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A review by katiecatbooks
Roughing It by Henry B. Wonham, Mark Twain
4.0
Funny. Anecdotal. Laid-back.
Story: In this semi-autobiographical, semi-totally made up book, Mark Twain decides on a whim to go west to Nevada by stage-coach. He dreams of the wild west with Indians, buffaloes and gold mines. What he gets is precisely that, though not in the way he expected.
Language: This book is set up in 79 chapters, each only a few pages long and representing a single anecdote. It reads the way a modern-day newspaper journalist to book does - think Dave Barry or John Grogan (of Marley and me). Each chapter contains pictures (black and white drawings) which bring life and expression to the events described. I was a bit wary before reading this book, thinking back to Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, but this reads more like Connecticut Yankee. Do not fear the heft if this book, for most of the last 2/3 are appendixes and references.
Characters: Twain is our main character and the book is told from first person perspective. He is very outgoing and adventurous and risk-taking, which makes for some great adventures. In the other hand, it's when he is lazy or sleeps in or decides to procrastinate something for a few days, that the consequences are laugh out loud funny. Glad it's not you funny!
I totally recommend this early Western book - it reads very much like a novella. My favorite was the coyote chapter.
Story: In this semi-autobiographical, semi-totally made up book, Mark Twain decides on a whim to go west to Nevada by stage-coach. He dreams of the wild west with Indians, buffaloes and gold mines. What he gets is precisely that, though not in the way he expected.
Language: This book is set up in 79 chapters, each only a few pages long and representing a single anecdote. It reads the way a modern-day newspaper journalist to book does - think Dave Barry or John Grogan (of Marley and me). Each chapter contains pictures (black and white drawings) which bring life and expression to the events described. I was a bit wary before reading this book, thinking back to Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, but this reads more like Connecticut Yankee. Do not fear the heft if this book, for most of the last 2/3 are appendixes and references.
Characters: Twain is our main character and the book is told from first person perspective. He is very outgoing and adventurous and risk-taking, which makes for some great adventures. In the other hand, it's when he is lazy or sleeps in or decides to procrastinate something for a few days, that the consequences are laugh out loud funny. Glad it's not you funny!
I totally recommend this early Western book - it reads very much like a novella. My favorite was the coyote chapter.