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James
- Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
- Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
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James
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Summary
An instant Sunday Times bestseller
Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2024
Shortlisted for the National Book Award for Fiction 2024
Shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year 2024
Selected as a 'Book of the Year' in The Telegraph, New Statesman, TLS and The Spectator
'Truly extraordinary books are rare, and this is one of them' – Roddy Doyle, Booker Prize-winning author of Paddy Clarke, Ha Ha Ha
James is a profound and ferociously funny reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, told from the perspective of the enslaved Jim. From Percival Everett, award-winning author of The Trees and Erasure, adapted into the Oscar-winning film American Fiction.
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 . . .
‘Who should read this book? Every single person in the country’ – Ann Patchett, bestselling author of Tom Lake
'James has the potential to become a classic . . . Thrilling, bold and profound' – The Sunday Times
'Funny, wise, gracious; this may be Everett's best book yet' – Bonnie Garmus, bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry
'Magnificent . . . This is Everett's most thrilling novel, but also his most soulful' – The New York Times
'Unforgiving and compassionate, beautiful and brutal, a tragedy and a farce' – Hernan Diaz, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Trust
What listeners say about James
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 23-09-24
Brilliant, moving but utterly devastating
A challenging, compelling read which finally makes three-dimensional and brings centre-stage a famous but opaque fictional character.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Marci
- 09-10-24
Excellent!
I have no words. Just read this book. It will stay with me a long time. Thank you for this story Mr Everett.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Eeeeycormac
- 08-06-24
An important correction of the popular story
An exceptional story of the brutality of slavery and why white folk need to feel the pain of history inflicted by their ancestors - and the history rightful anger of African Americans. Should be on every school curriculum.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mr Nicholas N Lyth
- 15-11-24
Compulsive, compulsory
Percival Everett shows a command of his craft that is every bit the equal of Mark Twain - both are astonishingly talented and unusual writers. Like Twain, he manages a serious story in a manner that is compelling story-telling, as well as mixing comedy and tragedy, and all in that hardest of all narrative formats, the first-person. It is compulsive listening. But underlying the story is a commentary on the deep racism that exists, not only in the US but throughout the world, in relation to colour. It shines a light in a way that we all should read. You can't ignore this book.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mrs. C. L. Ward
- 09-10-24
A moving take on an old classic
I cheered from
Chapter 10 onwards when James regained his name and voice . An enjoyable listen
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mrs W
- 24-09-24
adventure with James!
absolutely loved it. absolutely honoured to be part of Himself journey. perfectly written. brilliantly realised.
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- JB
- 09-09-24
Imaginative Retelling
Pacy and insightful sideways swerve on a well known story. Both heartbreaking and hopeful. Recommend.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Ronán
- 25-08-24
novel twist on a classic novel
excellent narration...unusual and for the most part successful twist on on the Mark Twain classic. I liked the hilarious subterfuge about the n' language . there are enough reminders of the horrors of slavery. Some repetition in the story I found mildly irksome eg in grave danger falling asleep and waking up to potential peril. also note every white person is an idiot (and worse)
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- RELish
- 17-09-24
Really enjoyed it
Excellent narration, really glad I listened to the audio version. I finished this last week and I'm still thinking about it, which is a sign of a good book! I liked the modern re-telling however I was confused by parts of the story. I don't understand why they travelled so far south only to turn around and head back north when they'd made enough trouble without achieving their purpose. But that aside, it was excellent. The depictions of the violence from slavers, the treatment of the slaves... it was hard to listen to sometimes - as it should be - but it happened. Everett doesn't shy away from the facts of it. As he says, it's a story about a slave, not slavery. I didn't see the twist at the end coming either. All in all, and excellent listen.
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- Ciara Dunphy
- 25-04-24
Amazing!
The narration for this was simply superb. A harrowing yet riveting tale of slavery in the lead up to the Civil War told as a reimagining of Huckleberry Finn. Highly recommended.
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