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jschwa1's review against another edition
3.0
This is very much a book of two halves:
The first half detailing Mark Twain's apprenticeship as a Mississippi river pilot is really interesting and skilfully evokes a portrait of the life at that time.
The second half details a return by Mark Twain and two companions to the river years later when the river traffic had subsided significantly (overtaken by rail travel). This half does not read as well and almost feels like a 'contractual obligation' where he was contracted to hit a certain word count. The language and prose is still good, it just lacks a focus and has no 'spark'
The first half detailing Mark Twain's apprenticeship as a Mississippi river pilot is really interesting and skilfully evokes a portrait of the life at that time.
The second half details a return by Mark Twain and two companions to the river years later when the river traffic had subsided significantly (overtaken by rail travel). This half does not read as well and almost feels like a 'contractual obligation' where he was contracted to hit a certain word count. The language and prose is still good, it just lacks a focus and has no 'spark'
thiskimb's review against another edition
2.0
I love Mark Twain, but this was lacking his usual wit and charm, at least for the first half.
stevepit15's review against another edition
1.0
Overall, I found this book to be a tough one to get through. Twain goes into such detail about certain topics that just bored me to death at times. It wasn’t all bad, though. Some of the stories are entertaining, such as in the first third of the book where Twain discusses his early days on the Mississippi and his road to becoming a steamboat pilot.
However, the middle of the book really grinds to a halt as Twain writes about his return trip to the Mississippi, 30 years later, and the changes he notices in the river and its towns.
Twain is obviously a great writer, and the book has plenty of hilarious and interesting moments, but over the course of 513 pages, those moments are too few and far between for me to rate this book very highly.
However, the middle of the book really grinds to a halt as Twain writes about his return trip to the Mississippi, 30 years later, and the changes he notices in the river and its towns.
Twain is obviously a great writer, and the book has plenty of hilarious and interesting moments, but over the course of 513 pages, those moments are too few and far between for me to rate this book very highly.
loweryjes's review against another edition
3.0
More true-to-life and enjoyable than Huck Finn in my opinion, this memoir is funny and full of boyish adventure.
cade's review against another edition
3.0
5 stars for the part about steam boat piloting. The rest of the book about his travelogue going up the Mississippi has some good wit, but it seems like he tried a little too hard to string it out long enough for a book. The result is that it feels like a bit of a chore to finish the book that started out so readable.
justinsdrown's review against another edition
3.0
Life on the Mississippi is great fun. It’s non-fiction that reads like fiction. And you get a sense that Twain took the “never let the truth get in the way of a good story” approach. Not in that the major beats were fabricated. But some of the facts were stretched a little. It wasn’t until I finished the book that I realized that he was 21 when he left home. In the book Twain described it as “running away” from home. It didn’t occur to me that he never elaborated on his age. Still, this is worth reading.
Sadly, I don’t have as much to say about Life on the Mississippi as I do other books. It’s not that it’s lacking in quality. I have a hard time critiquing well written non-fiction. I was pulled in and enticed by the prospect of learning about Twain’s early life by the man himself. It delivered.
Twain walked the walk in life. And it’s fun learning about his exploits. I love when an author actually lived an adventurous life. It lends so much good faith in my mind. Knowing that an author is writing from lived experience. I understand that he wrote a few travel books in his life. I can imagine that those are a good time.
Sadly, I don’t have as much to say about Life on the Mississippi as I do other books. It’s not that it’s lacking in quality. I have a hard time critiquing well written non-fiction. I was pulled in and enticed by the prospect of learning about Twain’s early life by the man himself. It delivered.
Twain walked the walk in life. And it’s fun learning about his exploits. I love when an author actually lived an adventurous life. It lends so much good faith in my mind. Knowing that an author is writing from lived experience. I understand that he wrote a few travel books in his life. I can imagine that those are a good time.