Bookseller Reviews
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The Book of the Century
This is the book Percival Everett was put here to write. One of those rare authors, who never disappoints, this is his masterpiece.
James brings to lif... READ MORE
Another masterpiece from Percival Everett
A retelling of Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", told from the perspective of Jim (or James), the runaway slave with whom Huck escapes the... READ MORE
Sure to be a classic!
One of my favourite books of the year and sure to be a classic! Emotional, witty and, at times, funny. So cleverly written, this is a brilliant book that I... READ MORE
If I could give this a hundred stars I would
The sign of a good book is, it will draw you in despite your mood. Once in a while every book you pick up just doesn’t click. All very good books, but not ... READ MORE
"I am James."
I have been skeptical of the recent trend of novels revisiting classic works of fiction from a new perspective. Thankfully with Percival Everett's James, t... READ MORE
Utterly heartbreaking
Wasn't really sure what to expect having read two of his others, I know him to be a humorous writer, with totally off-the-wall plotlines and situations. Th... READ MORE
My book of the year!
Everett has taken a classic, completely flipped it on its head, and added his satirical writing style to make it unputdownable!
I loved James' narration.... READ MORE
An instant classic
Is there a writer working today who can so adeptly cover multiple genres and never miss? I was hooked on the dark satire of The Trees and laughed out loud ... READ MORE
Utterly Brilliant!
What an astonishing, and simultaneously daring, read! Whilst Peevival Everett’s retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn depicts the outright horror... READ MORE
Book Of The Year
On its surface, James is a compelling escape story, a retelling of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn through the eyes of the slave Jim. It’s ... READ MORE
An entertaining caper with a heart
I came to this book with only a slight knowledge of the plot. I knew it was historical, based around the bones of Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry F... READ MORE
A Powerful Story Inspired by an American Classic
A Waterstones Fiction Book of the Month, James is the brilliant and powerful story of Jim, the enslaved man at the heart of The Adventures of Huckleberry F... READ MORE
Bound to be a classic of the future.
What a book! I literally could not put this book down. With mountains of pace, an emotional rollercoaster of horrors and some wonderful, unforgettable mome... READ MORE
James - Polished From History's Neglect
Everett takes an old classic from the shelf and dusts it off. He rebinds it with a razor-sharp eye on the horrors of slavery and life as a slave, of a grac... READ MORE
Just fantastic
This book is incredible, I hope it replaces 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' in popular culture and on school syllabus everywhere.
I love these kind... READ MORE
Better than Huck Finn
Thank you to the Publisher for an advance copy of this novel.
Everett does what he does best in this retelling of Huckleberry Finn. Simply written and w... READ MORE
James - a brilliant reimagining of Twain's original masterpiece.
You don't need to have read 'Huckleberry Finn' to enjoy 'James', but Everett's shift in perspective and filling in the blanks of Twain's masterpiece works ... READ MORE
Read it and weep
“With my pencil, I wrote myself into being”… this is the story of Jim, an enslaved Black man who escapes on a home-made raft with a White boy called Huckle... READ MORE
An intense comic thriller
We knew that the writing was going to be exceptional and the humour wry and bleak, but this is much more than a surface-level read. What an important book ... READ MORE
Breathtaking!
I devoured this extraordinary book in two days, it is no exaggeration to call it a masteriece. Witty, profound, moving and exciting in equal measures, it i... READ MORE
A work of art, brilliant, thought provoking and compelling!
I devoured this book. It's heartwrenching, suspenseful and action packed.
I've not read Huckleberry Finn but loved his naive and hopeful character. James ... READ MORE
only adds to the original
perhaps the most convincing argument for the trend of retreading literary grounds. everett has such a talent for wittiness, and for writing like he knows h... READ MORE
Should have won the Booker
Pre-reading James, I was absolutely thrilled that Orbital had won the Booker. I still adore Orbital and think it a worthy winner… but god if any book could... READ MORE
Impactful retelling of Huck Finn giving voice to enslaved James
I wasn't familiar with the story of Huckleberry Finn before wanting to pick up James so I wasn't sure what to expect. I ended up reading The Adventures of ... READ MORE
A fascinating take on a known classic!
A very interesting take on a well known classic. I found this to be a well paced novel that followed the life of Jim after he escaped. The code switching p... READ MORE
Sheer Perfection.
I do not have the right words to express my adoration of this book. I went in blind, having not read any of Mark Twain’s classics from which our cast deriv... READ MORE
Best Book I've read in 2 years
Just the best book I've read in 2 years and on average as a bookseller I read one a week.
Cracking adventure, fast pacing, great narrator and with nuanc... READ MORE
A powerful and propulsive rewriting of a classic, exploring literary norms, racism and slavery with fierce intelligence and wit.
Fiction Book of the Month March 2025
Synopsis
The Mississippi River, 1861. When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a new owner in New Orleans and separated from his wife and daughter forever, he flees to nearby Jackson’s Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father who recently returned to town.
So begins a dangerous and transcendent journey along the Mississippi River, towards the elusive promise of the free states and beyond. As James and Huck navigate the treacherous waters, each bend in the river holds the promise of both salvation and demise. And together, the unlikely pair embark on the most life-changing odyssey of them all.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Pan Macmillan
- ISBN: 9781035031269
- Number of pages: 320
- Dimensions: 199 x 129 x 21 mm
- Weight: 216g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
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Brilliant and well executed
James is a retelling of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, from the perspective of Jim, the slave.
I haven't read Mark Twain's original book so half wa... READ MORE
Could not put it down
Absolute wonder of a book, Percival Everett has done it again, following the exquisite Trees with this rewriting of Huck Finn, from the perspective of the ... READ MORE
powerful, dramatic and heartbreaking
Having never read Huckleberry Finn ( To Kill A Mockingbird was the school text of the seventies) or the books of Percival Everett, James was read with no i... READ MORE
Unmissable. Unputdownable.
A brilliant novel. It does all I ask from a good one: great protagonist (in this case also narrator, James (the Jim of Huckleberry Finn's adventures) whose... READ MORE
Breathtaking
I absolutely loved this book ,riveting and explosive. I was there every step of the way with Jim and Huck .
Read it in one sitting ,I just couldn’t put it... READ MORE
Nothing Much to do With Twain's Huck. Great but Flawed
Borrowing from Twain's classic, the story starts with the slave Jim and Huckleberry Finn fleeing;Jim from being sold, Huck from his brutal father. The tale... READ MORE
A Masterpiece
This was astonishingly good. I grew up reading Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer and of the two stories I always preferred Tom Sawyer because it wasn't as scary and... READ MORE
An adventurous, dark-humoured, and painful retelling.
James is Percival Everett's spin on Mark Twain's 1884 novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, retold by the runaway slave Jim as he travels down the Miss... READ MORE
Delightful, dangerous and sad
This was not my usual choice of genre but having enjoyed the Adventures of Tom Sawyer as a child my curiosity was piqued. I am so glad I took the chance as... READ MORE
Ever the Twain shall meet
Ok, so that's a Kipling reference, but nevertheless you don't need to have read any Twain to adore James. Easy to read, intelligent, engrossing, thought-pr... READ MORE
What a ride!
I'd read The Trees before this, and this is a totally different ride! James is funny, irreverent and hugely thought provoking. I couldn't stop thinking abo... READ MORE
Powerful story
James by Percival Everett is a masterful story that is clever, creative and hugely enjoyable. James is the slave that Huckleberry Finn escaped with in the... READ MORE
Thought provoking
This book swept me away, it was gripping and made you pause to reflect on the many injustices in our history and present day. Recommend.
Highly recommended
James is the NOVEL OF 2024 for me as it 's a brilliant novel, thought provoking, intriguing, entertaining and multilayered.
You cannot help feeling involv... READ MORE
James
This was quite uncomfortable reading, as it should be. Brutal in places but also wonderful. And yes, that does make sense. It is a retelling of The Adventu... READ MORE
Amazing Reimaging of a Twain Classic
I'll admit, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn wasn't my favourite book growing up, however, the character of Jim fascinated me and I wanted to read more a... READ MORE
Stunning return to The Mississippi
James by Percival Everett
I first read Huckleberry Finn when I was 12 years old. It was our class reader - red, tatty and with countless other pupils na... READ MORE
A witty retelling of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
It is a long time since I read about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberrry Finn but this remaking was nevertheless very interesting and cleverly done.
To have the s... READ MORE
Fabulous
Shortlisted for Booker 2024.
This book had sat in my pile for a few months and during that time I had heard nothing but excellent reviews.
I can now conf... READ MORE
Creative and clever, an adventure full of humanity.
This is my first Percival Everett book, and because the story is a retelling of 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' by Mark Twain, I am not really sure wh... READ MORE
Wonderful take on Huckleberry Finn
James is a retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the viewpoint of the runaway slave known then as Jim. It’s a long time since I read Huckleb... READ MORE
Jim’s story of Mississippi life.
James by Percival Everett
I first read Huckleberry Finn when I was 12 years old. It was our class reader - red, tatty and with countless other pupils na... READ MORE
Amazing
An amazing take on Huckleberry Finn, I struggled to put it down, a great read.
Good read
An interesting read which gave a different slant on the time of slavery in the USA.
WOW
I’d heard so much about this book, and now I completely understand why it’s won so many awards.A retelling of a story—from an alternative perspective. It f... READ MORE
You don't need to read Huckleberry Finn.
A brilliant read, from Jim's point of view. Enjoyed the new perspective.
Highly recommended
This is not my type of books but it was highly recommended by one of the staff at Waterstones. I really did enjoy the book.. I found it hard to get into at... READ MORE
James by Percival Everett
James by Percival Everett is a book with a difference, it is the adventures of James, the slave and Huck Finn, who are both running away and running toward... READ MORE
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