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.

This is a fantastic retelling - moving, disturbing, and powerful. Thank you Mr. Everett - keep that pencil scribbling ;)

What a beautifully written story - thought-provoking and heartbreaking. I would highly recommend. This is one of the best books I have read this year.

A well written, clearly told story. After about the 5th chapter, I couldn't put it down! It was an easy read, but at the same time a somewhat complicated and fascinating story. It was simple and deep at the same time. James is an amazing, intelligent character whose fight for freedom is inspiring and heartwarming. I won't forget his story. And I plan to read more books by Percival Everett!

One of the very best books that I have read in a long time. Compelling story and very well written. Excellent for a book club. So much to discuss. The story of a slave from a very in depth perspective.

This book is a colored man’s version of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn tale. The alternative point of view, perspective, plot, characters, and especially language switching were interesting. I will admit the story was a creative twist on a classic favorite and the writing, scenery, and ease with which the writer smoothly relates the tale was wonderfully executed. However, the story was not original; therefore, the creative effort was not genius but simply a well-crafted retelling of a time-honored tale.

So well written, gripping and thoughtful. Loved the references to but turns on Huck Finn. Tough to put down. Beautiful ending!

Percival Everett's James is a rarity: A buzzy literary novel that absolutely lives up to (and possibly exceeds) the hype. I wouldn't be surprised if James came away with both the 2024 Man Booker and the Pulitzer Prize for Literature. The setup for James almost sounds like a gimmick — it's a retelling of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written from the perspective of Jim, the escaped slave who accompanies Huck on his journey down the Mississippi River. But Jim is so much more than a mere runaway, and author Percival Everett employs a fascinating usage of dialect that challenges the classic "slave vernacular" questionably used by writers like Twain in the 19th century. Written in a clear and accessible prose and propelled by an episodic narrative structure, James often reads like a thriller and avoids the pretentious literary stylings so common in the genre. Percival Everett also does a masterful job blending tone — despite the intensity of the subject matter, there were multiple times when I laughed out loud. But James doesn't shy away from the horrors of chattel slavery, and while the violence is never gratuitous, the resigned matter-of-fact depictions of the institution's inherent psychological and physical cruelty hits just as hard as any graphic blow-by-blow account. Additionally, throughout Jim's travels, he encounters various personalities who provide the opportunity for rich discussions on the southern mindset toward slavery at the time. Funny and bleak, adventurous and timely, James is a brilliant reimagining of an American classic that ranks as one of the very best books of the year. It's both a respectful homage and instructive critique of the source material, while also daring to tell its own unique story. Note: Do you have to have read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to enjoy James? I don't think so. Though I haven't read Huck Finn, I do have a passing familiarity with the story from watching the 1993 live-action Disney adaptation starring a young Elijah Wood. But James is designed to stand on its own (and, besides, its not a true 1:1 companion piece). However, I think James is so good — and offers such a canon-busting take on a beloved classic — that I'd love to see it incorporated in high school curriculum alongside Huck Finn