James by Percival Everett audiobook

James: A Novel

By Percival Everett
Read by Dominic Hoffman

Random House Audio
7.82 Hours • Unabridged
Format : Digital Download (In Stock)
  • 1 Format: Digital Download

  • Regular Price: $22.50

    Special Price $18.00

    ISBN: 9780593821251

A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and ferociously funny, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view. From the “literary icon” (Oprah Daily), Pulitzer Prize Finalist, and one of the most decorated writers of our lifetime When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond. While many narrative set pieces of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place (floods and storms, stumbling across both unexpected death and unexpected treasure in the myriad stopping points along the river’s banks, encountering the scam artists posing as the Duke and Dauphin…), Jim’s agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light. Brimming with the electrifying humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a “literary icon” (Oprah Daily), and one of the most decorated writers of our lifetime, James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first century American literature.

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Summary

Summary

Winner of the Audie Award for Best Narration in Literary Fiction

Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

Winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction

Winner of the National Book Award

Winner of the Kirkus Prize for Fiction

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize

Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award

Longlisted for the Aspen Words Literary Prize

A New York Times bestseller

A New York Times Bestseller in Audio

A Barnes & Noble bestseller

A Time Magazine Best Book of 2024

A New Yorker Best Book of the Year

A London Economist Best Book of 2024

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year

A Los Angeles Times Best Book of 2024

A Chicago Tribune Book of the Year

An Atlantic Best Book of the Year

A 2024 Vanity Fair Best Books of the Year Pick

The 2024 Barnes & Noble Best Book of the Year

A BookPage Notable Book of 2024 in Fiction

A People Magazine Pick of Best New Books in Audio

A March 2024 LibraryReads Pick

A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and ferociously funny, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view.

From the “literary icon” (Oprah Daily), Pulitzer Prize Finalist, and one of the most decorated writers of our lifetime

When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.

While many narrative set pieces of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place (floods and storms, stumbling across both unexpected death and unexpected treasure in the myriad stopping points along the river’s banks, encountering the scam artists posing as the Duke and Dauphin…), Jim’s agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light.

Brimming with the electrifying humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a “literary icon” (Oprah Daily), and one of the most decorated writers of our lifetime, James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first century American literature.

Editorial Reviews

Editorial Reviews

“Dominic Hoffman’s audio version is perfect.” —People magazine
“Hoffman’s performance captures the varying tone of Jim’s dialogue, highlighting the shifts in his vocabulary and rhythm…[and] reinforces Jim’s character and narrative arcs as Jim takes back his agency in life. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.” —AudioFile
“Genius.” —The Atlantic
“[Jim’s] long-silenced voice resounds through this remarkable novel.” —Esquire
“A high-stakes, revisionist raid, not just on Twain’s imagination but on ours as a nation.” —Garden & Gun
“Only Everett could take on the task of allowing Mark Twain’s character Jim to show what was missing from the original story.” —Los Angeles Times
“Everett sends Mark Twain’s classic through the looking glass. What emerges is no longer a children’s book but a blood-soaked historical novel stripped of all ornament.” —The Atlantic
“One of the noblest characters in American literature gets a novel worthy of him." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD AND THE KIRKUS PRIZE FOR FICTION | BARNES & NOBLE'S 2024 BOOK OF THE YEAR —
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST, THE NEW YORKER, NPR, THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW, THE ECONOMIST, THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE, AND VANITY FAIR, AMONG OTHERS... —
“The cult favorite author’s electric new work. . . James completely reimagines one-half of Finn’s famous duo, elevating him from unwitting sidekick to reluctant hero. . . Everett brings that laser-sharp wit to James, creating a radical new American adventure. —W Magazine
James offers page-turning excitement but also off-kilter philosophical picaresque. . . Gripping, painful, funny, horrifying, this is multi-level entertainment, a consummate performance to the last. —The Guardian
Blasted clean of Twain’s characterization, Jim emerges here as a man of great dignity, altruism, and intelligence. . . Clever, soulful, and full of righteous rage, [Jim’s] long-silenced voice resounds through this remarkable novel. Subversive and thrilling, James is destined to become a modern classic. —Esquire
[A] careful and thought-provoking auditing of Huckleberry Finn. . . [James is] a kind of commentary or midrash, broadening our understanding of an endangered classic by bringing out the tragedy behind the comic facade. And that is no small thing. I expect that James will be spoken of as a repudiation of Huckleberry Finn, but a book like this can only be written in a spirit of engaged devotion. More than a correction, it’s a rescue mission. And maybe this time it will work. —The Wall Street Journal
Heir to Mark Twain’s satirical vision, Everett turns a boyhood memoir into a neo-fugitive slave narrative thriller. . . Using erasure, Everett has produced a daring emendation. Redacting swaths of Huck Finn, he’s revealed another code: the untranslated story of James’s self-emancipation. . . James is a provocative, enlightening work of literary art. —The Boston Globe
[Everett is a] prolific genius. . . A literary jukebox. . . If anyone is poised to casually (after all, he has bills) write a masterpiece that not only becomes instant canon but also sets a brush fire to the current ones it stands upon, it’s Everett. And that’s exactly what he’s done with James. —Elle
Huck Finn’ Is a Masterpiece. This Retelling Just Might Be, Too. —The New York Times
[A] sly response to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. . . While The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn lampooned American society through the naiveté of its young narrator, James critiques White racism with the sharp insight of a character who’s felt the lash...What’s most striking, ultimately, is the way James both honors and interrogates Huck Finn, along with the nation that reveres it. —The Washington Post
"Percival Everett [is] our current Great American Novelist. . . [JAMES] is a masterpiece that will help redefine one of the classics of American literature, while also being a major achievement on its own. . . I almost cannot imagine a future where teachers assign The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn without also assigning James alongside it. . . Everett is one of the most, if not the most interesting writers working today. —The Chicago Tribune
To call James a retelling would be an injustice. Everett sends Mark Twain’s classic through the looking glass. What emerges is no longer a children’s book, but a blood-soaked historical novel stripped of all ornament. . . Genius. —The Atlantic"Once you’ve picked up Everett’s James, a retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, you’ll know that only Everett could take on the task of allowing Mark Twain’s character Jim to show what was missing from the original story.
Using nuance and vulnerability to emphasize Jim’s humanity, [Everett leaves a] stamp on the literary landscape as he dismantles the stereotypes of the enslaved humans depicted in Twain’s classic. . . Percival Everett has accomplished more than humanizing a marginalized voice. He has, once again, delivered a seminal work of literary reparation. —Atlanta Journal-Constitution"Everett’s James isn’t out to displace Twain’s book. It’s carrying out a bolder, more ingenuous, and, characteristic of its author, more subversive agenda...Everett endows Jim with greater dimension and nuance than his original creator did. Huckleberry Finn provided Jim with courage, dignity, and virtue. James bestows upon him the greater, if more complicated, privilege of full (if not yet unfettered) humanity.
Playful and resonant. . . Everett has plenty of derisive fun here, dissecting and subverting damaging stereotypes. . . For a writer who often plays by few rules, Everett has drawn on what he knows best here – that freedom can be won, one word at a time. Add levity and serious intent and you have a novel that's a class act. —Minneapolis Star Tribune
Audacious. . . Everett [gives] Jim—who, we learn, prefers to be called James—his agency, letting his intelligence and compassion shine through. James is a poignant if often distressing reintroduction to a beloved character who deserved better. —Time
Ingenious —People
“Percival Everett with virtuosic wit presents a spin on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. —Vanity Fair
More than audacious. With James, Everett has mounted a high-stakes, revisionist raid not just on Twain’s imagination but on ours as a nation. . . [Everett is] a brilliantly sly novelist. —Garden & Gun
We may not be meeting Jim for the first time, but we’re introduced to him in a bold new way. —Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"In an astounding riposte, the much-lauded Everett (Dr. No, 2022) rewrites [Huck Finn] as a liberation narrative, told from Jim (or rather James’) point of view...An absolutely essential read. —Booklist (Starred Review)
"The audacious and prolific Everett dives into the very heart of Twain’s epochal odyssey...One of the noblest characters in American literature gets a novel worthy of him. —Kirkus (Starred Review)
“Ingenious … Jim’s wrenching odyssey concludes with remarkable revelations, violent showdowns, and insightful meditations on literature and philosophy. Everett has outdone himself. —Publisher’s Weekly (Starred Review)
James is funny and horrifying, brilliant and riveting. In telling the story of Jim instead of Huckleberry Finn, Percival Everett delivers a powerful, necessary corrective to both literature and history. I found myself cheering both the writer and his hero. Who should read this book? Every single person in the country. —Ann Patchett
Percival Everett is a giant of American letters, and James is a canon-shatteringly great book. Unforgiving and compassionate, beautiful and brutal, a tragedy and a farce, this brilliant novel rewrites literary history to let us hear the voices it has long suppressed. —Hernan Diaz, author of Trust
This is a brilliant, accessible, and very necessary companion to Huckleberry Finn. — Dave Eggers, author of The Eyes and the Impossible
James is a masterpiece. I read it late this summer, and I have already recommended it to enough people to put it on the bestseller lists, in the classrooms, libraries, book clubs and hands in which it so rightly belongs. —Francine Prose
Percival Everett is a genre. —Kiese Laymon
Pure brilliance. Funny, wise, gracious; this may be Everett's best book yet. —Bonnie Garmus
Percival Everett is an audacious, beguiling American master, whose wild trajectory has reached astonishing highs in the past decade. Now comes James, which enlists and devours not only Mark Twain’s novel but aspects of Melville, Ellison, and even Kafka to makes an irrevocable intervention into the canon. Everett is simply playing this game at a higher level, and it is the most serious game imaginable. —Jonathan Lethem
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Author

Author Bio: Percival Everett

Author Bio: Percival Everett

Percival Everett is the acclaimed author of seven books, including Dr. No, winner of the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award and finalist for the NBCC Award for Fiction; The Trees, finalist for the Booker Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction; and Telephone, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He has received the NBCC Ivan Sandrof Life Achievement Award and The Windham Campbell Prize from Yale University. His novel Erasure was the basis for the feature film American Fiction, winner of the 2024 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He is a distinguished professor of English at the University of Southern California.

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Details

Details

Available Formats : Digital Download
Category: Fiction/Historical
Runtime: 7.82
Audience: Adult
Language: English

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