James(novel)
 | |
| Author | Percival Everett |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Doubleday[1] |
Publication date | 2024 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 320 |
| ISBN | 9780385550369 |
| Preceded by | Dr. No: A Novel |
Jamesis a novel by authorPercival Everettpublished byDoubledayin 2024. The novel is a re-imagining ofAdventures of Huckleberry FinnbyMark Twainbut told from the perspective of Huckleberry's friend on his travels,Jim,who is an escaped slave.
Story
[edit]Jamesis loosely based onMark Twain's classicAdventures of Huckleberry Finn.Some of the early scenes of Everett's novel closely follow Huckleberry Finn, but as the two separate and Jim goes off on his own picaresque "adventures", the tone turns more serious as it explores issues of rape, murder, beatings and racism.
Reception
[edit]According toBook Marks,the book received "rave" reviews based on nineteen critic reviews with seventeen being "rave" and one being "positive" and one being "pan".[2]OnBookmarksMay/June 2024 issue, a magazine that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a
(4.00 out of 5) from based on critic reviews with a critical summary saying, "Critics quibbled a little over the novel's ending, but, as theNew York Timesconcludes, "Jamesis the rarest of exceptions. It should come bundled with Twain's novel ".[3]
Writing forThe New York Times,Dwight Garnerpraised the novel as more successful than many re-imaginings of famous classics, stating, "What sets 'James' above Everett's previous novels, as casually and caustically funny as many are, is that here the humanity is turned up — way up. This is Everett's most thrilling novel, but also his most soulful."[4]Writing forThe Guardian,Anthony Cummins stated: "James offers page-turning excitement but also off-kilter philosophical picaresque".[5]
The novel won the 2024National Book Award for Fiction[6]and was shortlisted for the2024 Booker Prize.[7]
Film adaptation
[edit]Feature film rights were acquired in 2024 byUniversal Pictures,withAmblin Entertainmentfor production, andSteven Spielbergas executive producer.Taika Waititiwas in early talks as director.[8]
References
[edit]- ^"James by Percival Everett".PenguinRandomhouse.com.
- ^"James".Book Marks.RetrievedJanuary 16,2024.
- ^"James".Bookmarks.RetrievedJanuary 14,2023.
- ^Garner, Dwight (March 11, 2024)."'Huck Finn' Is a Masterpiece. This Retelling Just Might Be, Too ".The New York Times.
- ^Cummins, Anthony (April 8, 2024)."James by Percival Everett review – a gripping reimagining of Huckleberry Finn".The Guardian.
- ^Alter, Alexandra (November 20, 2024)."Percival Everett, Author of 'James,' Wins National Book Award for Fiction".The New York Times.RetrievedNovember 21,2024.
- ^"James Written by Percival Everett".TheBookerprizes.com.
- ^Lang, Brent; Saperstein, Pat (June 20, 2024)."Steven Spielberg's Amblin to Produce Adaptation of Percival Everett's Bestseller 'James' for Universal, Taika Waititi in Early Talks to Direct (EXCLUSIVE)".
