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wesley_sq's review against another edition
2.0
It’s like Sims but in Middle Ages.
2/3 of the story is just meandering.
The beginning is absurd in a good way, the ending is surprisingly riveting. Everything in between seems random and unmotivated. The protagonist is witty at times but mostly bland.
2/3 of the story is just meandering.
The beginning is absurd in a good way, the ending is surprisingly riveting. Everything in between seems random and unmotivated. The protagonist is witty at times but mostly bland.
tjwallace04's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" was definitely a unique and uneven reading experience for me. I really loved some parts of it, but others dragged. I would be wowed by a clever turn of phrase and deeply engaged by a funny scene, and then ten minutes later, my mind would be wandering. Mark Twain was trying to do a lot in this book, and maybe that is part of the problem. Humor + history + philosophy + moralizing + fantasy + satire + science fiction + social commentary. It was somewhat overwhelming, and some elements worked better than others for me.
Premise: After sustaining a blow to the head, Connecticut businessman Hank Morgan travels back in time (and across place) to 6th Century England and the reign of King Arthur. He is sentenced to death but wows the populace with his knowledge of an upcoming total solar eclipse, the date of which he had memorized. Soon, King Arthur and his court look upon Hank as a wizard with powers surpassing Merlin, and, as "The Boss," Hank quickly begins making changes and updates to 6th century society, such as starting schools, creating an army, encouraging hygiene, starting a patent office and a newspaper, re-creating electricity and a telephone system, and more. But when King Arthur dies and the Catholic Church tries to take over the country, will Hank's changes be enough to propel the country towards democracy?
The novel is highly episodic, with only a faint narrative arc leading up to the grand finale, and I struggled a bit with that format. I also struggled with the chronology. I was always a little confused about how much time had passed and how old Hank was supposed to be. Most of my favorite scenes and the ones I remember the best (a lot of it is already fading after only a few days) were the humorous ones: Hank's struggle with armor; the scene with the pig princesses; pretty much any of his conversations with "Sandy"; and his bouts with Merlin, especially the one with the fountain. Other parts were actually quite grim, such as when Hank sees the plight of the peasants.
I thought "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" felt surprisingly modern in many ways, especially considering it was written 130+ years ago. The pro-equality and anti-war sentiments were familiar. Twain was clearly very pro-democracy and not enamored with the Catholic Church and its level of control over people. He is very anti-slavery in this book - meaning the peasants/indentured servant kind of slavery, which is interesting because Twain did not seem to be much of an abolitionist.
Ever since I read "The Once and Future King" in middle school, I have loved Arthurian literature, so I was curious to read this book for that reason, but I was mostly disappointed. The key Arthurian characters have very slight roles and are not well-developed. Merlin is a prop for several funny scenes, and the Lancelot-Guinivere story does play a part in the grand finale, but otherwise, I felt like this book could have been set in any imaginary kingdom.
Ultimately, I am glad I read this classic, even though I have forgotten most of it already. It was entertaining in parts and thought-provoking in parts, and, at the end Clarence suggested that cats would make a better royalty than humans, and I can get on board with that idea. 😂
Premise: After sustaining a blow to the head, Connecticut businessman Hank Morgan travels back in time (and across place) to 6th Century England and the reign of King Arthur. He is sentenced to death but wows the populace with his knowledge of an upcoming total solar eclipse, the date of which he had memorized. Soon, King Arthur and his court look upon Hank as a wizard with powers surpassing Merlin, and, as "The Boss," Hank quickly begins making changes and updates to 6th century society, such as starting schools, creating an army, encouraging hygiene, starting a patent office and a newspaper, re-creating electricity and a telephone system, and more. But when King Arthur dies and the Catholic Church tries to take over the country, will Hank's changes be enough to propel the country towards democracy?
The novel is highly episodic, with only a faint narrative arc leading up to the grand finale, and I struggled a bit with that format. I also struggled with the chronology. I was always a little confused about how much time had passed and how old Hank was supposed to be. Most of my favorite scenes and the ones I remember the best (a lot of it is already fading after only a few days) were the humorous ones: Hank's struggle with armor; the scene with the pig princesses; pretty much any of his conversations with "Sandy"; and his bouts with Merlin, especially the one with the fountain. Other parts were actually quite grim, such as when Hank sees the plight of the peasants.
I thought "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" felt surprisingly modern in many ways, especially considering it was written 130+ years ago. The pro-equality and anti-war sentiments were familiar. Twain was clearly very pro-democracy and not enamored with the Catholic Church and its level of control over people. He is very anti-slavery in this book - meaning the peasants/indentured servant kind of slavery, which is interesting because Twain did not seem to be much of an abolitionist.
Ever since I read "The Once and Future King" in middle school, I have loved Arthurian literature, so I was curious to read this book for that reason, but I was mostly disappointed. The key Arthurian characters have very slight roles and are not well-developed. Merlin is a prop for several funny scenes, and the Lancelot-Guinivere story does play a part in the grand finale, but otherwise, I felt like this book could have been set in any imaginary kingdom.
Ultimately, I am glad I read this classic, even though I have forgotten most of it already. It was entertaining in parts and thought-provoking in parts, and, at the end Clarence suggested that cats would make a better royalty than humans, and I can get on board with that idea. 😂
mary00's review against another edition
3.0
Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of my favorite novels ever. So I thought that it was about time that I read another book by Twain. This particular book was quite hard for me to get into (I had to renew it a few times at the library), although when I did read it I enjoyed it. The story is a bit disjointed and I don't think that this book has near the literary merit that Huck Finn does. However, I did enjoy Twain's familiar sense of humor and his use of sarcasm and satire. I know that there were many things that I missed with this reading and if I went back and read it more thoroughly (instead of just for enjoyment) I would enjoy it / appreciate it more.
But for now I think that I'll stick with Huck Finn.
But for now I think that I'll stick with Huck Finn.
namtful's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
paigereitz's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
nolemdaer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
It can take some time to parse out Twain’s thoughts versus the main character’s, but the book is a satire of our Yankee and his devotion to the Industrial Revolution as much as it is of the sixth century (or at least I read it that way), so I wasn’t particularly annoyed by his superiority complex. I’d have a superiority complex over slave drivers and aristocrats too, methinks. You’ll still get the racism and Twainisms you’d expect, but the story fundamentally challenges the destruction wrought by oppressive economic and governmental systems, and I wouldn’t say it particularly suggests capitalism as the solution either.
The actual structure is very episodic and surprisingly easy to read. I didn’t “like” the book, per se, but it was anti-monarchist and anti-slavery enough to be readable.
jarcher's review against another edition
2.0
It’s a shame that such a witty, hilarious book is tainted by unnecessary racist quips. I thought I could escape Twain’s vile treatment of Native Americans in a book that take place entirely in 6th century England, but I was sorely disappointed. This book would have received 4 stars from me if I wasn’t pulled from my enjoyment every few chapters by weirdly inapposite racist remarks.
flerpi's review against another edition
It's humorous, but unfortunately not a style of humor I enjoy. The jokes are simply too drawn out for me to find amusing.
r_musil's review against another edition
1.0
این که مارک تواین نویسنده ی کتابه دلیل نمیشه آب دوغ خیاری نباشه. خیلی ضعیفه. نمیدونم چه طور خودش حوصله ش کشیده این کتابو برای ویرایش بخونه. کتاب در مورد اینه که قدیما بد بود و اگه امکانات الان رو میتونستیم ببرین 1000 سال پیش چه قدر خوب بود
البته از یه بابت هم میشه نگاه کرد که آدم به معجزه امیدوار میشه. هاکلبری فین و تام سایر از نویسنده ی همچین کتابی دراومده؟ پس ممکنه منم نوبل چیزی ببرم.
البته از یه بابت هم میشه نگاه کرد که آدم به معجزه امیدوار میشه. هاکلبری فین و تام سایر از نویسنده ی همچین کتابی دراومده؟ پس ممکنه منم نوبل چیزی ببرم.
pizzamyheart's review against another edition
3.0
Main character was insufferable and has superiority complex. Just because he was from a different time did not make him smarter or better than the other characters. Still, there were some humorous bits, like trying to travel on a hot day in armor and having the sweat build up inside the suite.
Note: I listened to the version narrated by Nick Offerman. He was the best narrator they could have chosen and make this book more enjoyable. Picture Ron Swanson in Camelot. It was fun.
Note: I listened to the version narrated by Nick Offerman. He was the best narrator they could have chosen and make this book more enjoyable. Picture Ron Swanson in Camelot. It was fun.