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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
This one starts off pretty well. Huck Finn as narrator can be difficult to follow, but there are times that are straight up laugh out loud funny. The portrayal of black people (as comically ignorant) is problematic for modern readers, but presumably honest for the POV considering the period and location? There are a lot of slapstick scenes and white people are certainly also shown as bumbling morons. However, the main flaw with this story is the ending, when Tom Sawyer shows up. That kid is absolutely intolerable in this book. I get that it's all a big joke, but the repetitive annoyingness really grated on me.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Love, love, love this book. Until the part where Tom arrives and acts like a jerk for a few dozen pages. Before he shows up it's a perfect adventure. After he arrives, it's like a good independent movie ruined by a cameo of some strutting Hollywood A-lister. But forget that, and to the heart of why I call it "perfect."
A young person who loves trouble and has a heart of gold. What could be better? Wild things happen in every chapter, and the fear of losing his friend Jim to slavery make the story thick with tension.
During the darkest moments Huck reveals himself to be moral to the core, in a tragic, immoral society that lets people buy and sell other people. He realizes he will stand against that society in a boyish soliloquy that brings tears to my eyes whenever I read it:
"And for a starter I would go to work and steal Jim out of slavery again; and if I could think up anything worse, I would do that, too; because as long as I was in, and in for good, I might as well go the whole hog. "
A young person who loves trouble and has a heart of gold. What could be better? Wild things happen in every chapter, and the fear of losing his friend Jim to slavery make the story thick with tension.
During the darkest moments Huck reveals himself to be moral to the core, in a tragic, immoral society that lets people buy and sell other people. He realizes he will stand against that society in a boyish soliloquy that brings tears to my eyes whenever I read it:
"And for a starter I would go to work and steal Jim out of slavery again; and if I could think up anything worse, I would do that, too; because as long as I was in, and in for good, I might as well go the whole hog. "
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It is easy to understand why this is an American classic.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Well this took an awkwardly long time😅😅, but I finally get what teenage girls could feel when they read Jane Austen:33
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I fully acknowledge that this review is more reflective of my personal preferences than of Twain’s art. It is also more about consumption than content. Because this is my second time (and first as an adult) reading Huck Finn, I can better appreciate the nuances of narrative and commentary on the times. However, I was also deeply affected by the language. Having listened to the audio book, the racial epithets cut-like-a-knife every single time and each instance diluted my attention to the story itself. I understand this is considered a classic (and am in agreement), but I would caution contemporary readers against listening to the book. I can’t say that reading such language would be any less injurious, but think that the sting may be less sensory.