Listen free for 30 days
Listen with offer
-
James
- Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
- Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.00 for first 30 days
James
Buy Now for £12.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
Summary
From the Booker-prize shortlisted author of Erasure, adapted into the Oscar-winning film American Fiction
'This is the work of an American master at the peak of his powers' – Financial Times
Enthralling and ferociously funny, James by Percival Everett is a profound meditation on identity, belonging and the sacrifices we make to protect the ones we love. It is also a bold reimagining of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as the enslaved Jim emerges to reclaim his voice, defying the conventions that have consigned him to the margins.
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 decides to hide on 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. Thus begins a dangerous and transcendent journey by raft 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.
With rumours of a brewing war, James must face the burden he carries: the family he is desperate to protect and the constant lie he must live. And together, the unlikely pair embark on the most dangerous, and life-changing, odyssey of them all . . .
'James has the potential to become a classic . . . thrilling, bold and profound' – The Sunday Times
‘Funny and horrifying, brilliant and riveting . . . Who should read this book? Every single person in the country’ – Ann Patchett, bestselling author of Tom Lake
‘Percival Everett is a giant of American letters, and James is a canon-shatteringly great book’ – Hernan Diaz, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Trust
*James was an instant Sunday Times bestseller w/c 07/04/2024
What listeners say about James
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Eeeeycormac
- 08-06-24
An important correction of the popular story
An exceptional story of the brutality of slavery and why white folk need to feel the pain of history inflicted by their ancestors - and the history rightful anger of African Americans. Should be on every school curriculum.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ciara Dunphy
- 25-04-24
Amazing!
The narration for this was simply superb. A harrowing yet riveting tale of slavery in the lead up to the Civil War told as a reimagining of Huckleberry Finn. Highly recommended.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Liz
- 13-05-24
Beautiful literature with important learning
Everett’s writing is lyrical, searing and witty. The perspective of a black man’s lived experience is critical learning for those of us who are unaware of the privilege we take for granted. How this book still manages to be funny and uplifting with such injustice and tragedy is beyond my tiny little brain. Every positive superlative deserved. Congratulations to anyone wise enough to read this book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- KJ
- 03-05-24
Brilliantly, triumphant and tradguic humanising imagined tale of enslavement.
A much needed explosion of the mythology of the dumb loyal passive slave. Wonderfully articulating the exhausting double, triple think Black people have to adopt to survive even until today. Timely, lyrical I didn't want it to end. I recommend reading Huck finn first. Excellent Book!!!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- M. Y. Mim
- 20-04-24
Brutal and brilliant
The writing is marvelous. Code-switching amazing, enlightening (to this white woman in England). Characters beautifully drawn, complex and believable. The setting is so vividly described that I felt the humidity, swatted at mosquitoes that aren’t here, heard the roar of the river and churn of the riverboats. The story itself is compelling, with nary a false step or moment of dullness. I’m so glad I read it. You will be, too.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 26-04-24
Fantastic, slow burner but stay with it.
The first half of this book is trash, but the second half is amazing! Well worth the pain of the first half. I read 100 books a year and this is one of the best I’ve read!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Old Git
- 27-04-24
Brilliantly book, superb narration
I heard an excerpt on a review programme on the radio and decided to subscribe to hear it read well. The book is excellent and the narration outstanding. I wonder if I can find another book to match this one. Maybe not but I’ll try.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- barbara
- 10-06-24
Thought provoking
Beautiful narration and one of my current favourite authors. Every Everett book is so different
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- jimmmy
- 17-06-24
Great story
Loved the narration. The description of the events was gripping. All in all a very moving story of a man overcoming repression and bigotry through education.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 02-05-24
Humbled
Having read Huckleberry Finn as a child, I was intrigued by the premise of the book. Having listened to the book I am humbled by the suffering I didn't fully understand. The book is funny, sad and heartbreaking. James is a hero.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!