen， dass einem das Lachen im Hals stecken bleibt。 Großartig！ 。。。more

Hazlewood95 ，

Es gibt wenige Schriftsteller， denen ich gerne imaginär meinen Respekt zollen möchte， da sie eine ganz große Kunst erschaffen haben。 Doch Percival Everett zählt definitiv dazu， was er mit seinem Roman "James" erschaffen hat， steht Mark Twain´s Huckleberry Finn in nichts nach und schließt an diesn qualitativ nahtlos an。Everett schafft es mit einer ganz leichten und glaubwürdigen Sprache， die aber von unwahrscheinlicher literarischer Qualität zeugt einen Klassiker aus der Sicht eines Sklaven zu er Es gibt wenige Schriftsteller， denen ich gerne imaginär meinen Respekt zollen möchte， da sie eine ganz große Kunst erschaffen haben。 Doch Percival Everett zählt definitiv dazu， was er mit seinem Roman "James" erschaffen hat， steht Mark Twain´s Huckleberry Finn in nichts nach und schließt an diesn qualitativ nahtlos an。Everett schafft es mit einer ganz leichten und glaubwürdigen Sprache， die aber von unwahrscheinlicher literarischer Qualität zeugt einen Klassiker aus der Sicht eines Sklaven zu erzählen und dabei eine Atmosphäre zu erschaffen， die einen warm umarmt und kalt erschaudern lässt， sodass man sich als Leser nach wenigen Seiten wahrlich in den Südstaaten der USA im 19。 Jahrhundert vermutet。 Wie er es schafft den Charakter des Sklaven so authentisch zu schildern， so liebenswert und so intelligent， ist in meinen Augen großartig。 Wie er es schafft die Schreckend der Sklaverei an kleinen Szenen festzumachen und mit einer solchen Intensität zu beschreiben， ließ mich sprachlos zurück。Für mich ein grandioses Buch， dass sich nicht hinter seinem Urwerk verstecken muss。 。。。more

Gruenente ，

Mark Twain lässt grüßenDe Roman James ist eine Art Nacherzählung des Romans “Die Abenteuer des Huckleberry Finn“。 Allerdings nicht aus der Sicht des Jungen， sondern aus der Perspektive von „Jim“， einem schwarzen Sklaven， der mit Huck auf dem Mississippi flieht。 Dabei werden die Erniedrigung und Repressalien， die ein unfreier Mann über sich ergehen lassen muss in den Vordergrund gestellt。 Jim flieht， weil er verkauft werden soll。 Er hat den diffusen Plan irgendwo zu Geld zu kommen und dann seine Mark Twain lässt grüßenDe Roman James ist eine Art Nacherzählung des Romans “Die Abenteuer des Huckleberry Finn“。 Allerdings nicht aus der Sicht des Jungen， sondern aus der Perspektive von „Jim“， einem schwarzen Sklaven， der mit Huck auf dem Mississippi flieht。 Dabei werden die Erniedrigung und Repressalien， die ein unfreier Mann über sich ergehen lassen muss in den Vordergrund gestellt。 Jim flieht， weil er verkauft werden soll。 Er hat den diffusen Plan irgendwo zu Geld zu kommen und dann seine Familie， also seine Frau und Tochter zu kaufen und mit ihnen irgendwo ein freies Leben zu führen。Die zeitliche Einordnung der Flucht ist kurz vor Beginn des amerikanischen Bürgerkriegs， dessen Anfänge im Roman auch noch eine Rolle spielen werden。 Die erste Hälfte des Buches hält sich auch noch recht eng an die literarische Vorlage von Mark Twain。 Später entfernt sich Everett davon und lässt James （den Namen， den sich „Jim“ selbst gibt， um damit auch namentlich den Sklavenstatus abzulegen） einen anderen Weg gehen。Das Buch ist spannend und erschreckend。 Die Tatsachen， wie mit diesen versklavten Menschen umgegangen wurde ist mir ja bekannt， aber doch immer wieder entsetzlich zu lesen。 Auspeitschung， Vergewaltigung， spontane Verkäufe， Lynchmorde。 Dazu kommt， dass den Schwarzen Gefühle und Intelligenz abgesprochen werden。So nutzen die Sklaven in Anwesenheit der Weißen eine sehr einfache Sprache， untereinander reden sie allerdings sehr eloquent。 James hat sich sogar selbst lesen und schreiben beigebracht， was viele der Weißen noch nicht mal beherrschen。 Identität ist ein starkes Thema im Roman。 Was sagt die Hautfarbe und der Status über einen Menschen aus？ Wan ist ein Mensch schwarz， wann weiß？ AM Aussehen ist es nicht immer abzulesen。 Denn durch die zahlreichen Vergewaltigungen von Sklavinnen， gibt es genügend Menschen， die eine weiße Haut haben， der Abstammung nach aber als Schwarz gelten。 Mit diesem Thema spielt Everett sehr gekonnt und zeigt auf， dass das alles eigentlich keinen Belang haben sollte。 James erfindet nicht nur seinen Namen， sondern auch sich selbst neu。 Er schreibt seine Geschichte auf， damit er nicht vergessen wird。 Dabei bleibt James auch nicht unschuldig。 Er reflektiert das recht genau。 Und alles vor dem Hintergrund des beginnenden Bürgerkriegs， das gibt dem Buch nochmal zusätzliche Brisanz。 Dabei schafft es Everett nicht bierernst zu bleiben。 Wie auch schon die „Die Bäume“ gibt es durchaus auch mal Szenen， die mich zum Lächeln bringen。 Doch bleibt das Lächeln immer auch bitter， denn eigentlich hat James keine Chance auf ein selbstbestimmtes Leben mit seiner Familie。 。。。more

Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer ，

As with many readers Percival Everett first came to my attention with his novel “The Trees” - a very hard hitting， explicit and directly confrontational expose of the USA’s violent and racist 20th Century history of lynching which used humour， stereotyping （of white characters） and also the genre conventions of a detective novel in an extremely effective way to draw readers into something they would otherwise shy away from。That novel of course was Booker shortlisted， which listing seemed like a As with many readers Percival Everett first came to my attention with his novel “The Trees” - a very hard hitting， explicit and directly confrontational expose of the USA’s violent and racist 20th Century history of lynching which used humour， stereotyping （of white characters） and also the genre conventions of a detective novel in an extremely effective way to draw readers into something they would otherwise shy away from。That novel of course was Booker shortlisted， which listing seemed like a long overdue international recognition of an influential， prolific， versatile but often overlooked literary author。 And this book – interestingly not published by his usual indy combination of Greywolf Press （US） and Influx （UK） but by the PHR group in the US and Pan MacMillan in the UK - will I suspect lead to his first big US literary prize win: one of the Pulitzer or National Book Awards would seem appropriate – and I would be far from surprised to see this doing very well on the Booker also。The book is a rewriting of the often-claimed Great American Novel， Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” – one I think well known to many US readers。 For UK readers， who I suspect are much less familiar with that work， I would recommended reading it immediately before reading this。 I did and found that even putting aside the problematical elements （the speech used for Jim and the other slaves， the constant use of inappropriate of the N-word） the plot was a combination of Just William style children’s start and ending （with the clear sense of danger and existential jeopardy to Jim somehow lost） sandwiching a literally drifting plot as Jim and Huck escaped down the Mississippi。 My favourite part was the rather amusing opening note （“Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot”）。And brilliantly this novel turns almost everything on its head。 Oddly – but perhaps part of turning my views on their head - my least favourite part of the novel was its opening – a rather too long extract from the lyric notebook of the leader of a group of Black and White Minstrels whose surname Emmett I assumed was a nod to the real life lynching victim Emmett Till whose murderers are the first victims of “The Trees”）But from there everything I felt worked really well。 The novel has the same opening scene – with Huck and Tom Sawyer playing a trick on Jim， but here immediately it is Jim who on one level has the agency in the scene “It always pays to give white folks what they want” he thinks and deliberately sets himself up to be tricked。 I sat “on one level” as while rewriting the life of “a significant literary figure who never had any agency” is what Everett has said drew him to this project。And in Chapter 2， the other main aspect - the problematical language/speech – is immediately bought into play， in a scene when James （as he is known to his family） sits down with his wife Sadie， daughter Lizzie and a group of other children to remind them of how to speak in front of white folk “White folks expect us to sound a certain way and it can only help if we don’t disappoint them，” I said。 “The only ones who suffer when they are made to feel inferior is us。 Perhaps I should say ‘when they don’t feel superior。’ So， let’s pause to review some of the basics。” That becomes a recurring joke through the novel – Everett as in “The Trees” tends to repeat his satire – with not just James （extremely well read from his master’s library – with a particular interest in Voltiare and John Locke who even visit him in dreams to debate their ideas） but all of the blacks able to converse fluently but immediately switching to the speech of the slaves in “Huckleberry Finn” when in earshot of whites。As in that novel， Finn （assumed murdered possibly by his alcoholic father） and Jim/James （who has escaped to avoid being traded away from his family – form an uneasy alliance and make an escape together down the river。 Dusk came on， and with the fog we figured it was okay to set out。 The Mississippi is swifter than it looks。 It’s scary， for that reason。 You can mess around in some branches and backwaters and start to think it’s gentle and then you get out into it and it’s a different story。 What is far more present in this novel is that Jim is permanently scared。 The real fear of discovery/capture that dogs Jim’s every step – fear of being at best sold away from his family and at worst being brutally beaten and murdered （something later bought home to him in a harrowing scene involving retribution for a stolen pencil）。And when Everett has stopped being forced to follow the branches and backwaters of Twain’s novel – which is effectively up to when the two meet the con-men （the King and the Duke） – Everett takes the novel into a very different story。 Far from the rather gently comical swindlers of the original novel those two are immediately focused on beating and selling Jim for gain and when Jim escapes and is captured his release is via the leader of the aforementioned Minstrels， who down a tenor decide to add for the first time （at least knowingly） a black man to their ranks – although James soon finds another of the minstrels is actually a white-passing slave。 Never had a situation felt so absurd， surreal and ridiculous。 And I had spent my life as a slave。 There we were， twelve of us， marching down the main street that separated the free side of town from the slave side， ten white men in blackface， one black man passing for white and painted black， and me， a light-brown black man painted black in such a way as to appear like a white man trying to pass for black。 As James adventures to continue – the book introduces two late twists: one directly relevant to and challenging the standard interpretation of Jim and Huck’s friendship （which I think will mean more to those more invested in the original）; the other the very clever introduction of the first stages of the Civil War which allows Everett to further examine a theme which has run through the novel （white saviour complex） in a cross-history way。 It then ends with something of a positive ending。Overall an excellent piece of writing。My thanks to Picador， Mantle for an ARC via NetGalley 。。。more

Annette ，

Sad， witty， haunting， tragic and beautifully written。 Feel like this should be a must-read for all students who read the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to see life from the side of James， not Jim， the slave。

Lesebiene ，

Meine Meinung:Percival Everett ist für mich einer prägendsten und bedeutendsten Autoren der letzten Jahre， der mich mit seinen beiden letzten auf deutsch erschienenen Büchern stets begeistert und für sich einnehmen konnte。 Umso gespannter war ich nun， das dieser eine Klassiker auf neue Art und Weise und aus einer ganz anderen Sicht erzählt wird。 Nämlich Huckleberry Finn einer jenen Klassiker， die wohl die meisten Menschen kennen oder denen zumindest die Grundthematik ein Begriff ist。Dabei wählt Meine Meinung:Percival Everett ist für mich einer prägendsten und bedeutendsten Autoren der letzten Jahre， der mich mit seinen beiden letzten auf deutsch erschienenen Büchern stets begeistert und für sich einnehmen konnte。 Umso gespannter war ich nun， das dieser eine Klassiker auf neue Art und Weise und aus einer ganz anderen Sicht erzählt wird。 Nämlich Huckleberry Finn einer jenen Klassiker， die wohl die meisten Menschen kennen oder denen zumindest die Grundthematik ein Begriff ist。Dabei wählt der Autor eine Sprache， die zwar sehr reduziert und prägnant ist und dennoch eine solche Wortgewalt und literarisches Können besitzt， dass der Leser völlig gebannt und manchmal erschrocken sprachlos vor der Geschichte sitzt。 Denn Everett präsentiert uns hier zwar eine neue und moderne Version， diese ist jedoch auch an vielen Stellen teilweise unerträglich brutal und schonungslos ehrlich。 Denn die Historie der Sklaverei， wird hier in all ihren grausamen Facetten gezeigt und das bedrückte mich als Leserin sehr und machte sprachlos。Doch der Autor ist schlich einer der brillantesten seines Fachs。 Kein Wort ist zu viel， jeder Satz so bedeutsam， dass man ihn unterstreichen könnte und jeder Charaktere einmalig gezeichnet。Ein großes Buch， ja ein Buch， das selbst zu einem modernen Klassiker werden könnte。 。。。more

Momma Leighellen’s Book Nook ，

Thank you @doubledaybooksBOOK OF THE YEAR。A MASTERPIECE。 That’s it。 That’s my review。Ok。 Need more？ Here goes。 Let me see if I can do this brilliant work of fiction any sort of justice what soever。 But keep in mind， I am a white woman， so please go read some own voice reviews of this one。I am always a sucker for a retelling。 I think it’s a creative way to give a fresh voice to old literature。 I’m also always on the lookout for books that elevate marginalized voices from history。 This book is a r Thank you @doubledaybooksBOOK OF THE YEAR。A MASTERPIECE。 That’s it。 That’s my review。Ok。 Need more？ Here goes。 Let me see if I can do this brilliant work of fiction any sort of justice what soever。 But keep in mind， I am a white woman， so please go read some own voice reviews of this one。I am always a sucker for a retelling。 I think it’s a creative way to give a fresh voice to old literature。 I’m also always on the lookout for books that elevate marginalized voices from history。 This book is a retelling of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn， the beloved if not oft controversial classic， and it manages to do both。 This book is BEYOND brilliantly done well。 It is fresh。 And new。 And yet somehow it stays true to and completely fits right in with the original。 “I am a man who is cognizant of his world， a man who loves his family， who has been torn from his family， a man who can read and write， a man who will not let his story be self-related， but self-written。”As you know， Huck Finn was overall a commentary on slavery and race relations in this country。 But it was still told from a little white boys perspective。 It was a book for that time。 In this thought provoking piece of literature， Percival reimagines the story from Jim’s perspective。 He gives him voice。 James who can read and write， who is moral， articulate and still altruistic despite the horror of the times。 This is a novel for this generation of readers。 “So， I’m in a free state？”The man laughed。 “Boy， you’re in America。”It blows me away that this still felt like the OG Huck Finn in tone and nature but we get a whole new story， with Jim at the center。 I’m truly in awe of how he made Jim come alive in this book。 His narrative is wise and heartbreaking， as we come face to face with the realities and brutalities of what it is to be born enslaved and torn from your family。 But we also see the way he copes。 The way he adjusts to please the white men， even Huck， but mocks them all the same。I have only read Everett’s Trees， so I am not the right person to say this is his best work yet， but it sure is the best book I’ve read this year。 It goes RIGHT to the top。 Book of the Year。 May even be Top 5 favorite ever。 It’s that good，But seriously。 Go preorder this NOW。 Put it on your must read list for March。 Comes out March 19。 。。。more

Sam Quixote ，

James is Percival Everett’s retelling of Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of N-word Jim。 My review’s full of spoiler-y stuff so if you’re planning to read this book and that sorta thing bothers you， stop reading the review now。 But if you’re simply after a TL/DR version of this review: Everett’s novel is unnecessary， adds little - worse， detracts even - to the original source material and Twain’s novel remains the better book to read of the two， yes， including the James is Percival Everett’s retelling of Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of N-word Jim。 My review’s full of spoiler-y stuff so if you’re planning to read this book and that sorta thing bothers you， stop reading the review now。 But if you’re simply after a TL/DR version of this review: Everett’s novel is unnecessary， adds little - worse， detracts even - to the original source material and Twain’s novel remains the better book to read of the two， yes， including the “problematic” language and racial stereotypes。 If you’ve not read Huck Finn before， the story is set in pre-civil war America， in Missouri， one of the slave states， where Huck Finn， a young white roustabout， and a runaway slave， Jim， go on the run together along the Mississippi River - adventures ensue。 In Twain’s novel， the two are separated and Huck becomes hostage to a couple of con artists before being reunited with Jim for the final act of the story。 Everett retells Twain’s story and then adds his own material once Huck and James are separated。 His contribution is that James and a white-passing black man called Norman hatch upon a scheme to sell James， then James runs away once Norman pockets the cash， and they repeat this until James has enough money to buy his family from slavery and head north。 There’s also a very corny Hollywood-esque ending that’s more uplifting for James than the one in Twain’s novel， and Everett reveals that Huck is James’ son - this last detail is probably the most controversial。 Did we need a retelling of Huck Finn？ No。 Everett’s story is not compelling enough。 It more realistically details the horrors of slavery （the sequence with James， Norman and a teenage slave called Sammy is particularly harrowing） and does what I think it sets out to do， namely portray James as a real person and not a racist cartoon。 In this novel， the slaves pretend to speak in a cartoonish slave’s voice， as they did in Twain’s novel （and other media from yesteryear） but really speak normal English when not around white ears， in many cases better than the white characters themselves。 James strives for dignity and equity in a time and place where both were unheard of for black people and so he’s very easily a sympathetic character。 The story as Twain told it was originally interesting， but re-reading it in Everett’s hands is less so as there’s not much added to it。 James encounters more horrors that we’ve seen him encounter and it’s repetitive and grim for the sake of grimness。 Does anyone read Huck Finn today and think black people are the racist cartoons that appeared in the narrative？ I don’t think so。 Though I also don’t think it’s unfair to say that there were some black people who were like this back then either hence why Twain chose to write them like that - there was no ulterior agenda at play for him。 Twain’s portrayal of black characters may be racial stereotypes but they’re not enduring ones， and the novel itself， including Huck， are so anti-racist and progressive， especially for its time， that it’s amazing so many people are willing to condemn Twain and his novel because he used the n-word liberally without considering anything else about the book’s contents。 And what was the point of making Huck James’ son？ On one level it felt like petty points-scoring against a long-dead author who can’t object - like Everett was claiming this iconic American literary character as “one of theirs” and， not as the white establishment believes， “theirs” - nyah nyah nyah nyaaah！ It’s also not his character to change so dramatically。 Part of the beauty of Twain’s character is that Huck sees the injustice of slavery and decides for himself that it’s wrong - at a time when he’s literally told that if he helps a slave it’s a “sin”。 Huck isn’t being progressive for fashionable reasons， he’s doing it because he’s a humanitarian。 He isn’t choosing to treat Jim as an equal because he’s half-black himself but because that’s how he sees Jim and all black people - he recognises their common humanity。 It’s important that Huck is white because he represents the future society， the better society， that Twain wanted to hold up to his audience， at a time when Jim Crow was in full swing， and point to as an example of what we should aspire to be， and he wanted that audience - primarily white - to see themselves in Huck and replicate his behaviour， to make that vision a reality。 Huck and Jim’s relationship is one of the great literary friendships in part because they’re two individuals who bond over their shared humanity and experiences， not because they’re related。 It feels like Everett’s revision of Huck diminishes the character’s obvious qualities that makes him such a unique literary creation for no good reason whatsoever。 I can understand wanting to give James a better ending than the one he got in Huck Finn but the ending of this novel is down there with the trashiest fan-fic - it’s pure Hollywood cheese。 A bad ending to a bad novel。 Percival Everett’s James provides greater， more realistic detail of the antebellum south than you get in Twain’s Huck Finn， though any decent history book will do the same， so that hardly makes Everett’s novel a necessary companion piece to Twain’s。 It’s also well-written， as all of Everett’s novels are。 But Twain’s Huck Finn remains the only novel of this story worth reading - James is ultimately a pointless addition that’s little more than reactionary fan fiction， as much a product of our time as Twain’s novel was of his。 。。。more

Corey ，

Witty， wise， joyful， painful， important， and highly readable。 I predict this will finally win him the Pulitzer。

Brian ，

Amazing retelling of Huck Finn， Percival Everett style

Linda ，

I almost didn’t read this novel as a retelling of HUCKLEBERRY FINN wasn’t appealing to me。 So glad I changed my mind！ Told by the slave James as he and Huck make their way on the Mississippi River， they encounter some of the same adventures as in Mark Twain’s original。 However， experiencing it from a black man’s perspective is revelatory。 The characters are all well developed and a bit humorous; the plot moves quickly; the setting is mostly centered on the Mississippi River; and the ending is re I almost didn’t read this novel as a retelling of HUCKLEBERRY FINN wasn’t appealing to me。 So glad I changed my mind！ Told by the slave James as he and Huck make their way on the Mississippi River， they encounter some of the same adventures as in Mark Twain’s original。 However， experiencing it from a black man’s perspective is revelatory。 The characters are all well developed and a bit humorous; the plot moves quickly; the setting is mostly centered on the Mississippi River; and the ending is rewarding。Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday/Penguin Random House for the ARC to read and review。 。。。more

Tracy ，

Just perfect。 It's at once a hoot and a punch in the stomach。 Just perfect。 It's at once a hoot and a punch in the stomach。 。。。more

Andrew Atkinson ，

Very good indeed。 I read ‘The Trees’， which was my introduction to this author。 That was tree-mendous。 ‘James’ similarly provides first-rate writing and story telling。 The author is certainly gifted and this is a truly literary endeavour。 Everett deserves to be acclaimed as one of a handful of genuinely great modern writers。 I salute you， sir。 As well as a re-telling and exploration of the Huckleberry Finn story of Mr。 Twain， this book is a no-holds barred account of the savagery and brutality o Very good indeed。 I read ‘The Trees’， which was my introduction to this author。 That was tree-mendous。 ‘James’ similarly provides first-rate writing and story telling。 The author is certainly gifted and this is a truly literary endeavour。 Everett deserves to be acclaimed as one of a handful of genuinely great modern writers。 I salute you， sir。 As well as a re-telling and exploration of the Huckleberry Finn story of Mr。 Twain， this book is a no-holds barred account of the savagery and brutality of the latter slave years in the United States of America。 What’s more， this is not a pure fictional historic reckoning as there are present day lessons to be learned。 Highly recommended for serious-minded readers， as well as those who just want a darned good story。 I received a free review copy from NetGalley and Pan MacMillan and this is an independent， personal and frank review。 My thanks to NetGalley and to Pan MacMillan。 。。。more

rachelle ，

2024 is the year of buddy reads！！！

Karola ，

Was für ein unwürdiges Leben als Sklave der Südstaaten Amerikas！Die Szenerie spielt rund um den Mississippi， um Ortschaften wie z。B。 Hannibal， Fourmile Island， Saverton， in der Nähe von New Orleans etc。 bis nach Edina， Missouri。 In Anlehnung des Romans Huckleberry Finns Abenteuer von Mark Twain findet sich im Original dieses Autors auch das Südstaatenenglisch des 19。 Jahrhunderts unter den Sklaven wieder， was für den Übersetzter sicher eine besondere Herausforderung darstellt und dem Leser zumin Was für ein unwürdiges Leben als Sklave der Südstaaten Amerikas！Die Szenerie spielt rund um den Mississippi， um Ortschaften wie z。B。 Hannibal， Fourmile Island， Saverton， in der Nähe von New Orleans etc。 bis nach Edina， Missouri。 In Anlehnung des Romans Huckleberry Finns Abenteuer von Mark Twain findet sich im Original dieses Autors auch das Südstaatenenglisch des 19。 Jahrhunderts unter den Sklaven wieder， was für den Übersetzter sicher eine besondere Herausforderung darstellt und dem Leser zumindest anfangs den Lesefluss beeinträchtigen mag。 Dieses Pigeon-English wird hier bewusst als Distinktionsmerkmal gegenüber dem Standardenglisch der weißen Bevölkerung eingesetzt， sind doch Sklaven als Angehörige vermeintlich primitiver Völker retardiert， einfältig und nur mehr Tier oder Arbeitsmaschine。 Interessant sind die Reflektionen von Locke， Montesquieu， Voltaire， Diderot， Rousseau über Ungleichheit， Rasse， Sklaverei， Albinismus。 Diese Philosophen der Aufklärung kannten wohl genau die Wirklichkeit der Sklaverei in den Kolonien。 Die Hauptfigur Jim， ein verheirateter Sklave mit Tochter， des Lesens und Schreibens kundig， spielt jedoch den Dummen aus Selbstschutz。 Um seinem Verkauf zu entkommen， flieht er zusammen mit dem Jungen Huckleberry， Huck genannt， und erlebt als gejagter Entflohener viele Abenteuer。 In seinen Träumen ist er z。B。 mit Montesquieu der Meinung， dass wir， ungeachtet von Hautfarbe， Sprache oder Gepflogenheiten， alle gleich sind。 Auch der historische Moment des Kriegs zwischen den Nord- und Südstatten Amerikas ist geschickt eingeflochten mit einem positiven Ausgang für James alias Jim。 Die Sklaverei und der Sklavenhandel wurden übrigens letztlich nicht allein （und nicht einmal hauptsächlich） aus moralischen， sondern vor allem aus wirtschaftlichen Gründen abgeschafft。 Interessanter Lesestoff！ 。。。more

Kelly Maust ，

So excited to have this retelling of an American classic from exactly the type of person who needed to retell it。 Everett's James is thought-provoking and challenging， with a major twist revealed towards the end。 As someone who acknowledges the problems with the perenially controversial original book while still acknowledging its genius （and as someone who likes to stand up for it and point out that in many ways it was very progressive For Its Time）， I can imagine a fantastic American Lit class So excited to have this retelling of an American classic from exactly the type of person who needed to retell it。 Everett's James is thought-provoking and challenging， with a major twist revealed towards the end。 As someone who acknowledges the problems with the perenially controversial original book while still acknowledging its genius （and as someone who likes to stand up for it and point out that in many ways it was very progressive For Its Time）， I can imagine a fantastic American Lit class using James and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as paired texts。 My only complaint is the ending felt a bit rushed。 Maybe a sequel is in the works。。。I want to know more about what happened in the last chapter and afterwards！Thanks， NetGalley！ 。。。more

Emily ，

Everett’s "James" is a compelling reimagining of Twain's classic， "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"， seen through the eyes of Jim （who prefers James）， now the protagonist and narrator。 This shift in perspective adds a fresh twist and brings it up to date and deftly handles the problematic parts of the original。For those not familiar with the story， Huck， fleeing his abusive father， and Jim， an enslaved man seeking freedom， journey together down the Mississippi River， navigating untrustworthy Everett’s "James" is a compelling reimagining of Twain's classic， "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"， seen through the eyes of Jim （who prefers James）， now the protagonist and narrator。 This shift in perspective adds a fresh twist and brings it up to date and deftly handles the problematic parts of the original。For those not familiar with the story， Huck， fleeing his abusive father， and Jim， an enslaved man seeking freedom， journey together down the Mississippi River， navigating untrustworthy characters and situations。 The novel explores race， prejudice and the intricacies of trust and human connection in the face of adversity。There was humour and farce， pain and suffering， as well as love and sacrifice。 I rushed through the 300-ish pages and would definitely recommend it。 。。。more

Valarie ，

It's only February and I think I've found my top read of 2024。 This book is absolutely amazing。 I loved it from beginning to end and couldn't put it down！ James is a retelling of Huck Finn from the perspective of the slave Jim。 Everett does a wonderful job of making Jim come to life and shows us how nuanced and complicated a human he is。 There's plenty of adventure and action in this book， but also reflection on humanity and slavery。 There are definitely some parts that are difficult to read （su It's only February and I think I've found my top read of 2024。 This book is absolutely amazing。 I loved it from beginning to end and couldn't put it down！ James is a retelling of Huck Finn from the perspective of the slave Jim。 Everett does a wonderful job of making Jim come to life and shows us how nuanced and complicated a human he is。 There's plenty of adventure and action in this book， but also reflection on humanity and slavery。 There are definitely some parts that are difficult to read （such as whippings and rape）， but there are also parts that are light-hearted and will make you smile。In case there's anyone else out there like me who has never actually read Huck Finn cover to cover， rest assured this book is still amazing without knowing the original version。 I don't think it took anything away from James for me not to have read Huck Finn， but now I want to read the original to compare and contrast。I think everyone should read this book and I think it should be required high school reading。 I think this book will be at the top of many award lists this year and those will be well-deserved！ Read this， you won't regret it！Thanks @netgalley and the publisher for the ARC！ 。。。more

Bekka ，

James by Percival Everett5 ⭐️ Prompt 22: A plot similar to another bookSummary: A retelling of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn told from Jim’s point of view。 Review: This was excellent。 The ending is QUITE different and is really what sets it apart most from Huckleberry Finn。 The original novel is able to be read by children aged 8 and up and the end of this book certainly begs an older audience。 Jim can read and write and dumbs down his speech when in the presence of white folks James by Percival Everett5 ⭐️ Prompt 22: A plot similar to another bookSummary: A retelling of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn told from Jim’s point of view。 Review: This was excellent。 The ending is QUITE different and is really what sets it apart most from Huckleberry Finn。 The original novel is able to be read by children aged 8 and up and the end of this book certainly begs an older audience。 Jim can read and write and dumbs down his speech when in the presence of white folks in order to make them feel superior and more comfortable。 As a slave it is unacceptable for him to show any signs of intelligence。 He reads Voltaire and sees him in his dreams。 I loved this portrayal of Jim。 I loved that he never gave up on the people he loved， including Huck。 It is interesting to get the events of the story I remember from high school/college from a different POV。 This book was very easy to read， the writing somehow didn’t feel as antiquated， even though portions of it was written in old southern colloquialism。 I found it much more readable than the original， but I was much younger when I read Huckleberry Finn， so maybe when I read it again I may feel differently。 。。。more

Jimmy Clemmons ，

I went back and read Huckleberry Finn at the recommendation of my wife prior to reading this book and I am glad that I did。 Percival Everett has written another outstanding thought provoking novel that you will not be able to put down。 The characters unfold and come alive from the page， some for better and some for worse！ Outstanding work and I highly recommend this read when it becomes available， I was lucky enough to have been able to swipe my wife’s advance copy after she finished。

Sue ，

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance reader copy of James in exchange for a fair review which will appear on Goodreads。 I just wrote an awesome review that was deleted so now I dejectedly try again。If you remember anything from reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer as a kid， you probably remember the characters of Huck and Jim。 This novel is from the point of view of the slave man that Huck befriends， and is a pivotal character in this novel as well。With humor， heartwarming mome Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance reader copy of James in exchange for a fair review which will appear on Goodreads。 I just wrote an awesome review that was deleted so now I dejectedly try again。If you remember anything from reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer as a kid， you probably remember the characters of Huck and Jim。 This novel is from the point of view of the slave man that Huck befriends， and is a pivotal character in this novel as well。With humor， heartwarming moments and a heavy dose of tension and adventure， this tale takes as many twists and bends as the Mississippi River， on which much of his time is spent。 The book is a fast read that I couldn’t put down。 It was exciting and scary， and I think any book club would have a lot to say about this standalone novel that compliments Mark Twains novel， whether or not he would have approved。I would recommend it to patrons。4* 。。。more

Leselissi ，

Wir kennen ihn aus Huckleberry Finns Abenteuern: den geflohenen Sklaven Jim。Dies ist seine Geschichte， erzählt mit seinen Worten。Es ist eine Geschichte der Bemächtigung über das eigene Leben。 Es ist eine Geschichte über die Bedeutung von Freiheit und Freundschaft und über die Macht der Sprache。 Lest sie！

Katy Wheatley ，

This was astonishingly good。 I grew up reading Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer and of the two stories I always preferred Tom Sawyer because it wasn't as scary and obviously problematic。 I couldn't imagine what Percival Everett would do to a story that was already so firmly embedded in my imagination。 What he did with it was to give it a totally new life without destroying the original tale。 It is a seamless merging of old and new in such a way that held me from the first page。 I loved this。 I started a This was astonishingly good。 I grew up reading Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer and of the two stories I always preferred Tom Sawyer because it wasn't as scary and obviously problematic。 I couldn't imagine what Percival Everett would do to a story that was already so firmly embedded in my imagination。 What he did with it was to give it a totally new life without destroying the original tale。 It is a seamless merging of old and new in such a way that held me from the first page。 I loved this。 I started and finished it in one day because I absolutely had to know what happened。 I literally couldn't put it down。 Sharp， clever， angry and so full of heart and soul。 It's a masterpiece。 James is a triumph as a character and as a voice of the oppressed。 。。。more

Amber ，

When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans， he decides to hide until he can formulate a plan。 Meanwhile， Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father。 Thus begins the dangerous journey down the Mississippi River toward the elusive promise of the Free States。JAMES isn't just another retelling or reimagining of Mark Twain's classic THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN; it's a bold and thought-provoking adaptation that skillfully flips the sc When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans， he decides to hide until he can formulate a plan。 Meanwhile， Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father。 Thus begins the dangerous journey down the Mississippi River toward the elusive promise of the Free States。JAMES isn't just another retelling or reimagining of Mark Twain's classic THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN; it's a bold and thought-provoking adaptation that skillfully flips the script on the familiar characters。 In this novel， Everett shifts the narrative focus from Huck to James。 While James is relegated to the background in Twain's original tale， he takes center stage in Everett's novel， allowing readers to delve into his compelling journey。JAMES marks my third encounter with Everett's work， and maybe my favorite， competing closely with ERASURE。 Despite its brevity， the novel packs a powerful punch， demonstrating Everett's mastery in crafting a narrative that is both concise and impactful and delivering a profound exploration of the Black American experience， particularly during the era of slavery。One of the remarkable aspects of JAMES is its accessibility to readers unfamiliar with HUCK FINN。 As someone who didn't read Twain's classic， I was engrossed in Everett's storytelling without feeling like I was missing out on essential context。 This speaks to Everett's ability to create a standalone work that resonates independently while also offering a unique perspective to those familiar with the source material。Everett's brilliance as a literary genius shines through in his ability to infuse fresh ideas into a setting that has been explored by many。 JAMES becomes not just an homage to classics but a provocative play on them， challenging readers to reconsider the characters relegated to the background。 JAMES prompts us to ask， "What did we miss？" in the original narratives and encourages a reevaluation of our understanding of these literary figures。In essence， JAMES is a captivating ode to classics that is both nostalgic and groundbreaking。 Everett's storytelling prowess elevates this adaptation， making it a must-read for those intrigued by inventive takes on timeless tales and a compelling exploration of the Black American experience。 。。。more

Tag

    james james harden james dean james bond james cook university james joyce james jean james turrell james allen jameson

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=James

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=James&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,James&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0