Jim The Boy: Summary and book reviews of Jim The Boy by Tony Earley, plus links to an excerpt from Jim The Boy and a biography of Tony Earley.

Selected by Granta as one of America's best young writers and featured in The New Yorker's best young fiction issue, Tony Earley now gives us a luminous portrait of a ten-year-old boy growing up in the Depression-era town of Aliceville, North Carolina: "As the sun began to set, Jim and the uncles watched the last yellow light of the day slide up the mountain toward the bald, dragging evening behind it. When the light went out of their faces, they turned and watched it retreat up the peak, where at the summit a single tree flared defiantly before going dark. A chilly breeze whipped from nowhere across the bald and flapped the legs of Jim's overalls. He turned with the uncles for a last look at the view before heading down the mountain. All but the brightest greens had drained out of the world, leaving in their stead an array of somber blues. A low fog had begun to seep out between the trees along Painter Creek. Jim jumped down from the rock and looked again toward home." At once delightful and wise, Jim the Boy brilliantly captures the pleasures and fears of youth at a time when America itself was young and struggling to come into its own. Jim the Boy will appeal to the readers who loved classics like To Kill a Mockingbird, Ellen Foster, and A Member of the Wedding.

Media Reviews

salon.com - Jonathan Miles The long-awaited novel by a New York Times and New Yorker darling is a plodding, goody-two-shoes effort that reads like a dusty Boy Scout manual.   New York Times Book Review Tony Earley has a wonderful gift for deep observation, exact and wise and often funny. Jill McCorkle, author of Carolina Moon Jim the Boy, Tony Earley's wonderful novel, shines with all we've come to expect from his fine stories graceful prose, gentle wit, compassionate spirit. This novel beautifully captures those moments in childhood that will shape and forever call back to Jim the man. I don't know when I've met such an endearing cast of characters. May they live a long, long life. Andrea Barrett, author of The Voyage of the Narwhal With the calm, measured quiet of a writer who knows absolutely what he is about, Tony Earley renders luminous one boy, one family, one very small town--and, by delicate implication, the wide world just beyond that charmed circle. Alice McDermott, author of Charming Billy Jim the Boy is a delight. A sweet, graceful novel that charms the reader with marvelous language, honest emotion, and authentic characters who are no less human, no less complex, for being sincere and straightforward, and good. As his short stories have already shown, Tony Earley is a wonderful writer.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by katelyn_jay
not my favorite..
I had to read this book for ninth grade, going into honors English. I didn't think it was horrible, but there was no point to it. It shows a ten year old boy, who lost his father before he was born, going to school, making a friend, and growing up....   Read More

Rated of 5 by Elli
Beautiful Writing, Weak Plot
While the book had some beautiful descriptions and writing, there was absolutely no strong plot. The book was just a boring story about a boy that lives in a small town. He turns 10, he goes to school, he tries to help on his family's farm, and...   Read More

Rated of 5 by V_Volcanoo.
Jim the Boy
Well, what can I say? I thought it was very weak and really no sense. Very slow pace. Just awful. Also a lot of things didn't really make sense whatsoever.

Rated of 5 by Unkown
Decent Book
I found this book to be a good choice for myself. For school I have been reading many of the classics and this fit in perfectly with all the other books. It was a great find and I recommend this book to anyone out there looking for another classic...   Read More

Rated of 5 by lelsly
it was ok....
we had to read this book over the summer for ninth grade honors english. i really wasn't that impressed with it. it was weak in that the charecters were under developed and the story was too fast and had next to no depth. there were no little...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Brandy Adams
A great book. Really felt like I was there. Excited to hear places I knew.

...5 More Reader Reviews

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