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racesq's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
shoshin'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I reread this book for the first time in years after reading James by Percival Everett. I was curious how the two books lined up, and couldn't recall after all this time what the major events were in Huckleberry Finn. I had completely forgotten the weird part at the end where Huck pretends to be Tom. I had also forgotten the sheer volume of times the n-word gets used. It was very unpleasant.
James is a book for adults. Huckleberry Finn is a book for children. Both wrestle with race in very different ways, but ultimately, Huckleberry Finn misses the mark badly. I prefer James for a number of reasons.
James is a book for adults. Huckleberry Finn is a book for children. Both wrestle with race in very different ways, but ultimately, Huckleberry Finn misses the mark badly. I prefer James for a number of reasons.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Violence and Death of parent
Minor: Toxic friendship
leighgoodmark's review against another edition
2.0
Okay, now I've read Huckleberry Finn, and that's all I plan to say about it.
vegas37's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
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
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.
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
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