James: A Novel

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars | 38,175 ratings

Price: 17.72

Last update: 01-11-2025


Top reviews from the United States

Alee
5.0 out of 5 stars Masterful
Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2024
What a wonderful,impactful retelling of the Huck Finn story from the perspective and context of Jim. The writing is wonderful,the story tracks with Twain just enough to give it a literary legitimacy,but the perspective of the narrator takes it to another level. A unique and clarifying vision of the slave/master relationship and the horror of a system that reduced human beings to animals in the eyes of other humans. I have recommended it to my grandchildren.
Susan K Serby
5.0 out of 5 stars Huckleberry Finn Regained
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2024
The paragon of The Great American Novel reimagined with wit and grace. Perceval Everett has animated his protagonist with such depth and conviction that the reader gains especially vivid insight into both the character and historical conditions.
We are treated all at once to a rollicking adventure, a reimagined classic, and a debunking of myths, both liberal and illiberal, that have disabled our understanding of race, slavery and the Civil War itself. There is great affection shown by the author for his characters and the power of language; empathy and unexpected rendering of speech as a literary device compel the reader to hear what these characters have to say.
All this, and a good read, to boot.
Highly, highly recommend.
Bobby Hurley
4.0 out of 5 stars mild spoilers
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2024
I enjoyed the book and I'm glad I read it.

It's got some shortcomings though, imo. For one it tends to overexplain things, doesn't always give the reader enough credit: "I was running because they were after me and I didn't want to get caught." Yeah, that's what running is. I was already with you on that.

The other is the whole conceit with the register the slaves operate in depending on whether or not white people are around. So they all really speak like highly educated people but just play the hambone bit as a bluff to make white people think they're stupid? It's fine if we're not going for verisimilitude here, but why does secretly adopting the speech of the dominant culture signify sophistication? That just reinscribes the dichotomy. Granted, most of the white characters use a vernacular dialect and don't use the elevated literary voice the slaves use, but it still privileges a "white" voice to make the black characters seem super smart. Weird move, and it's not subtle at all because James is constantly explaining this to the reader, which goes back to my first critique.

This book actually is paced better than Huck Finn, less digressive, so the tension is better. Huck tends to talk and talk and talk. James explains too much, but the plot still moves at a decent clip.

And one last thing. The book has taken an entire fictional landscape, characters, and plot from one of the so-called great American novels, so a lot of the imaginative work has already been done for the author here. Still a worthwhile read, although I wish I had waited to spend less money on a used paperback copy.
JMT
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant.
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2024
I have to first off admit that I have in fact not read the original Tales so this story wasn’t a retelling for me. Taking place right before the civil war started, it’s as expected, a harrowing tale full of atrocities bestowed upon slaves during that time. The way it’s written though tells a beautiful story of the resilience and perseverance of the main character, James, and his will to survive and save his family. Although it’s a bleak look into life before abolition, there are some funny and quirky moments that were just executed so perfectly that it brought some light to the story. I loved the relationships forged between James and different characters throughout the story, especially Huck. For me this book was just unputdownable and brilliant. Now, on to read the originals so I can get the full experience.
Paul R. Cook
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Story
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2024
This is the first book I have read by Percival Everett and it was a good one. He tells the old Huckleberry Finn story from the slave Jim's perspective. It was an exciting, sometimes a bit scary, and often funny account of Jim's running away and traveling down the mighty Mississippi River. It was hard to put down and highly recommended. I am definitely going to read more by this author.
Sue
5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely Worth Reading
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2024
I read a review that classified this book as a future classic. I now know exactly what the reviewer meant. I’m sitting here trying to process what I just read, and I must admit, this book shook me.
It is billed as telling the story of Huck Finn from the perspective of the enslaved Jim. While it follows many elements of Huckleberry Finn, the events are seen in quite a different angle through Jim’s eyes. While the author includes humor, the story is incredibly thought provoking, as well as heart wrenching.
Jim, or James, as he comes to be known, is an intelligent, loving, and brave man. A true hero.
I will be thinking about this book for a long time. It was definitely worth reading.
Susan Benz
5.0 out of 5 stars deep truths
Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2024
Such deep truths, such deep sorrows, such raw insight, a must read. This book should be required reading for high school graduation and just perhaps America might move toward compassion and understanding of our very dark past.
Adrienne F
4.0 out of 5 stars Great story
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2024
Mark Twain’s tale of Jim and Huck Fin’s journey as told by Jim. A wonderful heart breaking tale with wild characters, horrible cruelty, unexpected reason, and the raging Mississippi River. Creatively written and a delightful read.

Best Sellers in

 
 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: A Novel

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 245086
17.71
 
 

Lessons in Chemistry: A Novel

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 307740
17.72