A great piece of literature read in a great way

I never liked Elijah Wood but I'm completely in love with him now. What a performance, bravo!

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Coming-of-age tale that exposes racism and bigotry

Set in Southern antebellum society, and told through a rich range of dialect, this is a gripping coming-of-age tale that subtlety satires entrenched racist and bigoted attitudes through the friendship of Huck and Jim. These likeable Fellow Travelers make their way along the Mississippi and we learn about society through their encounters with different folk (a similar process later used by Jack London through owners of White Fang). I decided to read this out of pure nostalgia, having loved the TV series as a kid. The dialect is very difficult to read, and so the audible version is a really useful option to help guide you through the text. This is a novel of its time, meaning the language is raw and offensive by modern parlance - which is why it is a must read if we are serious about building a better and more equal society.

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Excellent narration and the N word

I know it’s of its time but hard going with the racist language. Last read 58 years ago when it provided an exciting contrast to my own life. This was also considered a ‘boys book’ and so a rebellious act for a girl to read it. This time I wanted to revisit before seeing Percival Everett discuss his novel ‘James’ which is a retelling. Elijah is a great narrator

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a great reading!

of course it's still 'huckleberry finn', a wonderful novel,alive with characters and colour and action.but this fine reading made it all the more enjoyable as the varying accents and speech rhythms are all part of the book's charm.

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7 people found this helpful

45 years later….

I originally read at least some of this story as a child. I mostly remember Huck getting up to tricks and something about a river boat.

Reading it now at 59 I see why it is considered a masterpiece. From the many books that I have read, I would say that if an author chooses to write in the first person, then that writer needs to be exceptionally good, otherwise the book can read like a homework project. Mark Twain is an exceptionally visual writer, who manages to sketch his many and varied characters with a few words so that they almost jump off the page. I felt Huck was telling his story to me

It is quite a hard read in 2022. I had completely forgotten the whole angle of slavery from my childhood reading. Possibly it didn’t mean much to me back then. It does now of course and the frequent use of what would now be considered the worst racial slurs and attitudes are quite hard to read or listen to. Harder still to comprehend that whilst this is a work of fiction, those attitudes were very real, and not that long ago either. Maybe 200 years - a blink of an eye. It made me think about slavery and things like a mother being “sold down the river” whilst her children were taken and sold elsewhere. Literally property, to be used and disposed of however the “owner” felt fit. Properly horrifying, made all the more painful by the understated, masterful way the various events and people were described by the author

I already read Tom Sawyer a while ago. I think I love Huckleberry Finn even more because it is a proper adventure story, where plenty of things happen and it is so well written that I almost felt I was there

It is well known that Mark Twain was anti slavery by the end of his life. I read a bit about him and as a child their family had a young boy slave and at one point the young Mark complains to his mother that the boy is singing too long and too loudly. His mother becomes misty eyed and tells her son to let him sing. She says she worries when he is quiet, that maybe he is sad for the family that he left behind and will never see again. This seems to have been one of those moments in Mark Twain’s childhood that made him start to think and question. Unimaginable to us but imagine you are born into a family who has a slave, sees nothing wrong with it, your family friends and neighbours all have slaves and feel the same. Children rarely question what they are brought up with until later. Apparently he knew a slave that everyone called Uncle Dan’l and he used to tell stories to the kids. There seems to have been some situations where there is a sort of liking - if not friendship - between slaves and “owners” in some cases. The friendship between Huck and Jim is very well written

10/10 from me and also 10/10 for Elijah Wood’s narration, which was pitch perfect

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1 person found this helpful

epic !!

a true American classic. Awsome book and very well narrated by audiable. if you have not already, get it

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A Classic, read masterfully

If you have never read this book before, let Elijah Wood take you on the adventure with huck finn and jim.

loved every second

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Elijah Wood is awesome

The reading is superb - makes his hobbit work look ordinary. The story is enjoyable enough but it's a shame it relies on such a ridiculous coincidence towards the end

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great narration

superb narration from Elijah wood. my interest in the story dipped at points however Twain's style kept it alive

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A real Treat

I am a huge fan of Elijah Wood and I love the Huckleberry Finn story but I found Elijah's way of reading with the American dialect very tiresome.
English is not my native language, so that is probably the reason.

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