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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
hopeful
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
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
✎ 1.5 / 5 ⭐
✎ physical 📖 & audio 🎧
✘ would not recommend
⋆˚✿˖° buddy read w/ @Uncommon_Reader & @BeyondBooks-wt5il
Well, I guess I was lucky to have been able to buddy read this book because unfortunately, this story did not hit the mark for me. I personally would've DNF'd it. This really isn't the best book for average readers, especially if you are not a native to the English such as myself. It was one of the harder books for me to give a rating on because I went back and forth on what should be 'weighed' more when it comes to rating this book... and at the end of it all, enjoyment was weighed higher than the aspect of what did thoughts did this book provoke, and what was Twain trying to tell.
But should this book still be regarded so highly at this day and age? I think it is a specially classic book because Twain was willing to write about enslaved Black people, and the problems society had at the time with their horrific nature. And we can see how far we've come... but I don't think it is so special that it should be used in English literature classes. However, that's not to say it isn't important because it is -- it tells a piece of America's history. I just think we should pivot away from why Twain's an 'amazing' writer to someone who captured a piece of history and be studied in history classes instead.
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
Book 39 of 2025
“The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain
5/5 ⭐️
Length: 9:25
Genre: Classic, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age
Synopsis: Huck Finn is a 13-14 yr old boy in the 1830s/1840s. His mother died when he was young & his father is an abusive drunk that can’t keep a job. An older lady in town has decides to take Huck in & civilize & educate him. Huck appreciates it & tries his best but when his dad comes back into town, he takes Huck back to his home & where he abuses the boy & forbids him from going to school or church. Huck eventually escapes his father & runs away to live on an island out in the Mississippi River. While there, Huck runs upon Jim, a runaway slave. They become fast friends & Huck enjoys his life of freedom. The towns people presume Huck to have died & accusations are pointed at Huck’s father & Jim. So Huck & Jim take off down the river to escape capture.
Review: According to Goodreads, I read this years ago & hated it. I don’t think I ever actually read it but I do remember we were supposed to read it in high school but I read very few of the books I was supposed to read in high school & I’m pretty sure Huck Finn was one I refused to read & just took the test based on the 1974 movie.
Earlier this year I read “James” by Percival Everett (Amazing book! Highly recommend!) which is a retelling of Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” but from the perspective of Jim. As part of one of the reading challenges I’m participating in this year, I needed to read two books that crossover so I chose these two books.
This was a wonderful book but needs to be read with the idea of how controversial & groundbreaking the book was in the time Twain wrote the book & when it was finally published. For the modern reader, much of the language would be shocking and sound very racist but in the time it was written, it was considered a major step in fighting racism. Percival Everett’s retelling is a beautiful update to the story that continues the fight against the racism that we are still fighting in this country.
There is much that could be said about this book but one of the most interesting aspects of the story is the cognitive dissonance Huck struggles with through the entire story of the desire to do the right thing but what he feels in his conscience as right is at war with what he has been taught in society as being morally right.
This is considered a children’s book but due to the subject matter & the use of derogatory & racist language, it is more appropriate for those who understand the history of the setting & how such language is not kind & dehumanizing & should no longer be used.
I’ll also say that due to the slang & dialect that Twain uses in the story (which is necessary to putting you into the world of Huck), the audiobook made it much easier to understand.
Content Warnings: racism, racial slurs, slavery, abuse, child abuse, death, lynching, near drowning, gun shot, lots of lying& deception
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Felt like I was going crazy at the end but it was SO FUNNY at the same time. The whole book made me want to drop out of school, get on a raft, and float down the Missouri River for the rest of my life.
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I read this as a teen (about 15 years ago) and it genuinely made me laugh out loud during Toms shenanigans. Some people find him annoying but I enjoyed it. Thinking about it still cheers me up. One of my favourites. A fun, exciting, and meaningful read, despite some outdated view points.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery
Moderate: Child abuse
I don’t know how I missed the adventures of Huckleberry Finn in my English classes as I was growing up. Maybe I did read it or maybe I just skated by and didn’t read it if it was assigned. However, I felt the need to read the book because of my upcoming book club Selection of James by Everett Percival. I felt that I could not truly appreciate the retelling from Jim‘s “James“ perspective without having read the original classic literature. I even thought that I could skate by and just get the footnote version, but when it came, it was a complete version of the entire book with some notes and commentary on the side. So I ended up reading and listening to the book at the same time because The authentic dial was important to the story. I am so glad I read the adventures of Huckleberry Finn and maybe I will go back to some classics that I feel I should’ve read or should reread and do so on video with some commentary notes. It was real helpful. I gave it five stars because, even though The language and the use of the N-word can be offensive to me. It was authentic language at the time and was real definitely recommend reading the adventures of Huckleberry fan so I guess I have to do the Adventures of Tom Sawyer too. Very interesting.