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A review by jschwa1
Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain
3.0
This is very much a book of two halves:
The first half detailing Mark Twain's apprenticeship as a Mississippi river pilot is really interesting and skilfully evokes a portrait of the life at that time.
The second half details a return by Mark Twain and two companions to the river years later when the river traffic had subsided significantly (overtaken by rail travel). This half does not read as well and almost feels like a 'contractual obligation' where he was contracted to hit a certain word count. The language and prose is still good, it just lacks a focus and has no 'spark'
The first half detailing Mark Twain's apprenticeship as a Mississippi river pilot is really interesting and skilfully evokes a portrait of the life at that time.
The second half details a return by Mark Twain and two companions to the river years later when the river traffic had subsided significantly (overtaken by rail travel). This half does not read as well and almost feels like a 'contractual obligation' where he was contracted to hit a certain word count. The language and prose is still good, it just lacks a focus and has no 'spark'