Rating: 
Summary: Good old-fashioned read int he mold of a Steinbeck novel
Review: I knocked this book out in 2 sittings over the Christmas holiday. It was a fun little book with a few basic life lessons. The style of the book and the era in which it is set reminds me heavily of "The Red Pony" by Steinbeck. Finally, perhaps the best thing about this book is that it's a fun read for folks aged from 5-80, and there are no hidden agendas, political, social, or otherwise. Just a good old-fashioned read.
Rating: 
Summary: HOW CAN YOU FOOLS GIVE IT MORE THAN 1 STAR
Review: Is our children learning? They won't be, if we continue to force them to read this incredibly bad book. Basically, Jim the Boy is about Jim, some boring pre-adolescent who lives in North Carolina and does not have a father. Jim was raised in the West. The west of North Carolina. It's pretty close to California. In more ways than Washington, D.C. is close to California. Thus, it is very difficult for Jim to put food on his family. This is an extremely boring premise, and the book sort of shoots itself in the foot with this purposeless setting. However, do not misunderestimate the author's propensity to write a bad book: the setting isn't the only bad thing about this book.
For one, the dialogue is simply atrocious. It basically goes, "..." Uncle Bob said
"..." Jim said
"..." Uncle Al said
"..." Jim said
The fact that the characters always "say" something, and the fact that the dialogue is so bloody boring (think of a conversation between two adults about what they're going to have for dinner tomorrow) is horrible. In addition to this, there is hardly any character development at all - all the characters are so mundane, and so indistinguishable from each other, that I really didn't give a damn when something bad happened to one of them. Or when something good happens to them. Thus, when this book was supposed to put a smile on my face, I could only frown, frown from the interminable boredom that is this book. The fact that this book relies on facts ... says things that are not factual... this is going to undermine its campaign.
I think we agree, the past is over. If you're sick and tired of the politics of cynicism and polls and principles, come and join this campaign... this campaign to boycott Jim the Boy! ...
Rating: 
Summary: Like a verbal Vermeer
Review: There were moments when reading this lovely book when I couldn't believe the amount of evocative effect and emotion Earley was able to create with a few simple words. I adore Baroque language and bravura writing as much as any reader, but writing like this just amazes me. Here's my analogy: this book reminded me of a Vermeer. A simple moment in time, a quiet domestic scene, a small canvas. But the perfection of the rendering and the precise editing of objects evokes an entire world. If you need a more contemporary analogy, try Sinatra. He wrung extraordinary emotion and effect from deceptively simple song readings, never needing the vocal acrobatics too many singers lean on. I think the reviewers here who hated this book are just too young, whether in age or viewpoint, to see the value in this kind of work. The language is simple, but the emotion is not. Let them try it again in 20 years and see if they've finally lived enough to appreciate its wisdom, honesty and power.
Rating:
Summary: How amazingly boring
Review: Jim the Boy is perhaps the worst book I have ever read, excepting The Man in the High Castle. When I unfortunately and forcedly (I had to read it for school) partook in reading this horrible novel, I was at first puzzled. Is this supposed to be making fun of bad books?...Jim the Boy portrays the depression-era South in an idealistic manner: the protagonist (or antagonist) Jim faces little hardship at all. There is even less action, and even less plot than the vicissitudes that Jim endures...
Rating:
Summary: Worst Book I have ever read
Review: This is like my first try at writing - over-used plot, short chapters, small vocabulary, typical charachters. This book shows no writing skills whatsoever. Look at its title. "Jim the Boy". Very original. Yet the dialogues freaked me out the most: "..." Jim said
"..." Uncle Coran said
"..." said Jim
"..." Uncle Zeno said. The word "said" probably has the greatest number of synonyms, but Earley never used any other word. The plot is an "oh so sweet" typical plot that I have seen so many times. Nothing special. No twists to it. A plain, dull, stupid plot. Just another boy without a parent during Depression. I can't even say much about this book, because there's NOTHING in it. If I didn't have to read this book for my school, I would never have read it beyong the 20th page.
Rating:
Summary: The Bar Set Low
Review: This book got great reviews when it first came out and the author was named to some fancy lists, but almost everyone I know considers it a big boondoggle. The gimmick is that Earley's working from the conventions of the serious young-adult novel (the cover art and big, round typeface suggest this, but so does the reductive moral tone); the final product, however, isn't fresh enough to be more than an homage. Perhaps the difficulty is that Earley doesn't try to do anything very ambitious with his source material. One subplot, about a widow who chooses loneliness over remarriage, seems far too psychobabblish for the period, but another, about a child with polio, works well enough. Yes, the prose is mostly lovely, and the short chapters are elliptical enough to invite contemplation, but the conclusions suggested tend toward the commonplace-true but obvious banalities such as "childhood is a time of innocence" and "goodness is its own reward." So though the medium is more elegant than the sanctimonious novels we devoured as kids, the message about what you'd get from a full season of "Little House." And when Jim leaves his precious baseball glove in the lap of the sleeping polio boy, it's time to chuck the whole gooey contraption out the window of the jalopy.
Rating:
Summary: jim the boy
Review: I'll make this short and sweet: buy this book. Buy it for yourself, your child, your parent. There is something here for everyone, not the least of which is the sheer pleasure of reading this story. I would cheerfully give up a limb to be able to write like this man does. A slender book with so much to give - buy this book!!!!
Rating:
Summary: A Coming of Age Story That Ends Too Quickly
Review: This book is fantastic!! Jim the Boy is a quick, light-hearted and easy read that reminds us all of our youth and of the days when our world was as big as our backyard. This is a sweet story that follows ten-year-old Jim as he discovers the wonderful, confusing and sometimes sad world that exists beyond his uncles' cornfields. No violence, no swearing, just a sweet, entertaining story with a few good lessons woven within. And a bittersweet ending that makes you close the book with a smile and a sigh.
Rating:
Summary: A great read for both kids and adults
Review: I read this book after it was recommended by Jan Karon in her "Miford" newsletter. I'm glad I did! I bought it as a Christmas gift for a young friend. I'm sure he can relate to Jim even though the setting is early 20th Century. It's a wonderful story about a young boy growing up in a family with so much love to give. Even though Jim's father died before he was born, his wonderful uncles devote themselves to being a father to young Jim. Spend awhile with this wonderful family. You'll be glad you did.
Rating:
Summary: Only one flaw: too short!
Review: The only flaw I could find in this wonderful novel of Tony Earley's is that it was too short! Or rather, to phrase it in a way that doesn't sound critical of the author, I liked the place that this novel took me and, especially, the people I met there so much that not only could I not put it down, i didn't want it to end. This is a wonderful story about a young boy growing up among people who, while not perfect, are fundamentally decent and kind. this is a nice change from so many other products of our modern culture, from novels to Hollywood films, which explore all the various permutations of dysfunction. while exploring what is wrong with human nature is certainly a valid literary exercise, Tony Earley has done something wonderful in bringing to life characters whom we like and even admire. Jim's mother and uncles are simple people who work hard, sometimes play hard, and exercise compassion when confronted by the misfortune of others. These are the values they teach to young Jim, who is just beginning to realize that there is a wider world full of things he has yet to experience. Part of me wanted the author to continue Jim's story, but another part of me hopes he never Hollywood-izes his wonderful novel by writing a sequel. At a time when our nation is in the throes of grief about the events of September 11 and anxiety about the future, and in an age where despite recent examples of heroism the worst of human behavior is vividly on display, "Jim the Boy" was good medicine for this reader and I suspect it will be for others as well. I read this as an audiobook, so I must close by praising narrator L. J. Ganser for doing such a great job. To me, this book was just about perfect; I just wish there had been more of it.
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