Historical Fiction

James

James

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  • Create Date：2024-03-10 14:21:59
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
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  • Author：Percival Everett
  • ISBN：B0C8MGS6GR
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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。 •  From the “cult literary icon” （ Oprah Daily ）， Pulitzer Prize Finalist， and one of the most decorated writers of our lifetime

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 the electrifying humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a “cult literary icon” （ Oprah Daily ）， and one of the most decorated writers of our lifetime， James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first century American literature。

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Reviews

Susanne ，

4，5 Sterne

Lisa Boyd ，

We will。 hear enough about this book that my review won't matter。 It's good。 I can imagine a Cohen Brothers movie when I listened to it。 It ends better than I had anticipated。 We will。 hear enough about this book that my review won't matter。 It's good。 I can imagine a Cohen Brothers movie when I listened to it。 It ends better than I had anticipated。 。。。more

Tanja ，

I don't give 5 stars very often。 But it's very much deserved in this case。I haven't read Huck Finn， I can only remember a TV series I was watching as a child。 Anyway， this is not about Huck Finn， but about Jim。 Percival Everett already convinced me with "The Trees" and I was really looking forward to "James"。 This is a very entertaining read， although it deals with slavery and racism。 Some aspects he depicts in his book still matter today （e。g。 black facing or this thing with hair）。 There are so I don't give 5 stars very often。 But it's very much deserved in this case。I haven't read Huck Finn， I can only remember a TV series I was watching as a child。 Anyway， this is not about Huck Finn， but about Jim。 Percival Everett already convinced me with "The Trees" and I was really looking forward to "James"。 This is a very entertaining read， although it deals with slavery and racism。 Some aspects he depicts in his book still matter today （e。g。 black facing or this thing with hair）。 There are some more layers in this book。 I read this novel in only 2 sittings。 So good。（ARC from the publisher） 。。。more

Varsha Ravi （between。bookends） ，

No novel on slavery is ever going to be an easy read。 Everett reclaims and reimagines the life of Jim， the slave in Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and a really important reclamation at that， for a character otherwise forgotten。 As a reader you become deeply entrenched in Jim's story， the rampant atrocities of slavery， of life on the run as he escapes different white slave masters， often dire situations in search of an elusive freedom and the means to one day buy freedom for his No novel on slavery is ever going to be an easy read。 Everett reclaims and reimagines the life of Jim， the slave in Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and a really important reclamation at that， for a character otherwise forgotten。 As a reader you become deeply entrenched in Jim's story， the rampant atrocities of slavery， of life on the run as he escapes different white slave masters， often dire situations in search of an elusive freedom and the means to one day buy freedom for his family from slavery。 Everett weaves in moments of levity and genuinely hilarity seamlessly into the story。 Jim is a wonderful character， level-headed and smart， with uncanny survival instinct and care that extends beyond his family。 His equation with Huck is another highlight with this novel。 Huck's childlike innocence and understanding of the inherent wrongness of slavery， and his earnest efforts to help Jim is so deeply moving and core part of this novel。 It's a nuanced， compelling， heart-pounding adventure novel of one man's journey to justice and redemption。 Highly recommend！ 。。。more

KC ，

In this reimagining of Twain's classic THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN， the story is told from enslaved Jim's point of view。 Jim overhears that he is to be sold; he panics and then flees。 While hiding out hatching a plan to save his wife and daughter， he encounters his young friend Huck， who has faked is own death to escape his abusive father。 The pair decide to swipe a raft and ride the mighty Mississippi north。 Huck seeking salvation， and Jim， freedom， with hopes to return south， in time， t In this reimagining of Twain's classic THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN， the story is told from enslaved Jim's point of view。 Jim overhears that he is to be sold; he panics and then flees。 While hiding out hatching a plan to save his wife and daughter， he encounters his young friend Huck， who has faked is own death to escape his abusive father。 The pair decide to swipe a raft and ride the mighty Mississippi north。 Huck seeking salvation， and Jim， freedom， with hopes to return south， in time， to rescue his family。 Overflowing with humor with equal parts horror， this book is not to be missed。 Read alike: LET US DESCEND by Jesmyn Ward 。。。more

Beth ，

Good god; that was incredible。

James Costa ，

If you've never read a book by Percival Everett you truly are missing out。 He is turning out book after book that just makes you expand your mind on race and history in America。 His latest and greatest is called James （so am I so how could I not love this book！） From the very first page you know are into something special。 It's a retelling of Huckleberry Finn and the Jim。 You go on adventures with them that are somehwat similar to the story Huckleberry Finn but Jim is not the character you read If you've never read a book by Percival Everett you truly are missing out。 He is turning out book after book that just makes you expand your mind on race and history in America。 His latest and greatest is called James （so am I so how could I not love this book！） From the very first page you know are into something special。 It's a retelling of Huckleberry Finn and the Jim。 You go on adventures with them that are somehwat similar to the story Huckleberry Finn but Jim is not the character you read about in the book。 He's a slave who knows how to read and write and many other things that the white men who owns slaves never expect a slave to be able to do。 The story just flies by because those fof us who know the story can maybe maybe figure out where the story is going but no so in Mr。 Everett hands。 I read the book in one sitting on a six hour flight。 Books like this don't come out very often but when they do you just want to tell the world about them。 You MUST read this book and add to your book club。 There is so much to discuss and dive into。 I hope it wins many awards because it deserves them。 Thank you to Netgalley and Doubleday。 I'll be buying this book and spreading this book to everyone I know！ 。。。more

Ron Charles ，

Samuel Clemens， who took the steamboating term “Mark Twain” as his pen name， knew the Mississippi was a deadly river to navigate。 But it feels like a tranquil brook next to the tumultuous waters of American literature。You can hear that stress prefigured at the end of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn，” when Huck admits， “If I’d a knowed what a trouble it was to make a book I wouldn’t a tackled it。”Indeed， Huck has never had it easy。Mark Twain toiled on the manuscript off and on for years — som Samuel Clemens， who took the steamboating term “Mark Twain” as his pen name， knew the Mississippi was a deadly river to navigate。 But it feels like a tranquil brook next to the tumultuous waters of American literature。You can hear that stress prefigured at the end of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn，” when Huck admits， “If I’d a knowed what a trouble it was to make a book I wouldn’t a tackled it。”Indeed， Huck has never had it easy。Mark Twain toiled on the manuscript off and on for years — sometimes unsure how to continue it and clearly unsure how to end it。 Before the novel was released， someone noticed that an illustration of Uncle Phelps had been enhanced with an obscene endowment。 That act of vandalism， presumably by an unknown engraver， was fixed， but just weeks after the book appeared in 1885， the library in Concord， Mass。， condemned “Huckleberry Finn” as “trash。” Once critics caught that scent， they never let up。Huck’s coarseness was initially the problem — “the whole book being more suited to the slums than to intelligent， respectable people，” according to one library committee。 And the dialect that Twain sweated over offended the sensibilities of self-styled defenders of English who knew how a proper book should sound。As many White Americans began to catch up with Huck’s respect for his Black friend， the book’s use of the n-word — more than 200 times — was increasingly intolerable。 By the 1950s， some schools were expelling “Huck Finn” for its racial insensitivity。 As late as 2007， it was still one of the 10 most challenged books in the country。It’s worth noting that Huck begins his own story by referring to Mr。 Mark Twain with a little metafictional joke: “He told the truth， mainly。”That word “mainly” runs as wide as the Mississippi in the spring。 And on the currents of such a stream of possibilities， Percival Everett has now set “James，” his sly response to “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn。”The timing may be accidental， but it couldn’t be better。 Our barely United States is once again tearing itself apart over which books should be banned and how African American history should be taught。 Meanwhile， “American Fiction，” an adaptation of Everett’s 2001 novel， “Erasure” — which satirizes the publishing industry’s condescending regard for Black writers — is up for five Academy Awards。 What better moment for one of the nation’s preeminent authors to reconceive the nation’s central novel？ Like Huck， you might think， “I been there before，” but。 。 。 。 To read the rest of this review， go to The Washington Post:https://www。washingtonpost。com/books/。。。 。。。more

Chelsea （bookedwithc） ，

Amazing。

Amanda Roberson ，

This should be required reading。 Easily the best book I will read this year and possibly now in my top 10 （5？） books。 Absolutely stunning。 If this doesn’t sweep the big awards and become a huge movie， I will be shocked。

Megan ，

A hilarious and harrowing novel told from the perspective of Jim from Huckleberry Finn。

Adena ，

I love the premise of this book， but I just couldn’t get into this book。 Perhaps， despite all of its flaws， Hick Finn has too much of a hold on my reading heart for me to fully open my heart to any alternate tellings。

Aimee Andrews ，

Wow。 Just wow。 This was such a powerful retelling。

Susan ，

Review to follow。

Leisa ，

4。5 stars✨The portrayal of slavery here is brutal and violent， and while it was distressing to read， it is a vitally important read。 ✨I’m not usually one for retellings， but this one will sit on my shelf with the classics。 ✨The cast of characters – some I loved and some I loved to hate – were masterfully written， and I won’t soon forget them。 ✨I listened to this one on audio while following along on my Kindle at times and really enjoyed the immersive experience。 Narrator Dominic Hoffman really k 4。5 stars✨The portrayal of slavery here is brutal and violent， and while it was distressing to read， it is a vitally important read。 ✨I’m not usually one for retellings， but this one will sit on my shelf with the classics。 ✨The cast of characters – some I loved and some I loved to hate – were masterfully written， and I won’t soon forget them。 ✨I listened to this one on audio while following along on my Kindle at times and really enjoyed the immersive experience。 Narrator Dominic Hoffman really kept me on the edge of my seat。 ✨At once eloquent， devastating and triumphant， this is a book I definitely recommend you check out。 🌿Read if you like:✨Historical fiction✨Retellings✨Own voices stories✨Difficult but vastly important works of literature 。。。more

Audra ，

This books should win all the awards and replace The Adventures of Huck Finn in classrooms。 Brilliant， funny， and layered， Everett is a master and this book is an easy access point into his writing。

Margarethe ，

Percival Everett setzt neue Maßstäbe， hat man die Bücher Bäume und Erschütterung gelesen， weiß man wodrauf man sich einlässt。James kommt am Anfang etwas leichter daher， jeder kennt die Abenteuer von Huck und Tom und fühlt sich in die Jugend zurückversetzt。 Anfangs ist alles vertraut。Aber allein der Perspektivwechsel von den Jungs auf James。 James， der lesen und schreiben kann。 Die Sklaven， die sich eines Idioms bedienen， um den Weißen das Überlegenheitsgefühl zu lassen， die Sklavenhalter in Sic Percival Everett setzt neue Maßstäbe， hat man die Bücher Bäume und Erschütterung gelesen， weiß man wodrauf man sich einlässt。James kommt am Anfang etwas leichter daher， jeder kennt die Abenteuer von Huck und Tom und fühlt sich in die Jugend zurückversetzt。 Anfangs ist alles vertraut。Aber allein der Perspektivwechsel von den Jungs auf James。 James， der lesen und schreiben kann。 Die Sklaven， die sich eines Idioms bedienen， um den Weißen das Überlegenheitsgefühl zu lassen， die Sklavenhalter in Sicherheit zu wiegen。 Sich andauernd in der Gefahr zu befinden wegen NICHTS ausgepeitscht， gehängt bzw。 einfach ermordet zu werden。James muss fliehen， Huck muss fliehen， die Twainsche Ausgangssituation。Dieses absurde Verhältnis zwischen Mensch und Mensch， aufgrund von Überlegenheitsgefühl， Machtgefühl und Besitzansprüchen。Der Leser erlebt die Geschichte von Huck und James neu。Und fühlt am Ende der Geschichte den Stolz James mit der Nennung seines Names。Ich kann zustimmen wenn von einem Meisterwerk gesprochen wird。Die Übersetzung von Stingel mit der Neuerfindung einer Sprache ist sehr gut gelungen。 Dickes Lob！Und auch das Cover hat seinen Reiz。 。。。more

Jess Hartkop ，

Part retelling， part speculative fiction。 Not humorous as some descriptors say imo… perhaps there are some lighter parts but I didn’t find anything laugh out loud， funny。 There could be a bit of new plot points that go farther than expected but I found myself cheering for James every step。 He is an amamzong character， I love the life Percival gave him。 This book gives Jim/James a reimagined life and potential future。 I don’t want to go into the plot because I think going in just knowing it is a Part retelling， part speculative fiction。 Not humorous as some descriptors say imo… perhaps there are some lighter parts but I didn’t find anything laugh out loud， funny。 There could be a bit of new plot points that go farther than expected but I found myself cheering for James every step。 He is an amamzong character， I love the life Percival gave him。 This book gives Jim/James a reimagined life and potential future。 I don’t want to go into the plot because I think going in just knowing it is a retelling is plenty。 Excellently written by Percival Everett。 I’ll definitely revisit this one again。 。。。more

Andrew Winckles ，

This book is genius。 I was lucky enough to get an advance copy at a conference last month and also hear the author， Percival Everett， give a talk （which was incredible）。 A re-telling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim （which， believe it or not， has not been done before）， what this book is really about is language。 Specifically how language is used to construct race in the first place and then how enslaved people （and by extension all oppressed peoples） then use and This book is genius。 I was lucky enough to get an advance copy at a conference last month and also hear the author， Percival Everett， give a talk （which was incredible）。 A re-telling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim （which， believe it or not， has not been done before）， what this book is really about is language。 Specifically how language is used to construct race in the first place and then how enslaved people （and by extension all oppressed peoples） then use and manipulate language to pass in a society that was not constructed for and is in fact dangerous to them。 By making Jim the subject of the book instead of the object， we get to see how his language shifts based on who he is talking to and why - how he uses “slave talk” to escape unwelcome notice by white people and how this type of talk differs from his regular diction。 In other words， we get to see how language can be both a tool of oppression and also power。Making language the subject of the book allows Everett to explore the ways in which race has been constructed in American history and society and also the ways in which the myth of race is perpetuated to this day。 In this， the case of Huck Finn is an instructive example。 I’ve always been struck by how a book that， at its core， is fundamentally anti-racist， has been targeted for banning by well-meaning “color-blind” white people who want to ban or alter the novel simply because it uses the “n-word。” This allows them to perpetuate the myth that racism no longer exists in America （“see！ We understand that the n-word is bad！ We banned the thing！ No more racism！”） When the fact of the matter is that what offends the most about Huck Finn is that it reveals， for each generation of readers， how foundational systemic racism was to the founding of the country and how it STILL EXISTS and shapes our society today。 We don’t want to look at it， so we ban it and then pat ourselves on our backs。James is also clever in the way that it explores the intersections between language， race， and class。 While Huck is white， his low class status and poor education mean that his diction is generally worse than Jim’s actual diction （though not his performative “slave talk”）; while in another section of the novel Jim notes that， while his white-passing， though bedraggled， runaway slave friend Norman could walk among white people as white， he will attract too much notice appearing as a poor white person。 This exposes the lie upon which so much of American race relations are built。 Historically， poor black people and poor white people are in a similar position in relation to the power of wealth and capitalism。 Their interests align。 So how do you convince poor white people to work against their own class interests？ Tell them that at least they are better than a slave and what’s more， they have permission simply by virtue of the color of their skin to treat “those people” like inferior animals。 This attitude， if not this precise social construction， exists to this day and goes a long way towards explaining how someone like Donald Trump （who inherited his money and has never actually worked） has convinced so many working class white people that he is on their side in the face of seismic demographic shifts and a movement towards multi-racial democracy。 What’s more， the language we use to talk about these issues may have changed （i。e。 it is no longer socially acceptable to use the n-word）， but make no mistake， language is still used to construct and perpetuate race and racism to this day。 To paraphrase a scene from Barbie， we still do racism， we just “hide it better now。”You need not have read The Adventures of Huckleberry recently， or even at all， to enjoy this。 I also appreciate how the novel does not fall into the genre of “slave literature，” which （with a few notable exceptions - see Kindred） tends to almost perform suffering for a largely white audience （it’s no coincidence that Everett also wrote the book upon which the recent American Fiction was based）。 Instead， this novel manages to effortlessly mimic the sly， adventurous tone of Huck Finn， while at the same time deal substantively with the issue of slavery and give Jim his own powerful subject position。 I unreservedly recommend it。 。。。more

Stephen Richard ，

Having never read Huckleberry Finn （ To Kill A Mockingbird was the school text of the seventies） or the books of Percival Everett， James was read with no influence/underlying thoughts of Mark Twain although the plot of the 'original' book was familiar James is a simply superb novel- this is an incredibly powerful and thought provoking story- turning HF on its head and telling the story from the perspective of James。James/Jim ， his wife Sadie and daughter Lizzie are all slaves to Miss Watson。 Jam Having never read Huckleberry Finn （ To Kill A Mockingbird was the school text of the seventies） or the books of Percival Everett， James was read with no influence/underlying thoughts of Mark Twain although the plot of the 'original' book was familiar James is a simply superb novel- this is an incredibly powerful and thought provoking story- turning HF on its head and telling the story from the perspective of James。James/Jim ， his wife Sadie and daughter Lizzie are all slaves to Miss Watson。 James talks and supports Huckleberry Finn。 But when Finn's father returns home from time away， the boy fears for his life and fakes his own death; at the same time Jim finds out he is to be sold and separated from his wide and daughter and goes on the run。 His disappearance along with the boy results in people believing he killed Huckleberry; the two go on the run。What follows is dramatic， heartbreaking and incredible storytelling。 Jim's ability to read and write and speak with eloquence is something no slave should do - he even hides this from Finn。 Their journey together is not easy and at certain points they are separated。 Jim finds himself working for a violent blacksmith and also timber merchant， singing in a "black face" choir and encountering a myriad of people- other slaves and slave owners。Slavery， oppression， intelligence ，colour and identity， racial stereotypes are all present shining a clear light on the dark history of America- how different are things in a true societal context。This is an important novel and one that deserves recognition and plaudits。Percival Everett has written a modern masterpiece。 。。。more

Liz ，

Whoa。 Fantastic！ I'm going to need to sit with this one for a while before I can write a proper review。 Wow。 Whoa。 Fantastic！ I'm going to need to sit with this one for a while before I can write a proper review。 Wow。 。。。more

Kerry ，

First， let's be clear， this is a brilliant novel。 Not easy to read for many reasons: the content， being the main thing， but also the narrative style， which takes some getting into。 Still， you *do* get into it， and the absolute talent of Everett， you realise， is right there in your hands。 As the blurb says， the Huck Finn influence is clear， but the skill that Everett has in storytelling and narrative technique makes for a poignant and often highly suspenseful novel。 Surely， bound to be a prize wi First， let's be clear， this is a brilliant novel。 Not easy to read for many reasons: the content， being the main thing， but also the narrative style， which takes some getting into。 Still， you *do* get into it， and the absolute talent of Everett， you realise， is right there in your hands。 As the blurb says， the Huck Finn influence is clear， but the skill that Everett has in storytelling and narrative technique makes for a poignant and often highly suspenseful novel。 Surely， bound to be a prize winner， this。 My thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the privilege （and it was） of reading an advance copy。 。。。more

Melodi | booksandchicks ，

I thoroughly enjoyed this retelling of Mark Twains， The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn。 It is told from the view of James or Jim， the runaway slave that Huck interacted with。 I had a smile on my face as I read of Huck Finn and his adventures seen through the eyes of the adult， Jim。 Jim was there to guide， protect， suggest， and aid Huck on his wild adventures in the 19th century， Mississippi land。 It was very well done。 It gave me a reminiscent feeling of what the time might have been like when b I thoroughly enjoyed this retelling of Mark Twains， The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn。 It is told from the view of James or Jim， the runaway slave that Huck interacted with。 I had a smile on my face as I read of Huck Finn and his adventures seen through the eyes of the adult， Jim。 Jim was there to guide， protect， suggest， and aid Huck on his wild adventures in the 19th century， Mississippi land。 It was very well done。 It gave me a reminiscent feeling of what the time might have been like when boys run off and create their own adventure。 Misunderstanding on Huck's part towards the reasons of slavery and the mistreatment of Jim and other blacks was refreshing to hear from a young boy's perspective。 Huck and Jim eventually split ways and then we follow Jim and his goals。 The book is full of action yet perspective regarding slavery。 My suggestion to you is to either read Huckleberry Finn or a synopsis of the story before starting this one to enrich this reading experience。 Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday for the complimentary eARC， 。。。more

Marjie Lam ，

In case you haven’t yet heard the buzz， James is a retelling of Huck Finn told from the perspective of Jim， the runaway slave。 I’m not sure I’ve ever read the original text and you definitely don’t need to before reading this， though the story felt familiar to me。 I flew through this book because of its short chapters and readable writing， and also because James is such a compelling character。 It seems like Everett mostly sticks to the original plot， but with some twists that made it both though In case you haven’t yet heard the buzz， James is a retelling of Huck Finn told from the perspective of Jim， the runaway slave。 I’m not sure I’ve ever read the original text and you definitely don’t need to before reading this， though the story felt familiar to me。 I flew through this book because of its short chapters and readable writing， and also because James is such a compelling character。 It seems like Everett mostly sticks to the original plot， but with some twists that made it both thought-provoking and satisfying。 The ending is what solidified this book as a 5 star read for me。 Please note， the author does not shy away from depicting the horrors of slavery， so this book includes all the triggers you might expect and was not easy reading in that regard。 If you read one new release this spring， I’d recommend this one！ Particularly to fans of Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead。 I’m thrilled to say this lived up to the hype and am grateful to have discovered Percival Everett this year。 I suspect James will stick with me for a long time。 Thank you NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the free copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more

Lea ，

A retelling of Huckleberry Finn from Jim's perspective that is both entertaining and thought-provoking。 At times however， I found it a little gimmicky and the language rather crude。 Some of the dialogue took me out of the scenes。 I have to admit that reading this in German instead of English certainly is part of why I struggled with the language， especially since the way the slaves talk is made up gibberish in the translation， but even in English I don't think I would have loved this book instea A retelling of Huckleberry Finn from Jim's perspective that is both entertaining and thought-provoking。 At times however， I found it a little gimmicky and the language rather crude。 Some of the dialogue took me out of the scenes。 I have to admit that reading this in German instead of English certainly is part of why I struggled with the language， especially since the way the slaves talk is made up gibberish in the translation， but even in English I don't think I would have loved this book instead of liking it。 It's a clever novel that I found entertaining as an adventure novel and I appreciated the way it turned the topic of race on its head， but it did not really touch me emotionally。 What I perceived as getting hit over the head with a message other readers understood as biting satire， so reading the novel without a hint of humour but taking it at face value might be the wrong way to go about it。 Still， a very readable novel even for people like me who sometimes struggle picking up humourous elements in novels。 。。。more

Professor Weasel ，

A solid read。 The middle section of this book， once Huck is offscreen， is REALLY good。 The first 40%， in which we're basically reproducing events from Huck Finn， got a bit repetitive for me。 But once Jim （or James， rather） is on his own things really pick up。 I REALLY liked the twist at the end - fascinating subtext to think about！ - and I liked Jim's adventures; they definitely kept me turning the pages。 This book reminded me of Kindred and Parable of the Talents， via the different set-pieces/s A solid read。 The middle section of this book， once Huck is offscreen， is REALLY good。 The first 40%， in which we're basically reproducing events from Huck Finn， got a bit repetitive for me。 But once Jim （or James， rather） is on his own things really pick up。 I REALLY liked the twist at the end - fascinating subtext to think about！ - and I liked Jim's adventures; they definitely kept me turning the pages。 This book reminded me of Kindred and Parable of the Talents， via the different set-pieces/scenes that evoke how brutal life was for slaves （especially the sawmill section）。 I'm very interested in reading interviews by this author once this book comes out - overall， this was a great concept。Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC。 。。。more

Nana ，

James is a retelling of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn， from the perspective of Jim， the slave。I haven't read Mark Twain's original book so half way through I had to do some background reading in order to grasp the story fully。 And once I familiarised myself with the events of Twain's book， i thoroughly enjoyed James。 Without that context a lot of the scenes didn't make sense to me。 In Twains original from the background research I did， I'm made to believe that he employed racial stereotypes James is a retelling of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn， from the perspective of Jim， the slave。I haven't read Mark Twain's original book so half way through I had to do some background reading in order to grasp the story fully。 And once I familiarised myself with the events of Twain's book， i thoroughly enjoyed James。 Without that context a lot of the scenes didn't make sense to me。 In Twains original from the background research I did， I'm made to believe that he employed racial stereotypes of gullibility， superstition and simple mindedness ie being uneducated to characterise Jim and he uses the Black Dialect to emphasise this characterisation。 This racial stereotyping has been problematic for black readers since its publication and also for contemporary readers。In Everett’s telling， Jim is self educated and the dialect is a put on， a manner of concealment， and a tactic for survival。 This is extremely profound and completely flips the narrative and I believe it is what makes the novel so special and a must read。 Plus there's a revelation later on which explains Jim's unwavering loyalty to Huck。 The first part of the novel is funny but gets bloodier and grimer as it progresses as the harsh inhumane reality of slavery is explicitly shown。 It was quite difficult to read these passages。 Jim recounts these events in a very emotionally detached but matter of fact style which I felt was brilliant because slaves couldn't afford to be emotional in the face of the brutality of their existence。 They had to be 'strong' and detached emotionally from the separations， the inhumane and sadistic treatment they were subjected to。Overall I enjoyed the book but I feel it's one you'll enjoy even more if you know the original Mark Twain story。 Thank you to panmacmillan and netgalley for the ARC。 As always an honest review。 。。。more

Jeff Edwards ，

Wonderful new novel by Percival Everett！！ It gives a new life to a classic work by Twain。 I love the different protagonist with an honest perspective！

Perry ，

This is the third of Everett's books （Erasure， The Trees） that I have read and it might be the best of the three。 I don't often like retellings， but he uses The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in such a funny， enlightening way。 It makes me want to reread Huckleberry because it has been a good while。 The code switching was funny and the second half of the book takes on a more serious tone。 The book uses the Huckleberry framework to examine horrifying slavery and the time just before the Civil war。 This is the third of Everett's books （Erasure， The Trees） that I have read and it might be the best of the three。 I don't often like retellings， but he uses The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in such a funny， enlightening way。 It makes me want to reread Huckleberry because it has been a good while。 The code switching was funny and the second half of the book takes on a more serious tone。 The book uses the Huckleberry framework to examine horrifying slavery and the time just before the Civil war。 。。。more

Judy ，

James is based on a brilliant premise: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as told by Jim， Huck’s companion。 However， I found the writing stilted and the continuity between episodes ragged。 Probably 3。5

Tag

    james bond james james harden james dean 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