I just started this book. I can already tell that it is a book that is an example of why I love to read and will want to share. Thank you for the review!
Quick question regarding "James"... I haven't read Huck Finn in years, so would I benefit from a re-reading before starting this novel? In other words, are there important plot points or character nuances I should know?
Hey Rick, I know you’re not asking me but I’ll give my two cents since I just did this. To me, it was a lot of fun to revisit Huck Finn and see what the original text said and compare it to Everett’s retelling. It allowed me to see Everett’s creativity and where he took issue with how Jim was represented. But there came a point where HF went one way and James went another and they never came back together. At that point I stopped reading in tandem, finished James, then went back and finished HF.
In short, I think it would enhance the experience to have HF fresh.
RE: Winters being one of your sneaky must-read authors, might I suggest one of mine: David Joy. He does Appalachian crime fiction, but his writing is so incredibly tight. Page turners, all, but I just finished Those We Thought We Knew and it was very good.
I just started this book. I can already tell that it is a book that is an example of why I love to read and will want to share. Thank you for the review!
Enjoy!
Great review Jeremy. I agree James is a memorable character and I liked Everett’s version of Huck as well! He’s more aware and felt more real.
Quick question regarding "James"... I haven't read Huck Finn in years, so would I benefit from a re-reading before starting this novel? In other words, are there important plot points or character nuances I should know?
I'd agree it's worth a quick review of Huck Finn's major plot points. Even just scanning the Wiki page would be enough, IMO.
Hey Rick, I know you’re not asking me but I’ll give my two cents since I just did this. To me, it was a lot of fun to revisit Huck Finn and see what the original text said and compare it to Everett’s retelling. It allowed me to see Everett’s creativity and where he took issue with how Jim was represented. But there came a point where HF went one way and James went another and they never came back together. At that point I stopped reading in tandem, finished James, then went back and finished HF.
In short, I think it would enhance the experience to have HF fresh.
RE: Winters being one of your sneaky must-read authors, might I suggest one of mine: David Joy. He does Appalachian crime fiction, but his writing is so incredibly tight. Page turners, all, but I just finished Those We Thought We Knew and it was very good.
It's spelled y'all, never ya'll.