Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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Ten Taxis, historybuff, Cortney Stewart, and Lin Snow.
Book Details
Written by Mark Twain and Emory Elliott.
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($6.95)
Editorial Review (from Amazon.com)
Called "the veriest trash" by a member of the Concord, Massachusetts Library Board that banned the novel when it was first published, Huckleberry Finn has come to be viewed, as H.L. Mencken put it, as "one of the great masterpieces of the world." Ernest Hemingway wrote that "All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn....There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since." A daringly ironic attack on racism American-style, Twain's story of what he once called a "sound heart" triumphing over a "deformed conscience" is poignant, powerful, and fresh. It is no wonder that this extraordinary book continues to captivate readers around the world. This handsome Oxford World's Classic edition uses the reliable 1885 text and includes in-depth, up-to-date editorial apparatus.User Reviews (1) Login or create an account to write a review.
Lin Snow thinks this book is Good.
This is one of those classic American novels, that will greatly appeal to some, not appeal to others, and sort of leave the rest of us to read them when they are assigned for school. That's where I fell in.
My mom tried to read me this book when I was a kid, but it wasn't exciting enough. We liked Tom Sawyer much better!
But as an adult, I did enjoy Huck Finn. His tales play out as a series of adventures, all tied together by a raft journey down the Mississippi. Lots of great characters (though some are infinitely frustrating, and you'll be glad to see him leave those behind). Huck's antics are very clever and amusing, and the final story in the book had me laughing out loud.
This book has made it onto numerous Banned Books sites, as it very frequently uses the dreaded N-word when referring to African American slaves. While that word made me uncomfortable for a little while, this was how people talked back then, and it is accurate for the novel to use it. I don't find the novel to be racist anymore than people actually were at that time. Characters that are admirable have a hard time dealing with the slavery that is so rampant, and Huck himself helps free a slave, Jim, who is a major character in the novel. The author certainly sides with the slaves many times, and presents them very humanely, despite the backwards attitude of many characters, and certainly the majority of the American population at that time.
A great look at a different time in American history. Huck is a very likeable character, and gets into some crazy situations. Not really a book for kids, as it certainly isn't wham-bam exciting. Definitely has something for the intelligent adult.