Rating: 
Summary: More an exercise than a finished novel
Review: This book originally came to my attention when I saw it in Publisher's Weekly. Now that I've read it, I'm stumped by their recommendation. Until I saw (to my shock) so many reviews here, I would have said this book has no life outside of maybe a writer's workshop. Even the publisher seems resigned to not selling the book, based on the horrendous cover they stuck on it. Who would look at that and pick it up?I mention writer's workshops because that's all I can think of when I read this: an author aware of but not absolutely in command of techniques and styles, playing with language like a toy, to the detriment of character and story. In one scene where Jim and his uncle pull into the big city of Charlotte in the middle of the night, he writes, "Streetcars floated all around them. The streetcars were sound asleep, and Jim hoped the truck wouldn't wake them up." Jim's ten years old. He is too old to believe streetcars might really "wake up," and too young to think metaphorically/poetically. That's the author's voice. He frequently puts things into his characters minds and mouths that don't belong there, and all it serves to do is distance the reader. The situation did get better once Jim got into school. I suspect playground politics are familiar to all of us, and those parts came more naturally. Also the moments just before Jim figures out that his uncles are only teasing him about one thing or another are always quite nice. There's a lot of potential with this family, and the scenes that do work well only make me wish he'd taken me deeper into them, without the book itself getting in the way. Ultimately it's a not-unpleasant book, with the biggest problem being the constant awareness of the author's hand. He was an extra character in every scene (Like that Visa commercial, I could hear his voice saying, "What I was trying to do here was..."), and he kept me from really getting inside the story. I hadn't thought of it as children's literature until so many reviewers mentioned it, but maybe that's really what it should be.
Rating: 
Summary: Sweet Read!
Review: Jim the Boy by Tony Earley is a sweet novel set in North Carolina during the late 1920's. Unlike other books set in the South of recent memory, though, this book doesn't describe an abused young man or a dysfunctional family but rather one of great strength. Although Jim's father dies only a matter of days before he was born, Jim is raised by his mother and three uncles who never married. Throughout the book, it is these men, who earn their livelihood from farming, who teach Jim some of life's greatest lessons. From learning how to hoe a field to confronting a firends devestating illness to seeing the grandfather he never knew as this old man lays dying, we as readers journey along as Jim experiences life between his tenth and eleventh birthday. Reminiscent of the equally lyrical style found in Plainsong by Kent Haruf, this book is a pleasant read for a summer's day.
Rating:
Summary: I hope the movie version is in black & white...
Review: A fine little book. Not in the same league as 'To Kill a Mockingbird', not as cerebrally satisfying as Flannery O'Connor, but very well-written and lovingly crafted. As I read, pleasant images from my own rural southern childhood kept intruding - not a criticism, but a commentary on the author's aptitude for capturing the south as it truly was before most of it became a suburb of Atlanta. This should appeal to all ages, and especially to anyone who enjoys watching Andy Griffith re-runs.
Rating: 
Summary: worth the read
Review: i am familiar with tony earley from the new yorker and as soon as i read the chapter that was excerpted for the magazine i recognized it...he writes in a way that is at once touching and real...the emotions of the boy are real and of a much simpler time...but he doesn't lose what is timeless in the growing of a boy...loved the uncles...and passed the book on to my children...
Rating:
Summary: Jim Where Are You
Review: Jim the Boy was so highly recommended that I couldn't wait to read it. Unfortunately I felt as if I had gone to a fine restaurant to eat a gourmet meal and discovered fast food on my plate. There were certainly moments that made reading the book worthwhile but I came away hungry.
Rating:
Summary: Lovely little book
Review: Jim the Boy by Tony Earley is a wonderful novel...beautifully written, poetic without being overblown or contrived, moral without being preachy. I recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: Simple words and true feelings
Review: Ever since "Birthday Boy" was published in Granta's volume "Best of Young American Novelists", I've been waiting for the rest of the novel. "Jim the Boy" fills out the rest of story, and weaves a beautiful life. So few writers capture the feelings of childhood. Yet, Tony Earley does it so cleanly and powerfully, with no frills. Thank you.
Rating:
Summary: beautifully spare prose
Review: Earley seems to have combined the painstakingly simple language of Hemingway with a bit of the Southern storyteller a la Ferrol Sams. This book captures the spirit of a real boy in a gentler time. It's as close to my own childhood as I care to revisit. Earley is an important writer whom I will follow with great interest.
Rating:
Summary: Jim The Boy a review
Review: Recommendations I would recommend this book, Jim The Boy, to ages 13 and up. The reason I chose those ages is because some of the wording is difficult and hard to understand, and because of the length. This book shows a great example of a good friendship. An example is when Penn and Jim get in trouble at the market. Penn stuck up for Jim, and pushed the bully saying, "You leave him alone!" Also when Penn got hurt, he wanted to play ball but couldn't because he didn't have a ball or mitt. So Jim gives him his ball and mitt because he felt that it was his fault for the injury. Uncle Zeno asked, "Where is your ball and mitt?" "I gave it to Penn." Jim said. That is a great example of a true friend. In conclusion if you like friendship books or books that are set in the past, I really recommend this book for you.
Rating:
Summary: 'Jim, the Boy' is a wonder!
Review: This small, spare novel is amazing. It's very stillness is what makes it so powerful. 'Jim,the Boy' evokes emotions and captures the everyday drama of one ten year old boy. A boy with no father but three terrific uncles. A boy with love in him and around him.'Jim, the Boy' is a wonderful, thoughtful and beautifully written novel. It is for all readers with hearts.
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