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5.0 out of 5 stars
A+++++++++,
By
This review is from: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Paperback)
Brand new, no bends in cover. VERY fast delivery. Received the book within a matter of days. Hope to do business again!!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An American classic that must be read by all (and never banned),
By Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Paperback)
If there's any book out there that needs no introduction (or review, to be honest), it's Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Yet here I am reviewing it, anyway. I must admit (not without a fair share of embarrassment) that I just now got around to reading this American classic for the first time. I never had to read it in school, and to some degree I felt pretty familiar with the novel even without having read it -- that's just how popular and important Huckleberry Finn is to the social fabric of America.Nowadays, with all the politically correct liberals having escaped their Berkeley zoo and run amuck all over the nation, many of our young people are told not to read this novel. In fact, legions of voices cry out for poor little Huck Finn, that beloved rascal of literature, to be banned from schools and libraries -- for the crime of using the n-word, a word commonly used by both blacks and whites up and down the Mississippi during Huck's time (not to mention numerous hip-hop artists of today). Turning a blind eye to the fact that Twain made the slave Jim a noble, human, easy-going fellow with his heart always in the right place (unlike Huck's other companions), the literary fascists contend that this novel is poison to the minds of youngsters. One can only imagine the reaction Mark Twain would have to the hysteria his book incites in liberals today (although he would certainly not be surprised, as he had to fight censorship of this book from the date of its publication). One of the great ironies of the "Ban Huck Finn" brouhaha is the fact that young people will surely find this novel much more entertaining than the vast majority of other literary classics they are asked to read. This is a very funny book, especially once "the duke and the dauphin" arrive on the scene and, later, when Tom Sawyer meticulously plans out Jim's rescue from captivity (no thanks to the captors, who didn't even try to make it as difficult as Tom says it should be). Young readers will also relate to and understand this book, a fact which should give rise to spirited discussion of it in class. Don't we want our kids to be excited about books and reading? The more outrageous the hissy fits thrown by liberal critics over the "dangers" of Huck Finn, the more important it is for everyone, young and old alike, to go out and read Twain's novel. Whenever someone tells you not to read something, it's important that you go out there and read it -- and discover whatever it is the book banning loonies don't want you to know. Prove to them that you are intelligent enough to know the difference between the social values of the past and present, fiction and reality, right and wrong, etc. Think for yourself. Read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing Adventure Story,
By John (Ontario) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mass Market Paperback)
Huckleberry Finn is a great book! It’s an adventure book by Mark Twain. The story takes place in Huck’s hometown of Petersburg, Missouri. This took place in the mid-1800’s when slavery was still legal in the southern states. The story really begins when Huck runs away from the widow and his drunken father. Huck decides to run away and start a new life without listening to the widow’s grown-up rules. He also wants to avoid being mugged by his father and locked up in a shed constantly. There are two main characters in this book: Huckleberry Finn and Jim. Huckleberry is the boy who escapes his life and Jim is the widow’s slave. Huckleberry found Jim on the island he went to when he escaped from his evil stepfather. My opinion is that it’s a great adventure book and he has some travels in the story to remote islands and St. Louis, Missouri. Even though it is a great novel there are some other parts in this book that tend to become violent, so the reader should be at least ten years old or more. If I had to rate this book I’d give it 9 stars out of 10. It could have been a 10 if the author but some more clear details about some conclusions for the characters. Example: Who and what happened to the murderers on the steamboat? I would have liked to know how Huck’s father died at the end of this novel. This book is great if you’re looking for adventures about runaway kids or just exploring and being on your own. The added bonus in this book is that if you know the character known as Tom Sawyer from The Adventure’s of Tom Sawyer, he is in this book too! Huckleberry Finn is a great book! It’s an adventure book by Mark Twain. The story takes place in Huck’s hometown of Petersburg, Missouri. This took place in the mid-1800’s when slavery was still legal in the southern states. The story really begins when Huck runs away from the widow and his drunken father. Huck decides to run away and start a new life without listening to the widow’s grown-up rules. He also wants to avoid being mugged by his father and locked up in a shed constantly. There are two main characters in this book: Huckleberry Finn and Jim. Huckleberry is the boy who escapes his life and Jim is the widow’s slave. Huckleberry found Jim on the island he went to when he escaped from his evil stepfather. My opinion is that it’s a great adventure book and he has some travels in the story to remote islands and St. Louis, Missouri. Even though it is a great novel there are some other parts in this book that tend to become violent, so the reader should be at least ten years old or more. If I had to rate this book I’d give it 9 stars out of 10. It could have been a 10 if the author but some more clear details about some conclusions for the characters. Example: Who and what happened to the murderers on the steamboat? I would have liked to know how Huck’s father died at the end of this novel. This book is great if you’re looking for adventures about runaway kids or just exploring and being on your own. The added bonus in this book is that if you know the character known as Tom Sawyer from The Adventure’s of Tom Sawyer, he is in this book too!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Huck Finn is da bomb,
This review is from: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mass Market Paperback)
So many coming of age books owe a debt of thanks to HUCK FINN. Salinger's CATCHER IN THE RYE is one, along with the more modern BARK OF THE DOGWOOD. There are others, but the first true one was HUCK. The genius of Mark Twain is that the entire story is conceptualized and told from the perspective of 13-14 year old orphan boy, with almost no formal education at all. The telling of the tale gets a bit complicated if we look at the use, or in this case, misuse of the English language. Ahead of its time, STILL, this is good solid American reading. Would also recommend the collection of short stories titled THE CHILDREN'S CORNER for some excellent reading. Cheers!
1.0 out of 5 stars
Oy vey...,
By Adele (Overland Park, Kansas.) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Paperback)
Okay, I didn't really care for this book. It seemed dull and pointless, not to mention the plot was very vague. From what I could understand, it just seemed totally random. Not to mention it's hard to understand!
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great story, but...,
By Caradae Linore (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Paperback)
...the dialect is irritating. On one hand, I can't deny that the dialect adds character to the first-person narrative, and is, in that respect, functional. On the other hand, it's *irritating*! I had to re-read countless sentences because of it. I can only imagine what reading this book must be like for someone who's first language isn't English. The story itself is great, though. I can see why it's a classic. It's filled with endearing characters and adventures, and it's a very important book as it focuses on the issues of slavery and the irony of a so-called "civilization" that keeps slaves. A great read, dialect aside.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Paperback)
Always hesitant of the word "classic," I picked up this book with trepidation. It wasn't required reading at any point, and some libraries still have problems with it today because of certain words and scenes. That said, I plunged right in and haven't been sorry since. This is a charming tale that will definitely take you someplace you've not been before. And isn't that what we all want?--to go where we haven't been or can't go? Though not as funny as some other of Twain's books (think "Life on the Mississippi"), "Huck Finn" is an easy read, told by a child narrator. Like other child narrated books--Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" and McCrae's "Bark of the Dogwood," Twain's "Huck Finn" uses this technique to great effect. This, coupled with a very distinctive style, not really like any other Twain work except one, makes this a highly unusual book. One must also take into consideration "when" this book was written and how new it must have seemed then with its incorrect grammar and style. Suffice it to say that "Huck Finn" will stay on my (and other's) bookshelf for a while.Also recommended: To Kill a Mockingbird, Bark of the Dogwood, Catch 22
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lisa's review on Huckleberry finn! <3,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Paperback)
THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN REVIEW. The adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a heartfilled story. It shows one teens journey through the Mississippi River, running away from his father and helping a runaway slave named Jim, who he soon befriends, to the north. This story shows how different some people can be, though they do have hard times, but are still true friends.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Greatest version of America's Greatest Book,
By Mark J. Fowler "Let's Play Two!" (Jacksonville, Florida) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Hardcover)
This review isn't to give a review of one of the most studied works of the English language, but rather to detail what makes this edition special and worthy of purchase.At the most superficial level Huck is the sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, which had introduced us to these two icons of the printed word. After Tom Sawyer was a big hit the publisher, perhaps understandably, wanted not only a sequel, but one which logically followed Tom Sawyer. They specifically desired for the two works to sit comfortably on a shelf together. Perhaps there was a time when Mark Twain desired the same thing - more of the same crowd pleasing story telling. But I think that perhaps from the beginning he recognized that he now had the audience that he wanted for his masterpiece, so he began writing it. Even in the form which was familiar for 100 years Huckleberry Finn was widely hailed as the centerpiece of American Literature. THIS edition reveals that the masterpiece as originally conceived was even more masterly. Clemens wrote the original manuscript and submitted it to the publisher. I don't know what they thought of the book as it was, but one thing was clear: it was a good deal longer than Tom Sawyer and sitting side by side with Tom Sawyer the two books looked less like a "pair". So.... the editorial pruning process began and enough was removed from the originally conceived Huckleberry Finn to create both the originally published versions of Huck as well as "Life on the Mississippi". Now we finally get to see the "complete Huck". The missing text flows along with the "original Huck" as mightily as the Mississippi that Huck and Jim ride along in the book of our dreams. As if that were enough, we also are treated to original illustrations and facsimile reproductions of several of Twain's original text. I found these pages among the most enlightening of all. Almost as if he knew his handwritten pages would be looked at by posterity, Twain used a unique revision technique. Rather than erasing a word or passage he wishes to replace, he would instead line through the words in a single line, leaving the replaced word legible along with the words which would replace the revised word. By examining these hand-written lines we can see how meticulous Twain was in his word selection. In several of the passages he made slight corrections which were plainly intended to make the runaway slave, Jim, as noble as possible. It has long been a curiosity to me that this book, frequently criticized as "racist", has as it's two central characters a runaway slave and the "poor white trash" boy who decides to help him. At one point Huck is memorably torn between what the Southern Society he has been raised in says is right and what gnaws at his conscience. It is obviously an unqualified truth to Huck that Jim is uneducated and so poor that he doesn't even own himself, yet Jim possesses more humanity than any of the "civilized" southerners Huck meets. Seeing Clemens' own scrawl lets us see how diligently Clemens worked to make that distinction clear - that Jim is easily the most noble adult in the book. I agree with Mr. Hemingway - Huckleberry Finn IS America's greatest novel. Thanks to rediscovering Twain's original text (and an entertaining sequence of events which is detailed in the introduction to this edition) we finally get to read America's greatest Novel the way that the author originally intended. I cannot recommend this highly enough.
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great coming-of-age story,
By S.R.W. Phillips "StevieRae5" (Lexington, Kentucky USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Paperback)
Those who would accuse Huck Finn of the atrocity of racism have probably never read this book. Yes, I am white, but the story is set up in such a way as to make Jim, the slave who is repeatedly referred to by that most forbidden of words, the most honorable and reasonable character in the book.The story follows Huck Finn, a rebellious eleven-year-old boy without a mother and with a drunken crook for a father, as he decides to run away when his drunken father returns to town after a long absence and takes Huck back home with him. As Huck runs away, he meets up with Jim, a slave owned by his best friend Tom's aunt, who has also chosen to run away, heading north and seeking a better life. As they make their way down the Mississippi River, they meet a great deal of colorful characters and, most importantly, Huck grows as a person. He and Jim develop a deep, meaningful friendship, and Huck comes to realize that Jim is a man, no matter what the color of his skin is. The book is hilarious and wildly entertaining, but is also tender and sweet. Mark Twain was truly a master author, and it is easy to see why this has been called The Great American Novel. The book never drags or fails to hold your attention. I would suggest that any child younger than thirteen or so would be talked to about the "N-word" before reading it, but I certainly do not feel that it should be yanked from their hands and forbidden. The book has far too much value to sit on a bookshelf and not be read. A simple explanation that this word was a part of the vernacular at the time the book was written but is now no longer acceptable and that only hateful people use it seems like it would suffice. Don't let this book drown in the controversy that it attracts. It is far too valuable a piece of literature to get lost in the shuffle. |
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Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (Paperback - May 26 1994)
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