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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
Uff. When stay-at-home started, I thought it would be a good idea to listen to audio books I'd purchased and never listened to. I'd gotten this book for the family to listen to on a road trip we took to NOLA a few years back, thinking it would be fun because we were following the Mississippi river...
Welp. It wasn't meant to be back then and now, as I listened over the course of a couple of months of Covid 19 (never really got into it, only listened on longer walks) and then the murder of George Floyd, I have mixed feelings. I also read a couple of pieces of criticism from a few years back (couldn't find anything with a date of June 2020), that helped confirm my sanity. I don't regret listening to it, but I won't revisit it either. Concerning school reading, I think we have so many better options today and a much wider body of authors to choose from that are more relevant to the experience of diverse students. History has its place.
Welp. It wasn't meant to be back then and now, as I listened over the course of a couple of months of Covid 19 (never really got into it, only listened on longer walks) and then the murder of George Floyd, I have mixed feelings. I also read a couple of pieces of criticism from a few years back (couldn't find anything with a date of June 2020), that helped confirm my sanity. I don't regret listening to it, but I won't revisit it either. Concerning school reading, I think we have so many better options today and a much wider body of authors to choose from that are more relevant to the experience of diverse students. History has its place.
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A re-read to prepare for Percival Everett's James. It is replete with charm - at least when Jim is not on page - and Twain's storytelling holds up. I'm not sure it is really the stuff of foundational national myth literature, but I am not American. Most of all, it is quite racist. Yes, it is a book which skewers the hypocrisy and untenable cruelty of slavery, but it also gives us, in Jim, a childlike character, a peer of the child main character. Jim's naivity is frequently amped up, simply for cheap laughs. This is a condemnation of slavery that still condemns, and humiliates, the enslaved people. Curious to see what Everett does with this one.
It was fun for me to read this book because I was reading from the edition that had been given to my Dad when he was a little boy. Going through the story again brought up most of the feelings that I had when I read it as a child - the desire for adventure, the simple things, and friendship.
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I intended to read this alongside the book James to compare the plot but I found James a lot more interesting and decided to read that.
I found it difficult to get through this book and sometimes was confused by the plot. I respect it's cleverness and the variety of plots but overall it did not hold my attention and at times even frustrated me.
I respect it as a classic and creativity and also am aware of the bias I may have towards it after reading James which is why I settled on a 2 star rating.
I found it difficult to get through this book and sometimes was confused by the plot. I respect it's cleverness and the variety of plots but overall it did not hold my attention and at times even frustrated me.
I respect it as a classic and creativity and also am aware of the bias I may have towards it after reading James which is why I settled on a 2 star rating.
slow-paced
He shouldn’t have came back to finish it years later. He should have published what he had.