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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
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.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-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
I enjoyed the Tom Sawyer collection more than this one with it's shorted more to the point vignettes.
adventurous
funny
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
OK, I get that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a historical "Americana" piece of literature buuuuuuuuut its REALLY hard to hear the N word bantied over and over and over, to read the way Blacks (slaves or freemen) are totally dehumanized, and how Tom - in particular - and Huckleberry too totally prioritize their "adventures" over Jim's life as a run-away slave in the South. And I get that Twain was cognizant of all of this, and that therefore TAoHF should be read, in part, as social commentary.
I get all that. But eesh.
Setting those caveats aside, I suppose its a fun little childish adventure tale, but I find all the hee-haw and shenanigans fairly grating. I've now listened to the middle chapters twice, and still can't follow the meandering plot because my mind keeps wandering. You must need the soul of a ten-year-old boy to sustain the attention required.
So, that's my one classic done for 2025. And now I can confidently move on to Percival Everett's "James", which was the main motivation for reading Huckleberry Finn anyway.
I get all that. But eesh.
Setting those caveats aside, I suppose its a fun little childish adventure tale, but I find all the hee-haw and shenanigans fairly grating. I've now listened to the middle chapters twice, and still can't follow the meandering plot because my mind keeps wandering. You must need the soul of a ten-year-old boy to sustain the attention required.
So, that's my one classic done for 2025. And now I can confidently move on to Percival Everett's "James", which was the main motivation for reading Huckleberry Finn anyway.
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated