The Adventures of Tom Sawyer opened the door to this book, my favorite of the two. I’ve never been a fan of the leader of the pack, I’ve always been drawn to the quieter buddy. Not the buddy that blindly follows but the thinking man, the one that sits back to watch and learn from the things he sees before him.

I adore Huck for how he handles the life lessons that have been dealt to him and those around him. At first he is afraid to stand on his own two feet, quick to yes sir and do what isn’t always in his best interest. As the story develops his backbone gets stronger and he starts coming into his own. Standing up for not only himself but others.

I should knock Tom down a star and let Huck have all the glory but without Tom I wouldn’t have found Huck, so five starts to two of my all time favs.

For some reason, I've delayed reading this book for many years. Actually, I started it a few times but couldn't get past the language-the use of the n-word and the dialect. This time I stuck it out and I'm so glad I did.

Huck Finn is a combination boy's adventure story and biting social critique. Huck is an abused child who runs away with Jim, a slave. The outline of the story is probably known to everyone but the writing is vivid and the anxiety about Jim's getting to freedom intense. And Huck is struggling hard with his ideas of what it means to be good, which would be turning a runaway slave in, and his own conscience, that tells him Jim is a good human being and a loyal friend that he needs to help.

Once I got the rhythm of the book, I was able to enjoy the writing. Twain creates scenes so real you can almost see them. There are comic interludes, as when they pick up two con artists who get themselves into deeper and deeper trouble while trying to hoodwink others. The humor is mixed with drama and all along there's commentary on how cruel people can be. Poor Huck thinks he's a hopeless case but it becomes clear he's a very decent human being who is an outcast, like Jim.

There's a good reason this book is a classic of American literature and I'm glad to have finally read it.

I read this book a few years ago and didn't enjoy it all that much. The only reason I finished it was because it was part of my course work. However, I think listening to the audiobook this time around was a better experience. The narrator Robin Miles has done a good job of narrating it in the southern dialect although I feel the language is a bit disturbing and unsuitable for a book that was popularised as children's fiction.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Thomas Nelson for the audio ARC of the book. The audiobook was published on 30th June 2020.

Rating:⭐⭐⭐

This new audiobook version of Mark Twain's classic American novel, narrated by the wonderful Robin Miles, was an entertaining listen and presents an alternative avenue for new readers (listeners) to access a great work.
The plot follows 13 or 14 year-old Huck Finn's adventures traversing the Mississippi River from (fictional) St. Petersburg to (fictional) Pikesville, having escaped first the civilising efforts of the Widow Douglas, then from his abusive father. He's accompanied on his journey by escaped slave, Jim, who's hoping to reach the free state of Illinois, whence he'll purchase the freedom of his family members who remain in slavery in the South.

Miles's narration is clear and may assist modern readers to comprehend the Southern vernacular language used throughout the novel. She's a talented voice artist, using a variety of pitch, tones and accents to define the wide cast of characters.
It's a rollicking good tale, cleverly satirical and ultimately heartwarming. Appropriate to the context, racial epithets and racist attitudes appear liberally throughout, which will be confronting to a modern audience. However, the central character and the tone of the work are sympathetic to the plight of Jim, and decidedly anti-slavery, exposing the hypocrisy and repugnance of the views of many in the Antebellum South. Younger readers (listeners) may require some guidance in this regard.
I have no hesitation in recommending this audiobook edition, both to established fans of Twain's writing (like myself), and new reader-listeners.
My thanks to the publisher Thomas Nelson and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook edition.

I remember being terribly bored by this book. I also remember having a very incompetent teacher in 10th grade English. Maybe if I re-read it I'd find it better. I doubt I'll re-read it though.

Seeking Freedom.

If you search for the most important American novels, Mark Twain’s ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ is listed as a must read. The reason: it is a timeless masterpiece that delves into themes of freedom, morality, and human relationships while capturing the spirit of 19th-century America along the Mississippi River. The novel combines humor, adventure, and biting social commentary to create a story that is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking.

The novel’s most compelling aspect is its portrayal of Huck, a boy who wrestles with societal norms and develops his own moral compass. Twain masterfully captures Huck’s voice through a vivid and authentic narrative style, written in the vernacular of the time. This choice not only immerses readers in the setting but also provides a raw, unfiltered view of Huck’s thoughts and feelings as he navigates complex moral dilemmas.

Another strength is the relationship between Huck and Jim, Miss Watson’s enslaved man. Their bond grows as they journey down the river, with Huck slowly recognising Jim’s humanity despite the racist ideology ingrained in him by society. Twain uses their interactions to critique slavery and the broader moral failings of the antebellum South, making the novel both a personal journey and a scathing social commentary.

The episodic structure of the story, filled with colourful characters and adventures, adds to its charm. Encounters with conmen, feuding families, and misguided townsfolk provide both comedic relief and a mirror to society’s absurdities. The Mississippi River itself becomes a symbol of freedom, offering Huck and Jim a space to escape societal constraints.

Despite its strengths, the novel is not without controversy. You must take caution before redding this book. Twain’s use of racial slurs and depictions of racial stereotypes has led to debates about its place in modern classrooms. While these elements reflect the language and attitudes of the time, they can be uncomfortable for contemporary readers. However, they also serve to expose the brutal realities of slavery and racism, which Twain condemns through Huck’s evolving perspective.

Additionally, the ending of the novel, involving Tom Sawyer’s over-the-top scheme to free Jim, has drawn criticism for undermining the serious tone of the earlier chapters. Tom’s antics trivialise Jim’s plight and contrast sharply with Huck’s moral growth, leaving some readers dissatisfied with the resolution.

‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ is a profound exploration of freedom, morality, and social injustice, wrapped in a captivating tale of adventure. While its language and depictions can be challenging for modern readers, the novel’s core message about the importance of empathy and the courage to challenge societal wrongs remains deeply relevant. Twain’s work continues to provoke discussion and reflection, making it a cornerstone of American literature.

Part of me wonders if you get your book lover card taken away from you if you end up disliking a literary classic? I really loathed this book from beginning to end.

Truth be told, I am not really a Mark Twain fan at all. Every time we had a choice between reading one of his stories in English class I always chose any other author I could if the teacher gave us options.

The only story of his that I did love from beginning to end was The Diary of Adam and Eve.

I will say that it's a little odd that Amazon has this story ahead of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer since it would make sense to read that book before this one. I of course knew the gist of both stories (I mean I may avoid Twain, but I at least know what the subject matter is about) so I can't say I went in unaware of how the language was going to be.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is told in the first person by Huckleberry Finn. We find out that after he and Tom Sawyer's escapades in the first book (which again I am going to say is weird that this book is ahead of that one in the list) that Huckleberry is living with the Widow Douglas who is doing her best to make him into a little gentleman (or in Huck's words, civilize him).

This entire book just continues on in fits and starts. Initially, we get to read about Huck's sadness to be locked indoors all of the time, and his sneaking away with Tom Sawyer when he can. Then we move onto Huck's father returning who locks him up in order to get his hands on Huck's money. Then we have Huck escaping his father and runs into a runaway slave named Jim. Eventually Huck and Jim have further adventures sailing on their raft and we get introduced to even more characters.

I am guessing that Huck is a pre-teen or almost a teenager in this book based on his description and how he acts. So there are some things that I think as a reader you can make allowances for. For example, you can understand at Huck's age why he was so reluctant to be abetting Jim in his goal to escape being sold by his owner. Eventually though, Huck starts to consider Jim his friend and feels responsible for keeping him safe from harm. But honestly after a while I was just kind of done with Huck and Jim.

The plot moves so slowly. Seriously, this story feels like it was a million years old since I felt like for every page I finished, three more were born. The story goes on and on (past the point of mine even caring) until we get to an ending that just made me roll my eyes. For all the mess that Mark Twain talked about Jane Austen, I would say that he should have definitely not have been throwing stones at anyone.

I know during school our teacher went on and on about the brilliance of this book since Mark Twain wrote it in vernacular English (i.e. he wrote it how people spoke by then) which just was not done that time in the U.S.

I am realizing that it may make it a more interesting book for some, I completely hate it when a book is written that way, see my Gone With the Wind updates and reviews if you want to know why. Reading how people speak is painful. I stayed up all night just because I wanted to finally be done with this book today. I was tired of trying to decipher everything that someone said. At least when Huck "spoke" I could understand it easier than when "N" Jim "spoke". After a while I started to just skim what he said because I could barely make out what was being said.

Combining the vernacular English with the "N" word thrown out constantly I was pretty done with this book at the 50 percent point.

The setting of the Missouri did feel real. You can tell that Mark Twain had experience with that part of the U.S. and the rivers and embankments running along it. But that alone was not enough to save this book for me at all.

The ending when it comes I found to be simply ridiculous. I won't get into it here for the overall review, but I can say if I was Huck Finn I would have smacked Tom Sawyer a good one. At this point I am not looking forward to reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

n  كل من يحاولون البحث عن دافع في هذه الرواية ستتم مقاضاتهم، وكل من يحاولون البحث عن عظة أخلاقية سيتم نفيهم، وكل من يحاولون البحث عن حبكة سيقتلون رميا بالرصاص.
بأمر من المؤلف n

لم أقرأ أظرف من هذه المقدمة قبلا، ولا أعنف :)

هذا ما يسمى كتابا صيفيا. مرح وتسلية تتلائم وروح أماسي الصيف الهادئة.

هذه واحدة من أعظم ما كتب في الأدب الأمريكي بالغ الثراء. وأصبحت أتوقع أن الكتب العظمى هي تنويعات على أم الروايات دون كيخوتي. إنها هذه الرحلة، الهروب ، الخروج، السعي وراء المغامرة أو الحرية، هي السر.
رحلة هكلبري فن عبر نهر المسسيبي غير محددة الهدف، ما قصد منها إلا الهرب من حياة التحضر والعنف الأسري لاحقا. لكن وحدة عبثية كهذه غير محببة، فسرعان ما يضاف للرحلة هدف بظهور جيم الرجل الأسود، الهارب من حياة الرق. فيضاف للرواية بعد آخر يزيدها ثراء على ثراء. وتصبح بذلك وثيقة أدبية لزمنها.

هكلبري فن فتى متشرد، حياته راحة وكسل وبساطة. لا أنسى مشهده في البرميل تاركا حياة الثراء في مغامرات توم سوير. يخوض معارك مع ضميره، وهو بارع في الثرثرة والأكاذيب للنجاة. حياته كلها مهزلة. روحه وثابة وخام.

n  ثم حكت لي عن النار، فقلت أنني أتمنى أن أكون هناك، فغضبت، لكنني لم أقصد شيئا سيئا، كل ما أردته هو تغيير، أن أذهب إلى مكان ما، لم أكن محددا؛ أخبرتني أنه كان أمرا سيئا أن أقول ما قلت
ثم بدأت وأخذت تحكي لي كل شيء عن الجنة، وقالت إن كل ما على المرء فعله هناك هو التجول طوال اليوم بقيثارة والغناء، إلى أبد الآبدين، وعليه لم أهتم كثيرا بالأمر، لكنني لم أقل ذلك أبدا، وسألتها إن كانت تعتقد أن توم سوير سيدخل الجنة، وأخبرتني أن ذلك بعيد المنال، وقد كنت مسرورا لذلك، لأنني أردت أن نكون معا.n

وكما حوارات سانشو والدون هي أجمل ما في قصتهما، كذلك حوارات جيم وهكلبري. يعتقد هاك أن جيم "رجل أبيض من الداخل" ذلك لأنه ذكي وطيب، وهي صفات الرجل الأبيض طبعا. يتحدثان عن الملوك والسحر وبشائر الحظ. وإذا أخذت بالاعتبار زمن الرواية الذي لم يكن المجتمع الأمريكي تحرر فيه من العبودية ثقافيا، تعتبر الرواية مناهضة للعنصرية بقوة، لكن كذلك بأسلوب أخف ما يكون.

ثم يصادف المسافران رفيقين عجيبين، يظهر أن أحدهما دوق انجليزي، والآخر ملك فرنسا ^^ يقحمانهما في خضم مغامرات في النصب والاحتيال ما أنزل الله بها من سلطان.

n  ألا تدهشك الطريقة التي يتصرف بها الملوك يا هاك؟
- لا، لا تدهشني
- لماذا لا تدهشك يا هاك؟
- حسنا، إنها لا تدهشني، لأنها في دمهم. أعتقد أن جميعهم كذلك.
- لكن يا هاك، هؤلاء الملوك الذين معنا حقا أوغاد، هذا ما هم عليه،إنهم أوغاد حقيقيون.
- حسنا، هذا ما أقوله، كل الملوك غالبا أوغاد، حسب فهمي.
- هل هذا صحيح؟
- اقرأ عنهم وستعرف. انظر إلى هنري الثامن، إن الملك الموجود هنا هو ناظر مدرسة دينية مقارنة به. وانظر إلى تشارلز الثاني، ولويس الرابع عشر...n

مارك توين كاتب عظيم، ذو حس فكاهي من الدرجة الأولى. حلى الرواية بشيء من الجنون هنا وهناك، كاندفاع الناس لنبش القبر مع مائة جاروف وبدون مصباح واحد، أو موافقتهم حضور المسرحية الخدعة لثلاثة أيام لئلا يفتضحوا في البلدة. وإصرار توم سوير على أن يزرع جيم وردة في سجنه ويسقيها بدموعه.
الترجمة ممتازة، وأمينة.

مشهد هكلبري وهو يقرر الوشاية بجن لمالكته من عدمها ،من أفضل المشاهد في الرواية :

It made me shiver. And I about made up my mind to pray, and see if I couldn't try to quit being the kind of a boy I was and be better. So I kneeled down. But the words wouldn't come. Why wouldn't they? It warn't no use to try and hide it from Him. Nor from ME, neither. I knowed very well why they wouldn't come. It was because my heart warn't right; it was because I warn't square; it was because I was playing double. I was letting ON to give up sin, but away inside of me I was holding on to the biggest one of all. I was trying to make my mouth SAY I would do the right thing and the clean thing, and go and write to that nigger's owner and tell where he was; but deep down in me I knowed it was a lie, and He knowed it. You can't pray a lie--I found that out.

So I was full of trouble, full as I could be; and didn't know what to do. At last I had an idea; and I says, I'll go and write the letter--and then see if I can pray. Why, it was astonishing, the way I felt as light as a feather right straight off, and my troubles all gone. So I got a piece of paper and a pencil, all glad and excited, and set down and wrote:

Miss Watson, your runaway nigger Jim is down here two mile below Pikesville, and Mr. Phelps has got him and he will give him up for the reward if you send.

HUCK FINN.

I felt good and all washed clean of sin for the first time I had ever felt so in my life, and I knowed I could pray now. But I didn't do it straight off, but laid the paper down and set there thinking--thinking how good it was all this happened so, and how near I come to being lost and going to hell. And went on thinking. And got to thinking over our trip down the river; and I see Jim before me all the time: in the day and in the night-time, sometimes moonlight, sometimes storms, and we a-floating along, talking and singing and laughing. But somehow I couldn't seem to strike no places to harden me against him, but only the other kind. I'd see him standing my watch on top of his'n, 'stead of calling me, so I could go on sleeping; and see him how glad he was when I come back out of the fog; and when I come to him again in the swamp, up there where the feud was; and such-like times; and would always call me honey, and pet me and do everything he could think of for me, and how good he always was; and at last I struck the time I saved him by telling the men we had small-pox aboard, and he was so grateful, and said I was the best friend old Jim ever had in the world, and the ONLY one he's got now; and then I happened to look around and see that paper.

It was a close place. I took it up, and held it in my hand. I was a-trembling, because I'd got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself:

"All right, then, I'll GO to hell"--and tore it up.”

من أمتع الكتب على الإطلاق.

“The novel really is America wandering through this landscape, trying to figure itself out. That’s what Huck is. Huck is the quintessential adolescent American. And I don’t mean 12-year-old American; I mean, 12-year-old *America*, that young country trying to come to grips with race. And so it really is an important text.”
~ Percival Everett

I’ll preface this by saying that I only embarked on this raft because of “James” by Percival Everett. I grew up in France and “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” was not on the school curriculum. If I know that a work of fiction is a “retelling” of a classic or in conversation with a classic, I always want to read that classic first. Even a flawed and problematic one.

I wanted to meet the ghost hovering above “James”. The mythical white whale swimming between the lines.

And Everett summed it up to perfection in the opening quote. The 1830’s American South we meet here is rowdy, picaresque, grotesque, thrilling and infuriating. All of the terms we think of when we think of the adolescent psyche are depicted here. Conflicted. Confused. Naive to the point of idiocy. Naive to the point of earnestness. Eager. Bashful. Boisterous. Awkward. Careless. Imaginative. Questioning. Curious. Wide-eyed. Loving. Temperamental. Ignorant. Combatant. Self-righteous. Doubting.

A thousand opposing things can all be true at once.

Huck Finn/America grappling with its fledgling conscience, with danger lurking throughout the land and safety found only on the Great American Rivers.

A deeply atmospheric book filled to the brim with wild contradictions. Not to be banned then, but reckoned with. A book as wide as the promises of a nation still grappling with its conscience. A country built on idealism and naivety, brutality and savagery, hopefulness and generosity, racism and greed.

On to “James” now.

This second volume in the Tom & Huck duology has Huckleberry Finn narrate his own story.

We follow the boy after the events from the previous book (though reading both isn't strictly necessary). He's come to have quite a sum of money that is being kept for him by responsible and nice people. However, "Pap" (his drunkard father) wants a piece of the pie so to speak. Thus, trouble starts early on.
We follow Huck when he tries to break away from the strict life of having specific times for breakfast and supper and school and wearing nice clothes and being clean. We follow him when he actually enjoys school or at least wants to attend in defiance of his alcoholic father. And we follow him to a not quite as deserted island as he thought. From there, we embark on a journey with him and Jim through the American South along greater and smaller rivers, encountering all kinds of folk and living through all kinds of dangers.
Through his eyes we get a close look at the people around him, at the social system, at slavery, at small and big crimes, at friendship.

Many people apparently have a problem with the slang Mark Twain used here. However, the slang is authentic (yes, I checked). And yes, back then black people were slaves and did get called the n-word. So characters in this book owning slaves or calling them the n-word - while not being nice or right - is realistic. I hate it when people demand books get rewritten because they no longer work with our current/modern sensitivities. You can't edit history and you also shouldn't because that way you never have to confront the mistakes of the past and can therefore not grow as a society.
The funny thing about my comment above? The author not only created an authentic tale about the American South of that era, he was himself a staunch critic of slavery and used many moments in this and the previous book to show that clearly, too. So people are actually demanding to edit someone who tried to change society for the better. Oh, the irony.

Anyway. Yes, this is stronger (more political, just as critical of religion, less mellow) than the previous book. Most people even say this isn't YA (unlike Tom's tale). I disagree. They are both YA. But Mark Twain wet people's appetite with a more innocent story before whacking them over the head with this one and making sure they learnt their lesson. Young readers can definitely handle this despite the less innocent tricks and learn a great deal besides (not just about how to be a successful con man *lol*).
Sure, it's dark-ish, what with the domestic violence, alcoholism, the failures of the judicial system, slavery, ... but we also get the nice and relaxing (almost soothing) descriptions of the woods and the river as well as Huck's often funny take on society and religion or his superstitions that make you chuckle or even laugh outright just as much as the tricks he likes to play.

As mentioned in my very first status update, I read this Word Cloud Classic together with the audiobook and the audio version was narrated by Elijah Wood. I'd have to look up where the little hobbit originally is from, but I don't think he's from the American South so I can tell you that I was very pleasantly surprised when hearing his performance as the southern accent isn't the easiest and he did a great job.

One of my absolute favourite books, which I have read multiple times. A major classic. If at all possible, get an edition with the original illustrations.
___________________________________

(Expanded review based on conversation with JORDAN)

Here in Switzerland, l'affaire du mot N hasn't quite had the high profile it's received on its home territory. In fact, I'm embarrassed to admit that I hadn't even heard of it until Jordan gave me a few pointers earlier today. So, no doubt all this has been said before, but I still can't resist the temptation to add my two centimes worth.

In case you're as ignorant as I was about hot topics in the literary world, the furore concerns an edition of Huckleberry Finn in which the word 'nigger' has been systematically replaced with 'slave'. My initial response was plain surprise. One of the aspects of the book I enjoy most is Twain's appallingly exact ear for dialogue. He's reproducing the language actually used in the American South of the 1840s, and this, above all, is what gives the novel its force; so why on earth would anyone want to change it? For example, here's Huck's Paw in full flow:

"Oh, yes, this is a wonderful govment, wonderful. Why, looky here. There was a free nigger there from Ohio -- a mulatter, most as white as a white man. He had the whitest shirt on you ever see, too, and the shiniest hat; and there ain't a man in that town that's got as fine clothes as what he had; and he had a gold watch and chain, and a silver-headed cane -- the awfulest old gray-headed nabob in the State. And what do you think? They said he was a p'fessor in a college, and could talk all kinds of languages, and knowed everything. And that ain't the wust. They said he could vote when he was at home. Well, that let me out. Thinks I, what is the country a-coming to? It was 'lection day, and I was just about to go and vote myself if I warn't too drunk to get there; but when they told me there was a State in this country where they'd let that nigger vote, I drawed out. I says I'll never vote agin. Them's the very words I said; they all heard me; and the country may rot for all me -- I'll never vote agin as long as I live. And to see the cool way of that nigger -- why, he wouldn't a give me the road if I hadn't shoved him out o' the way. I says to the people, why ain't this nigger put up at auction and sold? -- that's what I want to know. And what do you reckon they said? Why, they said he couldn't be sold till he'd been in the State six months, and he hadn't been there that long yet. There, now -- that's a specimen. They call that a govment that can't sell a free nigger till he's been in the State six months. Here's a govment that calls itself a govment, and lets on to be a govment, and thinks it is a govment, and yet's got to set stock-still for six whole months before it can take a hold of a prowling, thieving, infernal, white-shirted free nigger.

I'm sorry, but I'm honestly unable to see how anyone could think the above passage was racist or might be improved by substituting 'slave' for 'nigger'. It's incidents like this which create the popular European myth that Americans don't understand the concept of irony.

If you're curious to know more about the tradition of improving great works of literature by removing dubious words, you might want to take a quick look at the Wikipedia article on Thomas Bowdler which Jordan and I were giggling over. Bowdler, it turns out, had acted from the best of motives. When he was young, his father had entertained him by reading aloud from Shakespeare; but

Later, Bowdler realised his father had been extemporaneously omitting or altering passages he felt unsuitable for the ears of his wife and children. Bowdler felt it would be worthwhile to present an edition which might be used in a family whose father was not a sufficiently "circumspect and judicious reader" to accomplish this expurgation himself.

He undertook to create a suitably amended version. Or, to be exact, he got his sister to do it and then gave out the books under his own name. Again, his reasons were unimpeachable: it would have reflected badly on her to admit that she had understood the naughtier passages.

I won't criticise Dr Bowdler or his equally well-meaning modern followers. I just think it's a shame Mark Twain never had the opportunity to write a story about them.

Da muss man eigentlich nichts dazu sagen,
diese Geschichte ist einfach Cult, habe ich als Kind sicher mehr als zehn mal gelesen.