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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
medium-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:
Yes
adventurous
funny
Was somewhat funny and somewhat emotional too. Most definitely problematic. Really just read it as preparation for reading James
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Kind of half-listened and cliffsnotes read this in preparation for reading “James” so not sure if I can fairly rate.
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-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
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I only made it to page 80, and cannot physically bring myself to scrape my eyes across another "by and by." The basic slapstick humor doesn't appeal to me in the least bit.
adventurous
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
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:
N/A
Je l’ai lu afin de mieux comprendre le contexte avant de commencer James de Percival Everett.
La lecture a été plutôt pénible, car malgré la richesse des thèmes abordés (social et racial), je n’ai pas trouvé le récit passionnant. J’ai vraiment galérer à le terminer.
En tant que lectrice noire, j’ai eu du mal à supporter la façon dont le personnage de Jim est présenté (stéréotypé et sans vraie profondeur psychologique en plus d’être un brin naïf).
En tant que lectrice noire, j’ai eu du mal à supporter la façon dont le personnage de Jim est présenté (stéréotypé et sans vraie profondeur psychologique en plus d’être un brin naïf).
Cela dit, je comprends l’importance historique de ce roman, et je suis curieuse de voir comment James, en donnant enfin la parole à Jim, va répondre à ces silences et ces manques.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There's a line in the Afterword that says Huckleberry Finn has "the saddest happy ending in all of modern literature." I was immediately struck by just how true that was: Huck became his own man, but ultimately ends up back where he started under the influence of Tom Sawyer, and chafing at the bonds of being 'sivilized.' I think this is one of those books that is commonly listed as an essential read, but I feel there's actually a good reason. There's some very excellent social commentary in the novel, especially considering the time in which it was written. I started out a little lost, considering I hadn't read Tom Sawyer prior to reading Huckleberry Finn, but ultimately I got the gist fairly quickly. The way in which the dialogue is written made it a much slower read than I anticipated, as I constantly had to read sentences over again so I could decipher what Twain's characters were saying, as their accents were written out: it took me several minutes to discern that 'gwyne tuh' meant 'going to.' I think that this book is just the right mixture of challenging yet simple, and I definitely understand now why this book is so timeless. I was fully invested in Huck's story, and admire his decision to 'go to hell' and aid in Jim's escape from slavery, the way he goes behind the backs of his companions to prevent them from swindling a family out of their inheritance, and his selfless act to try to save Jim after he was sold. However, I recognize the flaws in Twain's portrayal of the characters, namely Jim, falling victim to the same tropes of Uncle Tom's Cabin with his simple-minded goodness. It was a treat to see his character be developed upon even a tiny bit, and in the context of the novel and the period in which it was written, I believe Twain had good intentions and did the best he could. I was very annoyed with Tom Sawyer and his manipulative shenanigans, and actually laughed out loud when he was shot. It truly was quite sad to see Huck's maturity and character he'd built over the course of the novel essentially fly out the window once he interacts with Tom again. Overall, I'm glad I put in the effort to read this, but I definitely will not be reading Tom Sawyer; I don't think I could stomach a whole book centered around that character.