James

Meta fiction can be so "on purpose" and coy ... but this novel, picking up the thread of THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN, and made it into an astonishing, brilliant kite of what could be wished for, what could be true ... everything a story should be!

First of all, I was captivated by the narrator and main character James--the same Jim that was in Twain's Huck Finn but who in Everett's hands is completely reimagined and updated through the lens of the 21st century. I also enjoyed how Everett maintained the general outlines of Twain's story but in each instance reshapes the narrator through a slave's eyes. We are invited to enter the story through the complex interior world of James. In this version, Huck is still important and maintains his moral compass, but it is James who takes the high moral ground by saving Huck.… show more.

JAMES was so original and heartfelt. Flipping the POV to Jim from Huckleberry Finn was brilliant. At times the book made me painfully uncomfortable, but it was supposed to and great books should do that, make us open our eyes to a wider understanding.

Wow.

This book offered a fascinating perspective on the enigmatic character of Jim, the runaway slave from Huckleberry Finn. Wonderful writing--I'd expect nothing less from Everett.

A re-telling of the classic Huck Finn story, this version is told through the viewpoint of Jim, the enslaved man referenced in the classic. This version challenged what I thought I knew, including whether or not Jim and Huck were even friends. I'll be going back to re-read the original.

I read all of Mark Twain's books when I was younger, so I was extremely interested to see what James would bring to light. This is by no means an easy read - at least it wasn't for me - and the flipped-script narrative can sometimes be brutal, but maybe that's the point? Not that this book isn't enjoyable, it most certainly is at times, but there's no head-turning from the mission at hand: to put on full display a dark history that Twain had breezed past. Is this book a companion to the original? A rebuttal? Some form of… show more.

This is a remarkable retelling of the Huckleberry Finn story from the vantage of the slave who accompanied him on his travels. James (aka Jim in Mark Twain's book) becomes the protagonist dealing with white racism, ignorance, and violence in pursuit of freedom for himself, wife, and child. I read it in a day because once started, I could not put it down. The writing is exceptionally good. One of the most telling and witty aspects of the story is that the slaves speak highly literate English and their masters speak an awful Southern patois.

I loved the voice of James. I loved going on the journey with him and seeing his own evolution and change. I loved everything about this book. It was smart, heartrending, a little metaphysical, funny in a cold, horrifying way.

This is an extraordinary book by a wonderful writer. I have been a big fan of Percival Everett ever since I read Erasure, over 20 years ago. As a writer, he is engaged at every level, experimental, bold, witty, funny, intellectually and politically committed. James is a celebration of and a profound literary encounter with Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884). Everett retells the story from the point of view of "Jim" the runaway slave. But this is much more than a re-telling; it is both an interpretation of Twain’s story and a subversive transformation of its meanings.… show more.