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4.51 AVERAGE
4.51 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
for the record, i've never read "the adventures of huckleberry finn" (its prequel used to be ten years old ula's most despised book) and i'm not planning to, so unlike what seems to be most of the reviewers on this page, i had no expectations or knowledge of what story i could potentially be getting into. i wasn't surprised when it got from zero to a hundred in no time, and kind of enjoyed the ride at the beginning
there are some issues with pacing i didnt particularly like, i'm not a huge fan of how the story is told in general— there were like three jokes i genuinely snorted at and the rest of humour used in this book is more situational, with Jim mocking slave owners and them being absolutely clueless most of the time. i liked that a lot— making a complete turn of what one usually think of such interactions
now, why on earth would anyone want to talk to voltaire in their dreams. all of the hallucinated conversations were oddly off-putting with how out of place they were. i would dare to call it grotesque, and it wouldn't be a compliment. no, seriously, why would you ever feel the need to put a character from "candid" in your novel. like, ever
overall, it's definitely interesting, doesn't avoid the brutality of slavery and racism, while also contrasting it all with some hit-or-miss humour and deeper thoughts. mixing all of these aspects keeps you at your toes and is supposed to make the ugliness of reality stand out more— even if i can't say it worked for me, i found them more of a frustrating distraction, i can't say i don't appreciate the attempt
there are some issues with pacing i didnt particularly like, i'm not a huge fan of how the story is told in general— there were like three jokes i genuinely snorted at and the rest of humour used in this book is more situational, with Jim mocking slave owners and them being absolutely clueless most of the time. i liked that a lot— making a complete turn of what one usually think of such interactions
now, why on earth would anyone want to talk to voltaire in their dreams. all of the hallucinated conversations were oddly off-putting with how out of place they were. i would dare to call it grotesque, and it wouldn't be a compliment. no, seriously, why would you ever feel the need to put a character from "candid" in your novel. like, ever
overall, it's definitely interesting, doesn't avoid the brutality of slavery and racism, while also contrasting it all with some hit-or-miss humour and deeper thoughts. mixing all of these aspects keeps you at your toes and is supposed to make the ugliness of reality stand out more— even if i can't say it worked for me, i found them more of a frustrating distraction, i can't say i don't appreciate the attempt
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Holy cow, that was amazing! I began this audiobook without reading a single word about it. Because I don’t recall reading the original story — although I did remember the names and basic premise — it took me a bit to catch on. Wasn’t sure it would be appealing at that point, but Dominic Hoffman’s exceptional reading kept me rapt. And boy, was it worthwhile! Fantastic retelling, sonorous narration, exciting adventure, deep passion for family and for language (spoken & printed), fear, love, anger, hope. This less-than-8-hour book had it all. I cried through the last 7 or 8 minutes, and I already want to listen to it again. Well done, Percival Everett and Dominic Hoffman! Wish I could give this a bonus star.
(Had to go back through this quickie review and remove several exclamation points. 😆)
(Had to go back through this quickie review and remove several exclamation points. 😆)
I think you need to have recently read Huckleberry Finn to appreciate this novel fully, but the deviation from the original material in the last half is very enjoyable and the best part
Way more readable than Mark Twains' classic (less accents), but rather cathartic to read them back-to-back
Way more readable than Mark Twains' classic (less accents), but rather cathartic to read them back-to-back
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No