James
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4.7 • 46 Ratings
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- £7.99
Publisher Description
'Truly extraordinary books are rare, and this is one of them' – Roddy Doyle
'His [Dominic Hofman] performance is terrific: variously wry, poignant and thoughtful as he imbues Jim with the humanity and agency denied to him by Twain' – The Guardian, Audiobook of the Week
James is a profound and ferociously funny novel from one of our greatest living writers, Percival Everett.
The Sunday Times Bestseller
Winner of the National Book Award for Fiction
Winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction
Shortlisted for the Booker Prize
Finalist for the Orwell Prize for Fiction
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
Winner of The British Book Awards Fiction Book of the Year
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 . . .
A 'Book of the Year' in The Observer, The Times & Sunday Times, The Guardian, Daily Mail, Daily Express, The Spectator, New Statesman, Independent, TLS, The Daily Telegraph, Financial Times, i newspaper, The Economist, The Irish Times, The New York Times, TIME and The New Yorker
'Who should read this book? Every single person in the country' – Ann Patchett
'Scorchingly funny and action-packed' – The Sunday Times, 'Books of the Year'
'This may be Everett's best book yet' – Bonnie Garmus
'Playful and viciously comic' – The Telegraph, 'Books of the Year'
'My favourite novel this year' – Salman Rushdie
Customer Reviews
Hard read but very much enjoyed
At first I found the book quite hard to get into due to the two different dialogues being used so English / America and then slave talk.
I also did not like some of the language as some words I find quite offensive.
I have to say by the time I got to the end of the book I enjoyed it very much. I listened to it on audio which took 7 hours and 45 minutes. I felt that James was a kind man no matter the struggles he had along his journey. He met some incredibly bad people and was treated badly throughout most of the book. I liked his character as he was loyal and tried his best to help people like him in need of support. It was interesting to watch his relationship open up with Huck.
I would recommend this audiobook or book and my advice would be to try to do this slowly. It is not a quick read. I felt like it gave the reader the insight to see what it was like to live during those times and how awful it was but the end of the book gives hope. There are endless struggles but James is strong and continues on his journey helping people along the way.
James
Just excellent- it’s so rare to find a book this good.
Wonderful
Searing truth in this brilliantly retold tale
A must read for everyone!