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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
I really liked parts of this book -- Huck's escape from his father, the floating house, the Grangerford-Shepherdson feud, the Royal Nonesuch, and meeting Colonel Sherburn. However, a Reason.com deconstruction better explains how I felt about the end than I could:
So what's the problem? Only this: Twain's acknowledged masterpiece, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, inspires almost universal ambivalence among its biggest fans. "It's the best book we've had," pronounced Ernest Hemingway in 1932. "All American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since." Oh, but one more thing, counseled Papa: "If you must read it you must stop where...Jim is stolen from the boys [and imprisoned by a slave catcher]. That is the real end. The rest is just cheating."All in all, I preferred [b:The Adventures of Tom Sawyer|24583|The Adventures of Tom Sawyer|Mark Twain|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309282714s/24583.jpg|3306392], which was shorter, lighter in tone, and written in the third-person -- Twain's first-person account of Huck Finn is often so verbose and meandering, an English teacher friend of mine refers to it as a "Twain wreck."
As [Ron] Powers puts it, "Huckleberry Finn endures as a consensus masterpiece despite these final chapters" in which Tom Sawyer leads Huck through elaborate, ineffectual, and grotesque machinations to rescue the runaway slave from Tom's Uncle Silas (even worse, we eventually learn that Jim has in fact been free the whole time). Most critics feel that once Tom Sawyer shows up, Huckleberry Finn devolves into little more than minstrel-show satire and broad comedy that cheapens the deep, transgressive bond that has evolved between Huck and Jim.
adventurous
funny
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
funny
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
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
I remember just loving the ending of this book and re-listening to it did not disappoint. It makes up for a lot of the stuff I thought was a drag (mostly the king and the duke). Now I have 2 days to read James before the library starts asking politely for it back.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
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:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery
Read this for background before reading James by Percival Everett. I had higher expectations and just did not enjoy the experience but can appreciate it.