Reviews tagging 'Torture'

James by Percival Everett

30 reviews

amalas_bookstop's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The easiest 5 stars I have given this year!

This book is a retelling of Huckleberry Finn through the perspective of Jim. From the start Percival Everett writes a Jim that is wise, but also cautious. The books starts with him teaching younger children how to live as slave in this world (how to stay under the radar, how to correct a white person while still making them believe they are right, etc.). From the beginning letting us know that the way they speak around white people is totally different than how they speak normally. Which I am eternally thankful for, because I hated reading Jims vernacular in Huckleberry Finn.

The book kept amazing pace amazingly well and in the end it almost read as a bit of a thriller (it has quite a bit of suspense). While Everett did change events of their adventures this came across as way more realistic to what would would have been for Jim to travel through the South. I saw this as an improvement. It was somewhat needed to give Jim a better character ark as he slowly shed the skin of slave and became James.

“I will not let myself, my mind, drown in fear and outrage. I will be outraged as a matter of course. But my interest is in how these marks that I am scratching on this page can mean anything at all. If they can have meaning, then life can have meaning, then I can have meaning.”

I totally recommend reading this after you read Huckleberry Finn, in fact schools should start recommending this as a package deal.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Murder, Torture, and Sexual violence

Minor: Death of parent

readnicoleread's review

adventurous emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery

Moderate: Rape and Torture

franklola's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Trafficking, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Murder, Physical abuse, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Death of parent, Alcoholism, War, Child abuse, Confinement, and Injury/Injury detail

asims723's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Child abuse, Slavery, and Gun violence

Moderate: Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Torture

essjay's review against another edition

4.75

I just loved this so much. Was not expecting it to make me laugh as much as it did (the tears were expected, though). The ending was a bit rushed, but I appreciated what it was going for. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Slavery, Racial slurs, and Torture

Moderate: Sexual assault

nlemon55's review

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Violence, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, and Death

Minor: Gun violence, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Murder

sydnec's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Torture, Violence, Racism, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Murder, and Rape

orla_h's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Violence, Murder, Torture, Physical abuse, and Trafficking

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, and War

happyknitter2020's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

One of my top 10 reads of 2023 will recommend everyone I know to read it.

Such a devastating insight into slavery traumatic experiences, brought to life via following James, his thoughts & feelings as freedoms his family & other slaverys he finds on his way.

It is beautifully written & I will never forget this. This book should be on education curriculum, to change racist abusive & controlled cultures around the world.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Torture, Rape, Grief, Murder, Trafficking, Racism, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, and War

audreylee's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The first half of this novel didn’t add much to the original story; however, the second half provided complexities of character and a well-paced plot.  Thanks to Edelweiss for a digital advance reader copy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, War, Torture, and Slavery

Moderate: Rape