I am a fan of novels that retell stories through the perspective of a character not given a voice in the original work, so I knew when I read about this book that I wanted to read it.

It’s even better than I might have imagined.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is a retelling of sorts of The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn. This time, the story is told from the slave Jim’s perspective. That is all the synopsis you will get from me. That is really all you need to know, other than this novel is fantastic.

If you haven’t read a Percival Everett book yet, do yourself a favor and make this your first. His humor, creativity, boldness, and clarity of vision is on full display here. History and literature meet to form a unique dance that sways and beats to a rhythm only Everett can master. It is profound and illuminating storytelling and I will read anything this author writes.

Absolutely phenomenal. I have never read Percival Everett's work before and now I want to read all of it. This book is a retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from Jim's perspective. Except here, Jim is James, he dreams of Voltaire, and he's beyond aware of the complexities of the world he lives in. I could not put this book down - Everett thoroughly succeeded at capturing the irony of the time and the nuance of James' experience in a way that completely reimagines a canonical text we've all read. Thank you times infinite millions to NetGalley and Knopf for the free advance copy of what is surely going to be a best book of 2024.

Can I go six stars? Admittedly I’m a Percival Everett fan and believe he is the finest novelist working today and this deliciously funny sendup of the peculiar institution is an absolute hoot. If you read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, then you remember the character of Jim, who Huck befriends and in that novel he, from Huck’s view is seen as peer, an overgrown boy. Well, Mr. Everett has reimagined that novel and has given us the Percival perspective treatment on Jim, who actually prefers James, who knew? The question most will have, is a reading of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn necessary to enjoy this novel? The answer is a resounding NO! Mr. Everett is so skilled in the rendering of James, that as his story unfolds, echoes of The Finn novel will slowly come back to you, but trust me you don’t need to go back and reread Huckleberry Finn.

James has escaped to nearby Jackson island upon learning he is to be sold down river without his wife and child. He is there to contemplate and plan his next move with the goal of FREEDOM for him and family. Who does he run into on the island? Yep, Huckleberry Finn who has faked his own death in order to escape the suffocating Miss Watson and the return of his abusive father.

So James and Huck are on a raft floating down the Mississippi River and the adventure begins. James is not like the character Jim, he's a witty and educated person who uses slave dialect humorously, but he's keenly aware that his language can have an impact on how he's perceived in a world with peculiar institutions.. Young Huck is usually within earshot, and begins to suspect that Jim may be more than he appears to be. They meet Norman, who will have you laughing out loud and the ending of this novel is WOW. James is the protagonist and the myriad encounters are seen through his eyes, but the bare bones of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are still present. We get Mr. Everett’s trademark humor and on-point observations about various elements of life.

I could not put this book down, and didn’t want it to end. I’m still laughing and I will definitely reread this one. If Mr. Everett doesn’t win any awards with this novel, the whole award system should be dismantled! I am forever thankful to NetGalley and Knopf publishing for an advanced DRC and when the book drops March 19, 2024 will obtain a few copies in hardcover. A way to early prediction, but yes the best book of 2024! Not novel, book!! It’s simply that good.

A first read by this author for me and hopefully not the last.
Most of us have read HUCK FINN in high school, but here the main character is Jim (call me James.) A few surprises I won’t reveal, but a detailed description of the horrors of slavery and Jim’s desperate struggle to escape and reunite with his family. Beautifully written especially so when Jim, in his dreams, has conversations with Voltaire, Locke, and Rousseau, and takes them to task. I thoroughly enjoyed this book-5 stars for me.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing an early copy of James by Percival Everett

Percival Everett is one of the most creative and thought-provoking writers of today. His rendition of stories that are part of our collective background not only examine things differently but force us to consider alternate motivations and outcomes.

Case in point is James, the new book by Everett which takes an alternate path through the lives of Huckleberry Finn, Jim, Judge Thatcher and other citizens of Hannibal, Missouri. Told in the first person by Jim, we encounter a completely driven man, lover of books and literature, a writer, devoted husband and father and creator of his own destiny.

Adventures abound when Huck and Jim make plans to run from Hannibal to avoid capture. They will be forced to separate, meet adversity on their own, and reunite at a time when Jim (James) will reveal a long-kept secret that will change the very complexion of their relationship.

Jim (James) is a secretly learned man who relishes dream sequences with John Locke and Voltaire that guide his thinking and his actions in a time of great danger for any slave.

James will remain with the reader long after the final pages of this most accomplished work by Everett.

Classic stories told from the point of view of differing characters is almost a genre of its own... to the list of titles like "The Wind Done Gone" by Alice Randall, "Song of Achilles" by Madeline Miller, "Wide Sargasso Sea" by Jean Rhys, "Mists of Avalon" by Marion Zimmer Bradley, "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" by Tom Stoppard, and - perhaps more pertinent to this case - "Finn" by John Clinch, we can add Percival Everett's "James." Mark Twain's language and style (and, by extention, Huck's) is replaced with a new and authentic voice: that of Jim. It's reminiscent in many ways of “I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem” by Maryse Conde: The Salem witch scare told through the minister’s servant’s point of view.

This novel is destined for a wide readership for generations to come.

A quirky, increasingly serious reconsideration of Huckleberry Finn, from the perspective of slave Jim. I found this an uneven read, at times powerful and chilling, at others repetitive and lacking in depth. Everett seems to spend too much time telling us that slaves spoke two languages, submissive and educated. This, and some of the picaresque narrative episodes are the repetitive elements. At other times the author succeeds in conveying a persuasive glimpse of the slave’s terrors and nonstop misery. Overall, it doesn’t quite live up to its intentions, but does go out in a blaze or glory.

I will be honest - I genuinely enjoyed “James: A Novel” more than Mark Twain’s “Huckleberry Finn,” and by no small amount either.

It’s one thing to make Jim the center of focus, with the first-person narration shifted to his perspective. But Percival Everett goes far beyond that with the way he reworks Jim’s original characterization, based rather heavily on minstrel show-esque tropes from Twain’s time. Instead of dumping it and starting from scratch, Everett keeps it but makes it an act that Jim and other slaves intentionally put on as a protective measure. And this is just one (albeit a major) component of the heavy infusion of new depth received by the formally one-dimensional character.

It's not merely an enjoyable read - Everett breathes an abundance of fresh new life into an American classic. Besides providing plenty of contemplation and reflection for readers with his fresh take, I hope he's put forth a model that other writers will follow. For as I write this, I can easily think of at least several titles in the national literary canon whose characters and plot are in need of airing out through a creative retelling, to put it kindly.