First Line Friday #37: James by Percival Everett

Thanks to Carrie at
Reading is My Superpower
for the Link-up

 

 

Title:  James
Author:  Percival Everett
Genre:  Historical Fiction
Category:  Recommended Reads

    〰First Line〰

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Those little bastards were hiding out there in the tall grass.  The moon was not quite full, but bright and it was behind him, so I could see them as plain as day though it was deep night.

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Synopsis:  (From Amazon) 

[James is a retelling of the Mark Twain classic Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.]

When Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he runs away until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck has faked his own death to escape his violent father. As all readers/listeners of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond. 

Brimming with the electrifying humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a literary icon, this brilliant and tender novel radically illuminates Jim’s agency, intelligence, and compassion as never before. James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first century American literature.

 〰First Thoughts〰

A friend of mine from church told me about this book.  One of the books on my summer reading list is the original story by Mark Twain, which I haven't read since the early 90s.  My intention is to read both; Twain's for the refresher and as part of my "Summer of Virtuous Literature," and Everett's to see how he handles the story.

I've heard lots of good things about the book, so this should be fun. 

 So, what's the first line of the book you're currently reading?