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A review by theravenkingx
James by Percival Everett
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
After reading some good and some mediocre books, I have finally found my first 5-star read of the year.
"James" is a retelling of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" but from the perspective of a slave named James, or Jim. I dove straight into it without reading the classic, and I have no regrets. I will probably never read the original because:
1. From what I have heard, it hasn't aged well.
2. It's a children's book, and I don't think I can handle any more of Huck. He's quite annoying.
"James" is a beautifully written story that is humorous, emotional, and often quite bleak. Ultimately, it is a tale of resilience and courage. The last 150 pages were a rollercoaster of emotions that had my eyes glued to the pages. I wasn't expecting it to get so dark, but it did, and it totally made sense.
My only complaint is the pacing. The third act felt too abrupt. The changes that James goes through happen so suddenly that we don't get the time to fully soak in his transformations, his emotions, and the implications of his actions. It would have been more impactful with a bit more development.
Spoiler
I also think we needed a bit more history about James and Huck's mother. James revealing that he is Huck's father felt unnecessary, and I don't think it added anything to the story. Instead, it raised more questions like: Was James forced, or was it consensual? And Why did nobody ever find out?
"James" is a retelling of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" but from the perspective of a slave named James, or Jim. I dove straight into it without reading the classic, and I have no regrets. I will probably never read the original because:
1. From what I have heard, it hasn't aged well.
2. It's a children's book, and I don't think I can handle any more of Huck. He's quite annoying.
"James" is a beautifully written story that is humorous, emotional, and often quite bleak. Ultimately, it is a tale of resilience and courage. The last 150 pages were a rollercoaster of emotions that had my eyes glued to the pages. I wasn't expecting it to get so dark, but it did, and it totally made sense.
My only complaint is the pacing. The third act felt too abrupt. The changes that James goes through happen so suddenly that we don't get the time to fully soak in his transformations, his emotions, and the implications of his actions. It would have been more impactful with a bit more development.
Spoiler
I also think we needed a bit more history about James and Huck's mother. James revealing that he is Huck's father felt unnecessary, and I don't think it added anything to the story. Instead, it raised more questions like: Was James forced, or was it consensual? And Why did nobody ever find out?