The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
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Book Reviews of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Book Review: Not Bad, Not the best ever either
Summary: 4 Stars
This one's for Huckleberry Finn. I first read this is high school and forgot everything about it a month later. A while back I read it again and now my memory is much better. This is about the travels of the boy Huck Finn down or up the Mississippi River with a slave named Jim. Huck had previously escaped from his drunkard father and from "civilized" society as well. The book chronicles their travels and the many adventures that ensue. Mark Twain was a supremely talented writer and uses his skills in an impressive way here. The attention to detail is astonishing and I felt like I was right there with the protagonists every step of the way. There is also a great deal of humor as is to be expected to Twain. And also, there is an uplifting message about the nature of racisim towards the end that could be said to be the cenral theme of the novel. Now that's what was good, so what was bad? Well, Twain goes on and on about boring minutae many times throughout this thing. Two characters named the Duke and King (I think) are introduced and are basically criminals. Almost to a letter they are boring every time mentioned, but I wouldn't call them filler though, I just didn't get into them. They get Huck and Jim into all sorts of trouble and meet their end in time. Other than the long-windedness there isn't much wrong with this novel. Alot of people have said that this is the best ever novel by an American writer, but I don't agree. Oh, one more thing. There is a certain word tossed about quite often here that some people find offensive. I won't mention it here, but most people will be able to guess what it is. Get over it people, It's just the language of the times. I'm someone who could choose to be personally offended by that word in this book but can look past it to see what Twain was doing. If you can't do that then you'll be missing out on the novel's greater message of tolerance and understanding and doing yourself a disservice in the long run. This novel is definitely one of the best ever written and deserves a go by every man woman and child.Book Review: A triumph in its day--less brilliant now
Summary: 4 Stars
Let's begin by noting that this is a remarkable work for two reasons. First, it's written in vernacular, from start to finish. This makes the book raw and lively, humorous, and honest. It has a far truer ring to it than a thousand other books from the 19th century. Second, Huck rises above his pro-slavery upbringing and comes to see Jim as a man and a friend.
Both remarkable features guarantee this novel a place in American lore. However, a good deal of its genius is in working against the sentiments of its age. The racial politics of the day are very different, and thus the novel--like Uncle Tom's Cabin--loses much of its traction.
With its humor and plain-talk it is superior to almost any American novel from the 18th century. It remains an exceedingly funny novel. Twain is masterful in his depiction of boyhood and the comedies that arise from childish misunderstandings, mischievous shenanigans, and the art of the con. And it is a vital historical document. That will never change.
I do think the book has some racist and classist moments. Despite Huck's sympathies with Jim, Jim and other Negroes do not come off as terribly intelligent or well-rounded people. In Huck's eyes, Jim is a man worthy of friendship and freedom, but he is woefully naïve and gullible.
The lampooning of Blacks and poor Whites takes away from the greatness of this book, even if Twain's political sympathies lay with both groups. And given the changed nature of "race" in the 21st century, some of what made this book brilliant is only recovered with an effort. These are reasons to phase Huck Finn out of the high school cannon. I say this while hoping that college students, and all adult Americans, will continue to read and love Huck Finn for many more centuries.
Book Review: Neither fish (a young adult romp) nor fowl (a coherent serious literary achievement) but entertaining and thought-provoking
Summary: 4 Stars
Like many people growing up in the US, I read THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN as an obligatory assignment at school. No one likes obligatory reading, and it was like water off a duck's back. Regretting that I remembered nothing of the novel, I recently re-read it, and I found it entertaining reading, and also much more for a grown-up audience than I expected. Of course the book was only started as a sequel to Twain's novel for boys THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER before being turned towards much more serious themes, such as child abuse and the conflicts in antebellum southern society. But even much of the novel's humour is intended for older readers, requiring some knowledge of European history and of Shakespeare.
The book's status as one of the Great American Novels is curious when it paints so bleak a picture of America. Any signs of refined culture among these inhabitants of the Mississippi comes not even for the East Coast but from Europe. For all of Twain's love of the land--indeed, the Mississippi River is itself a character--he was clearly a cosmopolitan figure by this point. Or perhaps the praise of America is subtle, as it is a portrait of a land free of aristocracy (the characters who call themselves the "king" and "duke" are scoundrels), and the novel is written in the honest vernacular of country people.
The novel cannot in any way be considered a perfect work of literature when it is an arc that soars towards quality only in the middle. The opening pages are still in the realm of children's literature, while the final section reads as a tiresome parody with far too much serendipity to be believable. For that reason I've rated it four stars.
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