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Jul 28, 2008

Thomas rated it:

I'm ashamed to admit the first time I tried reading this book I put it down. "What a dumb title for a book," my wife said when she saw what I was reading. Last summer, about sixty pages in, I put it away, thinking it too simple and quiet.

But of two of my good writing friends were unwavering in their testimony about this novel, so I picked it up again a few days ago, and I am so glad I did.

Jim the Boy is a wonderful novel, one of those books that will stand the More...

1 comment like (5 people liked it)

Aug 26, 2008

Louis rated it:

This book is my favorite novel of the past decade. The hardback version looked to me like a children's book; fortunately, I read the cover of the paperback edition closely enough to realize better. Earley has crafted a wonderful version of a fatherless boy coming to understand the world beyond that of his immediate family. Although set in the Depression, Jim Glass' family does not suffer too much from economic hardship. It is in interacting with others that Jim gains some understanding of ha More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 12, 2011

Richard rated it:

A novel set in the 1930s with a 10 year old boy as the central character. Jim’s father dies one week before Jim is born, who is then raised by his mother and his 3 bachelor uncles in North Carolina. Author Earley’s simple prose and dialogue move this story along, with his descriptions of nature becoming almost a character. The book is tender and helps one to understand the love of others in shaping our lives. I read the last two pages 3 or 4 times out of enjoyment. I would recommend this More...

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Apr 07, 2011

Shannon rated it:

I picked this book up at a used-book store, not knowing anything about it. I read it in one night and it was beautiful. I see a number of reviews that criticize the lack of "plot," but I found that in the book's favor. The book starts with Jim's 10th birthday and covers a year of his life in a small, rural North Carolina town in the 1930s. Jim's father died of heart failure a week before Jim was born and he is being raised on a farm by his mother and her three brothers. It's true. No m More...

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Mar 30, 2011

Shannon rated it:

Jim the Boy is a quiet, evocative novel. It reads easily, but I found myself reading slowly, taking breaks after each chapter, in order to savor the book for a bit longer. The titular Jim lives in North Carolina during the Great Depression and while Earley's writing certainly takes you to a specific time and place, Jim the Boy is also the story of growing up and the aches and pains that process brings. Can you remember longing for more responsibility, only to want to shirk your duties once th More...

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Mar 09, 2011

Ted rated it:

Earleys' rendering of a Perfect Past has it's attractions andcharms, and is in many ways endearing, as long as the reader remembersthat there was never a time in either their life or the life of anyone they know when such earnest happiness and satisfyingly extended good- will ruled the day. Suspension of disbelief is the best advice before perusing these pages.
Early evokes the simple tale of a boy being raised by his mother and four uncles in such a poetically sustained way--sure language, More...

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Jun 12, 2010

Tony rated it:

Tony Earley- Jim the Boy (Little, Brown and Company 2001) 4.75 Stars

After Jim Glass passed away leaving behind an expecting wife, Cissy sees no other choice than to call her son Jim Glass in honour of the man she loved. Now Jim is ten years old and he lives with his mother during the Great Depression. His three uncles are left to teach him the responsibilities of being a man. He is trying to learn the breaks and now his school has been combined with all of the outlying schools, inclu More...

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Nov 16, 2009

Sara rated it:

The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. 11/15/09

Coming of Age in North Carolina

Although much young adult literature today is dark, edgy, and/or ironic, Tony Early’s “Jim the Boy” (Little, Brown & Company, 2000) and “The Blue Star” (Little, Brown & Company, 2008) are none of the above. Technically speaking, they’re not young adult novels, either: Earley has described “Jim the Boy” as “a children’s book for adults.” Still, many teen readers will love these books, espe More...

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Jan 27, 2009

Megan rated it:

This was required reading in a Methods of Teaching Class, and it was unfortunately one of the worst books I've ever read. The characters were not well developed, there was no climax to the plot, which itself was way too wholesome and very picturesque. I would never ask anyone, especially students whose time is so limited anyway, to read this book.

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Jun 08, 2010

Elizabeth rated it:

Simply written, with little to no progress or plot. Shortly put, it's a microscopic glimpse into the life of a ten year old, but the spurts in time and the slow progression once an event was introduced made it feel like it was a transcript of a discussion with an Alzheimer's patient.

Discounting the lack of an actual story or character development (SO MUCH MORE COULD HAVE BEEN DONE!!! ARG!!), the writing is good. It's obvious that Earley has talent, it just felt like all that was More...

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Feb 26, 2010

Lori rated it:

ARC from Regal

Many times, I am introduced to books by authors I had no previous knowledge of. Authors that I may never have read, were it not for a helping hand. Regal Literary was the helping hand that introduced me to "Jim the Boy" by Tony Earley.

Set in North Carolina during the Great Depression, Earley takes us through a year in a young boys life, where he deals with the joys and frustrations of growing up, learning to appreciate who he is and where he comes More...

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May 19, 2011

Leslie rated it:

Like all really good books, this book is about love. It is a perfectly-rendered story about a year in the life of a ten-year old boy who is raised by his three uncles and his widowed mother. He is growing up in rural North Carolina in 1936, and it is a window on that time and place. We witness his dawning comprehension of the world of adults, and of what it really means to be a man. We listen to his uncles' stories, we are with him when he sees the ocean for the first time, when he almost meets More...

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Nov 03, 2009

Kaye rated it:

Malcolm Jones of Newsweek said this about the author, “Tony Earley bewitches his readers with an idyll of boyhood so completely realized that we never want to leave it.” In this Novel, Jim the Boy, the author does exactly that. He steps into his story immediately and immerses the reader in the mind and thoughts of a 10 year old boy.

Here is the first passage of the book:

“During the night something like a miracle happened: Jim’s age grew an extra digit. He was nine years ol More...

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Dec 28, 2008

Connie rated it:

This is a lovely story that spans one year of the life of a ten year old boy who is being raised by his mama and three uncles. I learned something obvious to some, but poignant to me and that is that a child wants to be a child and protected as such. Honestly, I appreciate the reminder.

There is a Wizard of Oz quality to the story, though. Jim reminds me of Dorothy. Aliceville reminds me of Kansas. The three uncles remind me of Dorothy's three uncles/beloved friends. Mama could More...

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Mar 12, 2011

Emily rated it:

Usually when one holds a book and turns each page they can guage how much more of the story the author wants to tell. The edition of 'Jim The Boy' I read had a ~20 page reading guide at the end, so as I neared the 'real' end of the story, I thought hmmm...it will go on. Which made me happy.

Turning the last page of 'Jim The Boy' was such a surprise, I blurted, "oh no!" It was so sad, for me. This charming little boy, whose father died before he was born, is done speaking. More...

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Mar 28, 2009

Carole rated it:

This novel was one of the books that Rochester, NY reads. People keep raving about this book and perhaps I must read it again to appreciate it. However, I was constantly in search of the plot. The simple sentences lulled me into a dullness. The meaness of the uncle's teasing as the main way to show love to their nephew, a fatherless boy, was probably real. Yet,Jim was likeable. I attended a discussion with the author and he was interesting...perhaps tired by the time I heard him speak after a fe More...

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Jan 29, 2009

Jodi rated it:

It is so surprising to me that this book was written in 2001, it has such an old fashioned feel to it. Not just that the book took place in the 1930s, but the writing style. This was a quiet, gentle story of a boy growing up in rural North Carolina.

The book is a quick read, I finished it in a few nights. I have even seen it become part of the curriculum for some high school English classes, but I don't know if I would have enjoyed it as much when I was younger. The writing is reall More...

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May 29, 2011

Karen rated it:

Earley does a fine job of representing the closeness and distance between the young boy and his older relatives. Some of my favorite parts of the episodic narrative are the arrival of electricity in the town, the beautifully rendered friendship between Jim and his peer Penn, and Jim's mother's efforts to live by her own beliefs. Perhaps her faithfulness to her husband even years after his death situates the story in the 1930s; it's easy to see her decision as a way of maintaining some autonomy f More...

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Jun 06, 2010

Jason rated it:

If I could go 3.5, I would. Jim the Boy is just a good, old fashioned book. Nothing too deep, nothing groundbreaking. Simple though at times lush storytelling--no, character development (there's not much story in there, outside of the typical coming-of-age grind). In fact, if not for the well-placed (and paced) similes and metaphors, I might have felt strung along, as nothing much happens until the book is almost over. That said, I'm intrigued enough to read the sequel (The Blue Star), whic More...

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Sep 07, 2009

Constance rated it:

This is one of MY favorite "Coming-of-age" novels. That term is usually a "Mature content" warning when I meet it in book reviews for teens. This book however, is one I urge teens AND parents to read. Jim Glass is being brought up by his widowed Mother and some bachelor uncles. It begins with Jim celebrating his 10th birthday and getting ready to be helpful around the place by weeding the corn, until he finds it is harder work than he thought. This is a great family story f More...

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Sep 01, 2010

Bobbi rated it:

Jim is a ten year old boy who lives in rural North Carolina. His father died a week before he was born so his mother and her three brothers are raising him. He lives "in town" which has a few buildings including his brothers' three houses. In comparison to the "hillbillies" who live in the surrounding mountains, he is wealthy. His grandfather still lives up in the mountains, an old bootlegger who was once in prison for running a still. Jim has never met him.

T More...

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Mar 29, 2009

Ferris rated it:

The "If All Rochester Read....." selection for 2009. This is a lovely story of a young boy growing up in the Depression era, in a small town in North Carolina. Jim is being raised by his mother and his uncles, and the story reflects the deep love amongst them all. I liked the book for several reasons, including, the notion that cross-cultural issues arise between the closest neighbors, such as the "hill people" and the "town people", and that although divorce may More...

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Jan 30, 2009

Sandy rated it:

Set in North Carolina during the Great Depression, this is a sort of coming of age story as 10-year-old Jim becomes aware of the wide world around him. The story is beautifully told and Jim's family and friends (especially Uncle Zeno, Penn, and Jim's long-dead father) are interesting and well-drawn. There isn't much of a central conflict and a resulting climas as it is resolved which may frustrate some readers. But if one does not mind the quiet, more poetic "climax" found on the st More...

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May 30, 2010

Jo rated it:

I expected to like this book more than I did, having enjoyed listening to Tony Earley speak at a writers conference and having pretty much drooled over every page of his short story collection (whose name escapes me at the moment).

And even though I didn't love "Jim the Boy," I finished it positive I should have: All the necessary bits were there -- jewellike bits of prose, quirky characters with quirky relationships living in a quirky town and going about their quirky lives More...

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Dec 08, 2008

Sarah rated it:

Jim the Boy by Tony Earley opens on Jim's tenth birthday. He's at a crossroads in his life, feeling the urge to take on greater responsibilities and the uncertainty that comes with growing up.

Jim is growing up during the Great Depression in Aliceville, North Carolina. Aliceville and he have odd histories. Aliceville is named for a little girl who died and Jim is named for a father who died before he was born.

Like my own family during the Depression, Jim and his mother liv More...

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Jul 31, 2008

Brian rated it:

Jim the Boy is a refreshingly simple story about a 10-year-old boy, Jim, navigating the Depression-laced waters of Aliceville, North Carolina. Jim’s lost his father, but what he lacks from his absence he arguably makes up with the love and care from his three uncles. And I should say that the simplicity of the story comes with the prose, making it a fast read (though I’d imagine this book could, and perhaps should, be sipped and savored), but the heart of this book should satisfy even the most e More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Mar 25, 2009

Susan rated it:

At a 3.82 average rating, I'll take full responsibility for bringing down the curve. Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie with a male central character, but not nearly as good. The kid's a brat. Perhaps we're supposed to believe his unappealing character has been shaped by the absence of his father (who died before he was born), despite the fact he has four uncles (or was it three? I lost count). Sure, like a phantom limb he feels a connection to his father (or wants to unders More...

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Jul 11, 2009

Dorie rated it:

An extremely well-written, gentle story of Jim Glass, a 10-year old boy growing up in the town of Aliceville, North Carolina during the Depression. Jim lives with his mother and three bachelor uncles after his father's death by heart failure at the young age of 23. The book explores Jim's relationship with his family, and his burgeoning awareness of the world beyond his family's property. An endearing cast of characters round out what is a good and wholesome story.

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Jul 12, 2009

Dan rated it:

Earley tells a story about a boy that is reminiscent of character studies that have become classics. The characters are well developed. The phrases are well constructed and bring the reader to re-read some parts just to enjoy the language again. Earley engages the reader to the point that at the end of the book the reader feels he can agree with Uncle Zeno when he answers Jim's statement of "I'm just a boy," with "We know that, but you're our boy."

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Aug 04, 2011

Betsy rated it:

This is one of my very top recommendations at the library where I work. It is a warm and witty (but not sweet) portrait of the Depression-era life of a boy, his widowed mother, and three quirky uncles. This book deserves to be loved and shared, particularly because it has what is likely one of the worst covers I have ever seen. Read it! Tell your friends! Don't judge this book by its cover! I also strongly recommend Tony Earley's Somehow Form A Family.

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