Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Dover Thrift Editions)

Great classic. A shame that because people of colour are extensively referred to in a certain out-of-date way in the book, it attracts the pious opprobrium of those today who condemn great art which reflects the laguage of its time but is nonetheless humane, tolerant and life-affirning.

I read The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer before reading this book as the events in that take place before this one. It took me a bit of time to properly get into the story but it picked up and I was engrossed from that moment. I enjoyed it very much and now consider the two novels to be two firm favourites of mine. It was a fantastic book with some really exciting events during the story. It's well worth a read and whilst I said it was one of the best adventure novels ever written in my review heading I'd also consider Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn to be two of the greatest literary characters ever created.

Hard work reading the vernacular and no idea how one deciphers the seven dialects that Twain mentions in the explanation, which is missing in this edition. Still a good read and thoroughly enjoyable. At times the King and the Duke really got on one's nerves but presumably Twain meant that to be the case. Certainly interesting because it is a first person account but one doesn't feel hemmed in by only having one viewpoint.

This book is entitled ‘Adventures’ for a reason. It depicts the escapades of a young boy and his relationship with the runaway slave Jim. Picking up on some of the details from Tom Sawyer, Huck shows his disdain for money by giving his fortune away. Even the reward for he capture of runaway slave Jim does not tempt him. He tries to orchestrate his escape in a somewhat convoluted way, based on how it happened in adventure books. Despite his upbringing in the slave owning South, Huck sees Jim as a human being and therefore chooses to follow his conscience rather than his upbringing. In relation to the two conmen, the Duke and the King, Huck plays along with their charade as part of his adventure, showing due deference to an old formal class system that never existed in America. These two men perform inaccurate renditions of Shakespearean speeches for an audience that appears ignorant of the original. In the next town, they impersonate a dead man’s relatives to try and obtain his fortune. These men could be seen as representing the British aristocracy who bought plantations in the South, taking advantage of slave labour for their own profit. The ending has been criticised as wrapping things up too nicely, but if this is to be a morale anit-slavery, anti-corruption tale, then Jim needs to be a free man and Huck is vindicated in his stand against his Southern upbringing. I read the unsanitized version of this book and although the language is offensive, it is accurate for the time.

Why I love it: Huck Finn is one of the greatest historical portrayals of 19th century South society I’ve ever read. While millions will point to the language and say it must be pulled off of library shelves and out of school curriculum, I disagree. I first read Huck Finn in the 5th grade and it opened my eyes to what life was like during those times. Yes, the racist language shouldn’t be repeated or said ever again but it is a great history lesson. Twain wrote about life he witnessed and what happens in the book really happened, to a certain extent. Middle grade children and up will find value in reading this and so will many adults. You can’t sweep history under the rug unless you want to repeat it. Disclaimer: I have an old hardcover of this book. My Rating: 5+ stars

Brilliant story - hard to put down. The last quarter gets a bit bogged down in the multiple deceptions being executed by the main characters. Kept making me think about Trump and how this story helps to explain why he was able to build his popularity on showmanship and lies. It’s ingrained in American popular culture.

El libro si está nuevo, pero vino como con un hueco en la pasta de la parte de atrás lo cual no le da buen aspecto

A traditional "Boys-story" that also enchants female readers. I really liked it and was captivated by all the adventures Huck Finn has to go through.

estou ansiosa para ler, o livro chegou antes do prazo, veio bem embalado, mas a caixa estava revirada, como se tivesse sido aberta antes

arrivato con i tempi giusti

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a must-read book that not only tells a story but also speaks of the moral issues. Twain's humorous, satirical, and regional language are the portal through which one enters the Mississippi river which is completely seen and felt. The story goes on around Huck Finn, the small, good-hearted child, and Jim, the escaped slave, whose friendship gets deeper and deeper. The two on the raft are not so far away from the jungle of 'civilized' people; the relationship that grows between them is the one that goes against the prevailing standard of the time denying the era of its brutal social norms. The narrator's consciousness becomes more and more complex as he solves the tough issue of right and wrong and finally, although he is in complete unity with the evil society, he chooses to be loyal to Jim who is the good one, mentally, and physically trapped by the bad society. While an adventure story, the book is also a huge and deep revelation of the issues around racial discrimination, human identity, and it requires a lot of courage to follow one's own "sound heart" when the public conscience is of a different and wrong kind. It's not an easy but very much worth it classic that still has an echo in the present times. A must-read for anyone in search of a story that is thought-provoking and inspiring at the same time.