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James

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James

By: Percival Everett
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
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About this listen

'Truly extraordinary books are rare, and this is one of them' – Roddy Doyle

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


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

©2024 Penguin Random House LLC (P)2024 Penguin Random House LLC
African American Best of 2024 Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction United States World Literature Heartfelt Inspiring Thought-Provoking Tear-jerking Funny Mississippi

What listeners say about James

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Excellent!

I have no words. Just read this book. It will stay with me a long time. Thank you for this story Mr Everett.

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Brilliant

Brilliantly written and so powerful. It stirs such emotions when reading it. It’s great to think Jim(James) gets to tell his story.
I didn’t want the story to end but it ended well.

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Brilliant, moving but utterly devastating

A challenging, compelling read which finally makes three-dimensional and brings centre-stage a famous but opaque fictional character.

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A stunning book

Beautifully written and narrated. A slightly different angle of the experience of a black slave.

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Another excellent Percival James book

I am not especially familiar with the original text, but this retelling I found sharp, funny and gripping.

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Just fabulous

Loved this. Amazed no one has thought to do this before now. Such a clever idea.

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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.

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excellent story

just a very good story. A consistent, believable voice throughout. page turner. excellent story. enjoyable

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An old tale retold

I loved this book! Beautifully written, a clever, unsentimental and moving story of a resourceful individual escaping the horrors of a slave’s life.
It is tender, funny in places, and has excellent characterisation. I was spellbound all the way through 💚

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Thought provoking and brilliant

Brilliant writing. Sometimes funny, often moving, always thought provoking. Should be required reading alongside Tom Sawyer in schools.

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