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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Freedom; life awaits//
Friendship forms on the river//
Breaking laws and norms
Friendship forms on the river//
Breaking laws and norms
adventurous
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Slavery
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Boys being boys in a world where the ultimate inhumanity is still extant. One boy taking a step toward humanity.
Twain described it as “a book of mine where a sound heart and a deformed conscience come into collision and conscience suffers defeat". It was indeed that.
But it was truly awful to read the racist epithets and attitudes. Most of it is required to make the point. Some of it is not.
I’m waiting with bated breath to see what Percival Everett does with this in James.
Twain described it as “a book of mine where a sound heart and a deformed conscience come into collision and conscience suffers defeat". It was indeed that.
But it was truly awful to read the racist epithets and attitudes. Most of it is required to make the point. Some of it is not.
I’m waiting with bated breath to see what Percival Everett does with this in James.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
OK so I can certainly see why this is touted as The Great American (middle school) Novel. It's truly quite different (and frankly better) than Tom Sawyer; the plot is more straightforward, the characters a little more fleshed out, and most importantly they're actually trying to say something (slavery=not so great. Setting slaves free= uh really not great? Scamming=perhaps worse than slavery by their count. I'm not saying I agree, I'm just saying what I saw). Of course it was absolutely absurd and goofy, and to be honesty Tom Sawyer really pissed me OFF at the end. He was really dragging it all out. I have been with a fictional 12 year old from 1884 and I don't care who knows it
The first 4/5 of this book is highly entertaining and really fun stuff. It loses a star because the liberal use of the 'n-word' gets to be pretty nauseating after a (very short) while and because the last few chapters, when Tom Sawyer shows up, are actually pretty terrible.