percival everett, i was unfamiliar with your game!!!!!!

forever indebted to knopf doubleday and netgalley for the arc 🫶🏻

while this is technically a reimagining of the adventures of huckleberry finn, james wholly usurps the original huck finn at every turn. now THIS is what i call required reading!! so brilliantly crafted and expertly executed, james is percival everett writing classic literature for the modern day.

by centering jim, the reader is afforded a brand new appreciation for the classic tale. a prior knowledge of huck finn is not required here, nor is a prior respect. my public school education certainly did not endear me to the original story. had this been written by anyone else, i likely would have ignored it. but what percy writes, i shall read, my friends.

truly, no one does social commentary like percival everett. the man is unflinching in his prose, totally unafraid to take! you! there!!! it's gritty, it's grim, it's what every satire wishes it could be. i am not afraid to say it: percival everett is one of the greatest writers, not just of our time, but of all time. and i stand by that!!

i feel like we are witnessing someone at the top of their game. i don't know where he goes from here, but i will definitely be along for the ride.

With all the praise that has come out in advance of and since the publication of James, it is not at all surprising that I fell in love with this book. James can be summed up with all of the adjectives: powerful, witty, fast-paced, difficult, and thought-provoking (just to name a few). Anyone who is familiar with Everett's writing knows that he is able to take a reader from a funny moment or scene (sometimes darkly funny) to a meaningful moment all in the span of a few pages. He is a powerful writer who is unmatched in his genre.

James is the story of Huckleberry Finn, retold from the POV of the enslaved man, Jim, that Huck travels with. While readers of the original will notice moments taken straight from the book but told through Jim's eyes, Everett does not shy away from changing the plot of the classic. It has been many years since I read the original and I did not find myself missing that context in James. If you want a refresher of the plot, a simple skim of Cliff's Notes will do.

Jim escapes from his plantation after learning he is to be sold off. He intends to find enough money to buy his wife and daughter's freedom. However, he gets swept up in Huck's own escape from the plantation, which leads him down a series of roads that become more and more dangerous. The situations he gets into a twinged with just a touch of satirical humor while also being darkly true.

In contrast to the Jim of Huck Finn, this Jim is as close to a scholar as one could reasonably be as a slave. He reads and writes and has conversations with philosophers in his dreams. He's also more three-dimensional than in Twain's original, clearly one of the goals in Everett's retelling. He is a fully-fleshed out character, even if I can't say the same for some of the other characters in the book.

I am always a bit cautious with retellings; it is hard not to compare them to the original. But here I think most of the choices Everett makes when relying on or diverging from the Twain book make sense. The "adventures" he has concocted for Jim are important and help to flesh him out as a character. That said, there were some things that felt a little forced (such as the reason for his relationship with Huck) and some side characters that disappear a little too easily.

Overall, a solid, powerful read.

I love a twist on a classic, and James is a good one. I admit it took a bit for me to fall under the book's spell, but once that happened I was gone for good. Percival Everett has a lot of interesting and profound takes on the classic story of Huckleberry Finn, elevating and clarifying the discourse surrounding the novel. I had been planning to start reading Everett with The Trees, but I couldn't resist the allure of James. I'm very much looking forward to exploring more of his work.

"James" is a remarkable work of literary fiction that reimagines Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” delving into themes of enslavement, identity, and justice.
Percival Everett's prose is exquisite, offering insight into the complexities of the titular character's life. While the ending may feel rushed, the novel remains a compelling exploration of its themes.
To me, the ending of the novel seemed oddly hurried, not in keeping with the careful, detailed pace of the rest of the work. I don’t understand why Everett chose to end this masterpiece in this way, and I wished for more details about the dramatic conclusion.
Recommended for readers interested in thought-provoking fiction and 19th-century American history.

Teachers - this book needs to replace Huckleberry Finn in your curriculum, or at the very least, be a companion read. The story told from James' perspective is eye opening and feels so much more authentic, rather than ignoring the experience of the enslaved.

This book was wonderful. From Jim's perspective in terms of his speech, to his interactions with Huck, this was a great book that really gave a new perspective on this classic title.

Percival Everett is a master writer and storyteller and I don't have much to say about James that hasn't already been said. This work, retelling Huck Finn from Jim's POV, is an utter masterpiece and instant classic. I hadn't read Huck Finn since high school and have no desire to reread it. The characters you remember are all in James, but the perspective shift makes this story incredibly powerful and compelling. Instead of Huck's POV, we understand what is might be like to be an escaped enslaved person trying to stay alive. Harrowing and haunting and moving, this is a must read.

Unbelievably well-done retelling of AHF. Extremely well thought out. Funny, infuriating, sad, troubling, but all in all a true American masterpiece. Highly recommend!

💛I love reimagined versions of some of my favorite reads— especially a new perspective! 💛

👉🏻In a reimagined version of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the focus shifts to Jim, an enslaved man, now known to the reader as James. As James overhears plans to sell him away from his family, he decides to escape, setting the stage for the well-known journey down the Mississippi River with Huck Finn, who has staged his own death to escape his abusive father.👈🏻

🖤The reader comes to know James as a complex and wise character, challenging the stereotypes and showcasing his intelligence and compassion in the face of adversity. The story has key elements of Mark Twain’s original, including the infamous scam artists, the Duke and the Dauphin and I enjoyed reading about them through James’s perspective.🖤

✨Because this is told through James’s eyes, we gain a deeper understanding of the profound impact of slavery, the resilience of those who endured its horrors, and the quest for dignity and freedom. ✨

🏆I already know this is going to end up in my top 10 for this year! This is definitely for those of you who love historical fiction and retellings— don’t miss it!🏆

👏🏻Thank you to @doubledaybooks for the ARC!👏🏻

James is a reimagining of Huckleberry Finn, told from James/Jim's point of view. The setting has the elements of Twain's book, but Everett makes it feel completely new and his use of code switching was masterful in showing the power dynamics and injustices. The almost Socratic conversations between James and Huck are insightful and James is able to convey so much while trying to maintain his perceived role. Overall, a gripping book that is set right before and at the start of the Civil War and yet resonates today. Percival Everett crafts yet another thought-provoking book that will prompt many conversations.

See full review on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution website:

“James” by acclaimed author Percival Everett retells Mark Twain’s 1885 classic “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” — as experienced by Huck’s enslaved travel companion, Jim. As Jim and Huck voyage up and down the Mississippi River, usually together but sometimes apart, Everett’s vision of Jim’s journey toward freedom is as much a harrowing adventure through the antebellum South as a vibrant depiction of an iconic literary figure tenderly rendered with heart and agency.

Everett’s brilliant and searing 2021 Booker-shortlisted novel “The Trees” is a satirical horror-comedy portraying gory ramifications of the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till that was heralded by The Guardian as “an act of literary restitution.” While Everett employs a gentler approach in “James,” using nuance and vulnerability to emphasize Jim’s humanity, he leaves a similar stamp on the literary landscape as he dismantles the stereotypes of the enslaved humans depicted in Twain’s classic...

https://www.ajc.com/things-to-do/book-review-jim-gets-his-say-in-percival-everetts-retelling-of-twain-classic/GEMSC52OOZDEFMIGKXNH53TIHU/

Much more than a retelling of Huckleberry Finn. A meditation on race, slavery, friendship and the use of language. Despite the grim topic it is not a depressing read. So well written and unforgettable. Of course I want to reread the original Huckleberry Finn now.

Brilliant, insightful, thrilling, clever….. everyone should read this retelling of Huck Finn from the slave, James, perspective. It was unexpectedly funny, yet wise. I hope this book gets the acclaim it deserves. Our bookstore picked it as the book of the month because the staff adored it.

Calling this a retelling of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn does not do it justice. This beautifully written story bring James to life and poetically tells his side of the story. And the ending! It is perfect. I cannot recommend this book enough!

Everyone replace Huck Finn with this book, please. Or at the very least, read them in tandem. Readers are likely to find Everett's writing much more clever and interesting. What this book and Huck Finn have in common are adventures on the river with Jim and Huck. Where this book is much more superior is that Jim has agency and dignity. Performance is a big theme in this book, a fascinating version of dual consciousness. Jim joins a minstrel troupe, and that's just one genius invention of Everett's to bring to the forefront some of the themes that are hidden in Huck Finn. This book is more than just a retelling. It stands on its own as a historical novel. Some critics have lauded it for giving Jim humanity, but I would argue that the failing of Huck Finn is that Jim always had humanity, and he wasn't given credit for it. Everett's book does not allow you to ignore Jim's humanity. And the book is so funny and full of adventure, I could not put it down.

I highly recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.

I can't even begin to put into the words the importance of this novel. A retelling of Huck Finn's story from the perspective of his traveling "partner," Jim, this novel is incredibly moving, thoughtful, and insightful. In this story, Jim becomes our brilliant protagonist and flips the script, relying on his quick-wit and intimate knowledge of language to subtly guide Huck's journey. Percival Everett is a true gem, and I feel lucky to have read his work.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced review copy.

I just read my first Percival Everett in January, but this immediately became a most anticipated book of the year. As a friend of mine noted, Everett is a master in his craft, deftly weaving deep, nuanced conversations into a staggering array of narrative styles. Where The Trees almost had the feel of a Tarantino movie in its intentionally cheap jokes, excessive gore and thrilling plot, James was somehow both perfectly in line with Twain's voice, and refreshingly modern in its ideals. It forces the reader to consider several of the original plot's lesser moments with new eyes, and offers a rich perspective on the experiences of enslaved peoples in the pre-Civil War South.

I really can't think of an author or novel to compare, so I'll just say thank you to Doubleday for giving me the opportunity to read and review!

James is utterly brilliant. I will admit to not having read Huck Finn in many decades and not remembering much of it at all. That didn't matter, as James's story was narrated in a way that was totally compelling. Everett's use of language and his deployment of the unexpected put the evils of slavery and our collective (mis)understandings in sharp relief. Yes, there was some humor and irony, but these served mostly as a way to highlight the collective evil that marked that period of American history. The book was also on target for a more contemporary take on race. Of Everett's books, I've only read this and The Trees, but I will definitely be diving into more of his rich backlist soon. I will highly recommend this to patrons in our store.

This is one of the most masterful retellings I have ever read. Everett truly is a national treasure.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from Jim's perspective. This book was immediately intriguing to me, and for good reason. James was immaculately true to its source material while still standing on its own as a story. For much of Huck Finn, Jim and Huck are separated, so this novel fills in many of the blanks of what Jim was doing while Huck was off inserting himself in feuds and having his other adventures.. It also darkens much of the original plot; Huck Finn told through the eyes of an adult.

However, the events of Huckleberry Finn are really a secondary plot to Jim's life as a runaway who is trying to reunite with his wife and child. This was such heart-wrenching and brutal examination of slavery and how deeply it impacted every aspect of a person's life, physically and mentally. The scene where Jim first code-switches hit me like a train. It was so incredibly obvious afterwards, but I think it was really in that moment that I realized the full scope of what this book was going to do. Fantastic.