Reviews

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

juliavjue's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

zoolmcg's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I picked this up because I wanted to know the original story of Huckleberry before reading Everett's James. The only thing I knew about it was the premise of a young going on adventures, and of an overuse of the n-word. Those two things turned out to be true, but that's not to say I didn't find some merit in it.

I found this book a bit challenging to read because of Huck's story telling, his constant meandering and jumping between dialogue and action. A fair few times I had to look up sparknotes chapter summaries just to make sure I understood what was going on. This was particularly ture for the king and dauphin section of the novel, which felt like it flittered between so many different things and motives. I got a grasp on it during Tom and Huck's heist to save Jim, but I was so close to the end at that point, it didn't feel like that much of a victory.

Jim is, to me, the most sympathetic in the whole bunch. I found it very hard to get through the language around him a lot of the time. Even when Huck sticks up for him and vows to free him from slavery, he's still commodified, and although this is a point in Huck's character, where he doesn't question the rules of the world, it's still tough. I noticed that Wikipedia states it's often considered a novel that challenges racism, but it's too focus on a 'good' vs a 'bad' Black person, i.e., how useful they are, how kind they are in spite of their awful circumstances. When Jim is recaptured towards the end, the only saving grace he has is his caring nature towards the white boy, Tom Sawyer. He has to earn his freedom from those around him who deem it appropriate, not on the merit of being a human being.

I'm looking forward to reading Everett's spin on it, because I only expect excellence from him. As for my overall thoughts on this, I can see how it's a classic, but I don't know if I can say I really liked it.  

vivo_morior's review against another edition

adventurous challenging medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

aliceinchains's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.25

bigd1711's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

youngthespian42's review against another edition

funny slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.75

2.75 rounded up. I reread this in prep for James and boy were parts of this rough. I remember in my literary snob days loving this book and it really did not hold up. The statements it’s making about slavery are still valid but some of the other things around black identity do not age well. The King and the Duke section were by far my favorite and I could have spent the whole book with them. When Tom Sawyer returns toward the back half of this book it feels like pulling teeth. If you like classics and canon read this, but don’t read it just to read it. 

dmirassou's review against another edition

adventurous 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? No

4.0

lanterns's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

i don't have much to say about this one other than it was long as fuck but overall the story and the lessons were good. you really need to pay attention to the fact that mark twain is writing this from the perspective of a little boy, as his narration doesn't always align with what is truly going on. i also just want to mention the fact that jim is one of the coolest dudes ever, and mighty intelligent at that. many scholars who read this book think quite the opposite, but i am willing to make a whole case as to why jim's performance here was one of the best i've ever seen. definitely a "great american book", and worth the read if you have the time it takes to get through it.

jjulietaa's review against another edition

3.0

i actually finished it awhile ago but will need to reread it bc i don’t think i comprehended half of it. it was good
but also boring idk

mcfajber's review against another edition

adventurous funny informative tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75