James

A beautifully written and woven Picaresque story detailing the experiences and multiple ills of slavery, with its constant fears, from a black perspective. It is very well researched and gives us a good sense of the atmosphere of the Missisippi and life around it. So much happens, however, that there is little room for emotional depth, contrast, or character development, making this, to my mind, more a tale than a fully immersing account.

A disturbing read portraying the cruelty and hopelessness of slavery. I can’t say I enjoyed this book. I am not a fan of reading works written in dialect and some of the story was so shallow as to be unbelievable. Descriptive passages of the Mississippi River and surrounding countryside allowed visualisation of the vastness of that landscape but other things in the book seemed to be brushed lightly over. I sometimes felt that some parts of the story felt like less care had been taken in the writing than others. The praise the book has received seems somehow unearned. It was suggested by some members of our book club that it may be better to listen to the audio book. This would help with the language used by the slaves but would not help the somewhat shallow, storyline.

James was a very good read. I will most likely listen to the audio version just to catch the vibes of the expressions of the characters. I recommend this to all who love historical fiction.

I never read anything by Mark Twain. But I may go read Huck Finn - even though I’ve been told I really don’t need to, as James can truly be a standalone. I enjoyed the story from Jim’s perspective, and think the author did a fine job of capturing the black experience in our shameful American agricultural (and cultural) past. The twist on the Jim and Huck dynamic, with Jim revealed to be Huck’s father, was a big surprise. I think about slavery, and just shake my head about this. My own family owned slaves - not proud of this at all, but found this was a common theme researching my Revolutionary War patriots in Virginia and North Carolina. But it is what it was.

While an interesting read, I didn't think it lived up to the hype? Perhaps because I only have a passing knowledge of Huckleberry Finn, or because I am not American, so missed many of the cultural refrences