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bobbyzim's review against another edition
5.0
A Coming-of-Age Story for a Nation
Picking up from the ending of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, the newly wealthy Huckleberry Finn escapes the chafing rules of civilization imposed by his new adoptive mother, the Widow Douglas, by spending his nights acting out boyish adventures with Tom and their friends. When Huck's abusive, alcoholic Pap kidnaps Huck for his money, Huck fakes his own death and sneaks out on a raft up the Mississippi River, where he encounters Jim, an escaped slave of the Widow's sister, Miss Douglas, and the two have a series of adventures as they try to float up the raft to Illinois and Jim's freedom. [a:Mark Twain|1244|Mark Twain|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1322103868p2/1244.jpg] constantly juxtaposes the "gentlemanly civilization" of the Antebellum South not only with Huck and Jim's innocent state of nature, but also with Tom's seemingly comparatively harmless romantic fantasies of chivalry and heroism. As witness to the dangers and violence of both fantasies, 13-year-old Huck with his often wistful observations is a stand-in for all of America during the Civil War, making this Great American Novel as much the coming-of-age story of a nation as it is for a boy. In the 21st century, it is appropriate - and important - for school-aged children to read the bowdlerized version (the one with the N-word replaced with the word "slave"), but the original version needs to be available to adults who may - and should - reread it with adult awareness.
Picking up from the ending of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, the newly wealthy Huckleberry Finn escapes the chafing rules of civilization imposed by his new adoptive mother, the Widow Douglas, by spending his nights acting out boyish adventures with Tom and their friends. When Huck's abusive, alcoholic Pap kidnaps Huck for his money, Huck fakes his own death and sneaks out on a raft up the Mississippi River, where he encounters Jim, an escaped slave of the Widow's sister, Miss Douglas, and the two have a series of adventures as they try to float up the raft to Illinois and Jim's freedom. [a:Mark Twain|1244|Mark Twain|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1322103868p2/1244.jpg] constantly juxtaposes the "gentlemanly civilization" of the Antebellum South not only with Huck and Jim's innocent state of nature, but also with Tom's seemingly comparatively harmless romantic fantasies of chivalry and heroism. As witness to the dangers and violence of both fantasies, 13-year-old Huck with his often wistful observations is a stand-in for all of America during the Civil War, making this Great American Novel as much the coming-of-age story of a nation as it is for a boy. In the 21st century, it is appropriate - and important - for school-aged children to read the bowdlerized version (the one with the N-word replaced with the word "slave"), but the original version needs to be available to adults who may - and should - reread it with adult awareness.
sarahaeckardt's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
womp womp
lizchan's review against another edition
Just can't. Will go straight to reading James
emilykitty1234's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
read247_instyle_inca's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
runic_randomness's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
melc's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
katie_burgert's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.0
biolexicon's review against another edition
3.0
Why didn’t anyone give this to me in middle school? I had a solid enough vocabulary to be able to comprehend classic literature, but not enough psychological development to be able to understand it. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn would have been perfect. It would have been playful enough to keep my interest, but it still would have had enough substance to further my understanding of the world. Reading it now in college is a bit too late. The plot now seems too episodic. I know that saying so makes me seem too uppity for Twain’s lightheartedness. I wish he could have the last word and knock some of the seriousness out of me with one of his iconic deliveries of wit.