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oz2021's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Racial slurs, Murder, Violence, and Racism
Minor: Rape
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Misogyny, Rape, Trafficking, Violence, Confinement, Cursing, Grief, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Torture, Alcohol, Slavery, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, Murder, Child abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
usetheforcekate's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? N/A
5.0
I read Huck Finn in an English class in 7th grade. It made zero impression on me and I don't remember any of it.
This book I will remember.
This book I will remember.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Slavery, Trafficking, Racism, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Murder, Rape, Violence, and Torture
alexhaydon's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
Every time I read an Everett I end up saying itâs my new favourite
đ I havenât read Huckleberry Finn but Iâm desperate to now.
Without blabbering on, this novel was pacy, cinematic, tense and at times darkly humerous. A story detailing the lengths taken in order to protect ourselves and our family, the ones we love and the cost it all comes at. It was at moments absolutely harrowing, and in few others ridiculous. Vastly set upon the Mississippi River, the current was reflected in the novels pace and events. It displayed how the earth and land can be both a tool for survival and of destruction. At the end of it all, it was a tale of the enduring faith and fight of the human spirit.
đ I havenât read Huckleberry Finn but Iâm desperate to now.
Without blabbering on, this novel was pacy, cinematic, tense and at times darkly humerous. A story detailing the lengths taken in order to protect ourselves and our family, the ones we love and the cost it all comes at. It was at moments absolutely harrowing, and in few others ridiculous. Vastly set upon the Mississippi River, the current was reflected in the novels pace and events. It displayed how the earth and land can be both a tool for survival and of destruction. At the end of it all, it was a tale of the enduring faith and fight of the human spirit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Gore, Death, Physical abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Violence, Gun violence, Murder, Rape, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexual violence
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
James is a fabulous read in which Percival Everett takes the character of Jim, an enslaved man from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and centres him, giving him his own voice in his own story. He tells a very different story while still sticking closely to the tone and plot of the original, particularly in the first half of the novel. The humour is still there but looks very different when seen through a different pair of eyes - an intelligent and kind man strategically humouring a pair of kids who are nowhere near as quiet and clever as they think they are, rather than a "dumb slave" falling prey to a kids' prank. The atmosphere of the journey down river feels totally different when seen through the eyes of a man whose life would be in grave danger if he was discovered, versus a child, even one with an abusive father, who is having a fun adventure. When Huck and Jim are separated, the storylines Everett creates for Jim seem entirely plausible and often show aspects of the Black experience not shown in Twain's original. Where Everett did veer from the Twain's text, it felt done deliberately and with purpose, often to make a point about the Black experience then, and now. The violence at the end of the novel is just one example of this. Yes, it did feel slightly out for line with Jim's (now James's, an important distinction) character and behaviour to date, but I think that was point. When people are pushed beyond the limits, when the system looks set to cost them everything and everyone they love, when they've been pushed to the limit and see no way other way, then violence isn't a surprise. In many ways, it's simply self-defence. Everett highlighted the power of reading and writing, and the fear literate, educated Blacks held for white society. This also led to some of the book's more humorous scenes, when Jim is teaching the children to alter their speech patterns around white people and when he gets into debates with philospohers such as Locke and Voltaire, with the satirical humour lying in the limitations of white people, their inability to see the truth beyond their limited and racist preconceptions of Blacks.
There is one surprise reveal towards the end of the book that I wasn't fully convinced by, despite being able to see some reasons for it. But it's a relatively small quibble about a novel that is not just a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience in its own right, but one that I think will forever change how we think about one of America's classic novels. It's incisive in its critique, providing a perspective which was all too often lacking or misrepresented in much nineteenth century literature, while still treating the original with respect. And it doesn't take a lot of imagination to extend its lessons and insights to contemporary society.
There is one surprise reveal towards the end of the book that I wasn't fully convinced by, despite being able to see some reasons for it. But it's a relatively small quibble about a novel that is not just a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience in its own right, but one that I think will forever change how we think about one of America's classic novels. It's incisive in its critique, providing a perspective which was all too often lacking or misrepresented in much nineteenth century literature, while still treating the original with respect. And it doesn't take a lot of imagination to extend its lessons and insights to contemporary society.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Rape, Racism, and Violence
kizzy's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Slavery, Death, Violence, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, and Fire/Fire injury
Drowningforesturken's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Violence, Child abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Slavery, Death, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Torture, Blood, Murder, Rape, Racism, Classism, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual assault
m_a_j's review
adventurous
dark
funny
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Slavery
Moderate: Death, Violence, Rape, and Murder
whatkathrynreads_'s review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Rape, and Murder
fahrcks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Neue Perspektive fĂŒr altbekannte Gesichter
Percival Everett bringt uns in 'James' die bereits allseits bekannten Charakteren aus dem amerikanischen Klassiker 'Die Abenteuer des Huckleberry Finn' von Mark Twain aus einem neuen Blickwinkel nĂ€her und bewirkt damit einen starken und spannenden und zudem lĂ€ngst ĂŒberfĂ€lligen Perspektivwechsel.
Ganz am Rande kommt auch Tom Sawyer vor, aber im Zentrum steht Huck Finn und die Titelgebende Hauptfigur, der Ich-ErzÀhler James, genannt Jim, der die Geschichte der gemeinsamen Flucht von Huck und Jim entlang des Mississippis aus seiner Perspektive als Sklave neu erzÀhlt.
Die altbekannten und bereits als Kind liebgewonnen Figuren in dieser Geschichte wiederzusehen, war fĂŒr mich gleichzeitig sehr schön und sehr schmerzhaft. Everett bringt mit dem Perspektivwechsel auch neue Sorgen und Ăngste in die Geschichte, die Jim als Erwachsener und entrechteter Sklave natĂŒrlich viel stĂ€rker prĂ€gen, als es beim jungen Huck in der Version von Twain der Fall war.
Einen zentralen Kniff der ErzĂ€hlweise finden wir in der Sprache von Jim, der mit seinen WeiĂen Mitmenschen in einem stark vereinfachten und bewusst undeutlich ausgesprochenem Soziolekt spricht, wĂ€hrend die Schwarzen untereinander völlig normal miteinander reden. Diesen Sprachfilter, wie James es selber nennt, nutzen sie als Schutzmechanismus, um die WeiĂen sich ĂŒberlegen fĂŒhlen zu lassen und sich selbst damit vor anderen, wahrscheinlich gewalttĂ€tigeren, Methoden zu schĂŒtzen, mit denen die WeiĂen ihre Vorherrschaft stĂ€ndig zu untermauen meinen zu mĂŒssen. Bei der Ăbersetzung dieses speziellen afroamerikanischen SĂŒdstaaten-Englisch wurde in der Vergangenheit meistens stark infantilisiert, doch in diesem Fall findet der Ăbersetzer Nikolaus Stingl einen deutlich angemesseneren und ĂŒberzeugenderen Weg.
Einige Szenen erschlieĂen sich vielleicht nicht völlig, wenn man mit Twains BĂŒchern nicht vertraut ist, doch auch als alleinstehendes Werk ĂŒberzeugt Everetts 'James' mich völlig. Dem Hanser Verlag ist zudem eine sehr ansprechende und dem Thema angemessene Covergestaltung gelungen. Eines der Highlights des Jahres, das ist jetzt schon mal sicher, auch dank der gelungenen Ăbersetzung.
Percival Everett bringt uns in 'James' die bereits allseits bekannten Charakteren aus dem amerikanischen Klassiker 'Die Abenteuer des Huckleberry Finn' von Mark Twain aus einem neuen Blickwinkel nĂ€her und bewirkt damit einen starken und spannenden und zudem lĂ€ngst ĂŒberfĂ€lligen Perspektivwechsel.
Ganz am Rande kommt auch Tom Sawyer vor, aber im Zentrum steht Huck Finn und die Titelgebende Hauptfigur, der Ich-ErzÀhler James, genannt Jim, der die Geschichte der gemeinsamen Flucht von Huck und Jim entlang des Mississippis aus seiner Perspektive als Sklave neu erzÀhlt.
Die altbekannten und bereits als Kind liebgewonnen Figuren in dieser Geschichte wiederzusehen, war fĂŒr mich gleichzeitig sehr schön und sehr schmerzhaft. Everett bringt mit dem Perspektivwechsel auch neue Sorgen und Ăngste in die Geschichte, die Jim als Erwachsener und entrechteter Sklave natĂŒrlich viel stĂ€rker prĂ€gen, als es beim jungen Huck in der Version von Twain der Fall war.
Einen zentralen Kniff der ErzĂ€hlweise finden wir in der Sprache von Jim, der mit seinen WeiĂen Mitmenschen in einem stark vereinfachten und bewusst undeutlich ausgesprochenem Soziolekt spricht, wĂ€hrend die Schwarzen untereinander völlig normal miteinander reden. Diesen Sprachfilter, wie James es selber nennt, nutzen sie als Schutzmechanismus, um die WeiĂen sich ĂŒberlegen fĂŒhlen zu lassen und sich selbst damit vor anderen, wahrscheinlich gewalttĂ€tigeren, Methoden zu schĂŒtzen, mit denen die WeiĂen ihre Vorherrschaft stĂ€ndig zu untermauen meinen zu mĂŒssen. Bei der Ăbersetzung dieses speziellen afroamerikanischen SĂŒdstaaten-Englisch wurde in der Vergangenheit meistens stark infantilisiert, doch in diesem Fall findet der Ăbersetzer Nikolaus Stingl einen deutlich angemesseneren und ĂŒberzeugenderen Weg.
Einige Szenen erschlieĂen sich vielleicht nicht völlig, wenn man mit Twains BĂŒchern nicht vertraut ist, doch auch als alleinstehendes Werk ĂŒberzeugt Everetts 'James' mich völlig. Dem Hanser Verlag ist zudem eine sehr ansprechende und dem Thema angemessene Covergestaltung gelungen. Eines der Highlights des Jahres, das ist jetzt schon mal sicher, auch dank der gelungenen Ăbersetzung.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Slavery
Moderate: Racism and Murder