Another Review at MyShelf.Com

Jim the Boy

by Tony Earley

     

In Jim the Boy, which was written prior to The Blue Star (also reviewed on Myshelf), Tony Earley starts the story of Jim, when Jim is about 10 year old. Earley gives us the same sense of time and place that we found in The Blue Star, but the actions in Jim the Boy are of a time more simple than those found in the sequel, which covered events of Jim’s life seven years later.

Earley's statement that he wrote a children's book for adults is more applicable to this novel than his later one. In this age of graphic language, it is a rare treat and credit to the author that no overt violence or sex is found in the book.

Again, the plot is a simple one. The novel tells the story of a young man coming of age in a very remote and peaceful North Carolina town. There is nothing astonishing about the actions and descriptions found in the novel, unless we look back and think, "Yes the times and events were wonderful but we failed to recognize it."

One strength of this book is how it deals with childhood events and yet does not become childish. Few readers will be offended by the descriptions and dialogue found in this wonderful story of a boy who lived in a more peaceful and calmer time.

The Book

Back Bay Books / Hachette
April 1, 2001
Paperback
0316198951 / 978-031698950
Fiction
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Excerpt
NOTE:

The Reviewer

Willie Elliott
Reviewed 2009
NOTE: Reviewer Willie Elliott is Myshelf.com's "Before the Title" columnist, covering non-fiction books and related subjects.
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