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larakmacon 's review for:
James
by Percival Everett
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I often wonder what books written in my lifetime will become classics. What books will be taught in schools? I have no doubt James will be one of them.
Often, my biggest complaint of retellings is that the authors struggle to write in a way that represents the era. Retellings can often feel out of place temporally. Everett did not do this; his story felt authentic to the time period. He did not shy away from the horrors of the world during the 1860s. What he did was write a beautifully resilient character who was able to fight his way for a place in that horrible world.
I also usually hate endings that don’t provide a clear resolution. I don’t like when authors “let you decide what happened.” But again, Everett did this and he did it successfully. I’ll be thinking about the end of this book for a long time to come.
Expertly written, thoughtfully reimagined, James made me stop and reflect often while reading. I thought it was a true masterpiece.
Often, my biggest complaint of retellings is that the authors struggle to write in a way that represents the era. Retellings can often feel out of place temporally. Everett did not do this; his story felt authentic to the time period. He did not shy away from the horrors of the world during the 1860s. What he did was write a beautifully resilient character who was able to fight his way for a place in that horrible world.
I also usually hate endings that don’t provide a clear resolution. I don’t like when authors “let you decide what happened.” But again, Everett did this and he did it successfully. I’ll be thinking about the end of this book for a long time to come.
Expertly written, thoughtfully reimagined, James made me stop and reflect often while reading. I thought it was a true masterpiece.