#2 in Literary fiction
James
- 320
- Pages
- about 6 h
- Reading time
- NYT bestseller · 18 weeks on the list, peaked at #1
- National Book Award for Fiction
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About the book
James is a novel by American author Percival Everett published by Doubleday in 2024. The novel is a reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain but narrated by Huckleberry's friend on his travels, the fugitive slave Jim, rather than by Huck, as in the original. The novel won the 2024 Kirkus Prize, the National Book Award for Fiction, and the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.7 across 693 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 79% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Literary fiction average of 8.3. That is how 8.7 comes out. A further +0.10 comes from the small bonus for major awards.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 7.8 | 8 | 1% |
| Hardcover | 8.7 | 685 | 99% |
Reader voices
The most-liked reviews on Hardcover (credited to their authors).
“Looking back on history you can see the same patterns repeat themselves, with slight variation, but the same pattern all the same. Slavery is an abomination that human race needs to ensure doesn’t get repeated. Ever. Unfortunately, the human race is not great at studying history, which explains why history repeats itself. This is a heartbreaking story of a man seeking the rights that everyone in the United States would agree are owed to him. Education have given him knowledge and knowledge gives him power that what he desires is just and right. If you’ve read The Adventures of Huckleberry F…”
Frequently asked
What is James rated?
8.7 out of 10, from 693 reader ratings across 2 independent sources.
Is James worth reading?
Readers give it 8.7/10 from 693 ratings, which puts it ahead of 98 % of the Literary fiction shelf.
How long does it take to read James?
About 6 hours at an average reading pace — 320 pages.
Where does James rank?
#2 in Literary fiction on the current snapshot.
Was James a bestseller?
Yes — 18 weeks on the New York Times list, peaking at #1. Sales are shown here but never scored.
How long is James?
It has 320 pages — shorter than 67% of the ranked books in Literary fiction.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Literary fiction — with scores between 8.3 and 8.8, closest to this book.
