The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

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Critics

• The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn (Racially Sensitive Beware) Share

  I only just got around to reading this a little while ago, despite the fact that it's been sitting on my shelf at home for several years. I think when I first got it (it was a Christmas present), I was not quite ready for it - I couldn't read the lan ... (read full critics)

  blogcritics published on Wed, 28 Jan 2004

9 Reviews

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  *** This comment contains spoilers! ***

  A rite of passage

  When this "adventure" begins we see just a boy, Huckleberry Finn. He lives with the widow Douglas, who tries to "sivilize" him raising him as her own child. In this sort of "captivity" he finds a good friend and a mentor in Tom Sawyer. Tom is part of that world that is so small and uncomfortable for ... (continue)

  When this "adventure" begins we see just a boy, Huckleberry Finn. He lives with the widow Douglas, who tries to "sivilize" him raising him as her own child. In this sort of "captivity" he finds a good friend and a mentor in Tom Sawyer. Tom is part of that world that is so small and uncomfortable for Huck, but he's a rebel, and that fascinates him. Nevertheless, Tom isn't so different from the widow Douglas: he believes only in books, as she does. Huck, on the other hand, is completely pragmatic. Even though Twain doesn't let us forget his "adventurer" is just a teen-ager, we feel he has a sort of adult way of thinking: sharp, objective, bereft of those "frivolities" that belong to the young and naive world Tom lives in. To Huck, parents are one the many bothers of his life. One day, after finding a canoe, Huck escapes from his father and his life, finding a father figure in the black slave Jim. He so begins his his journey and the passage from being a boy to becoming a man. When during the journey Tom pops up again Huck abandons the river and its calm waters, beginning a new and "fake" life. He falls into the chasm of lies once again. Tom uses his strong personality and egotism to subdue Huck, now unarmed against his friend. When this last lie finally comes to an end, Huck decides to live his own life without any pressure and influence. He's now a man: he successfully went through his "rite of passage". The world (the river, the woods, even the raft) that protected him during the journey is now vanished: welcome to the real, adult world, Mr. Huckleberry Finn.

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  Silvia said on Jan 21, 2009 | Add your feedback

• 

  I know it's a classic for youth and it has been written more than a century ago, but I forund it a little bit demanding. Difficult from the start, mostly because of the abundant use of spoken dialects, partly because the plot itself was difficult to follow (too much adventure). But it was worth read ... (continue)

  I know it's a classic for youth and it has been written more than a century ago, but I forund it a little bit demanding. Difficult from the start, mostly because of the abundant use of spoken dialects, partly because the plot itself was difficult to follow (too much adventure). But it was worth reading, becuase it gives a good picture of the Deep South.

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  Ciski72 said on Jul 27, 2011 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

• 

  One of the most intriguing, funny, amazing book I have ever read!!!!

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  Luisina said on May 14, 2011 | Add your feedback

• 

  Dragging

  I had to use my will power to finish the book. I am not saying that the story on the whole is horrible but I found it so dragging. I do understand it has a historic importance but for me it was more like reading a study book then a book to look forward during the day to read.

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  Acquafortis said on Apr 5, 2011 about the Others edition | Add your feedback

• 

  A classic reading

  For somebody who is not English mother-language, this classical reading is rather hard. Mark Twain uses several dialects and it is sometimes very difficult to understand their meaning. The tale and the plot are sometimes slow and almost boring but it is always an interesting reading, at least to see ... (continue)

  For somebody who is not English mother-language, this classical reading is rather hard. Mark Twain uses several dialects and it is sometimes very difficult to understand their meaning. The tale and the plot are sometimes slow and almost boring but it is always an interesting reading, at least to see what life was in those times. Huck Finn is a scoundrel, wiser and more cunning than it is depicted, while Tom Sawyer plays more the part of the bully and dumb. With them a number of different characters, who enrich the novel, which, good or bad, is a milestone of the American literature.

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  Rob. said on Dec 15, 2010 | Add your feedback

• 

  A good summer read. Follow Huck Finn and Jim down the Mississipi. Meet the scoundrels and the 'sivilised' along the way.

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  Jelly Belly said on Aug 30, 2010 about the Audio Cassette edition | Add your feedback

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Book Details

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• English Books
• Mass Market Paperback 320 Pages
• Edition: Reprint
• ISBN-10: 0553210793
• ISBN-13: 9780553210798
• Publisher: Bantam Classics
• Pub date: Mar 01, 1981
• Dimensions: 1097 mm x 645 mm x 129 mm Just how big is that?
• Also available as: Paperback, Hardcover, Audio CD, Audio Cassette, Library Binding, School & Library Binding, Unbound, Others and eBook
• In other languages: other languages Livres Français, Deutsche Bücher, Libros en Español, llibres en català, Libri Italiani, Danske bøger

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