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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
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
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
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:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I’m happy I read this American literature classic. I appreciated the version I read as the appendix was really helpful for understanding the time/space this book was written in and why it is so significant. However, I struggled with the slapstick comedic storytelling of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. It was fun had interesting for the first 2/3 of the novel, but it got old after a while. Overall, I’m happy I read it but it might be my first and last foray into Mark Twain.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism
adventurous
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Classism