He has been one of the greatest influence in my life. His perspective in many things of life has always made sense to me.

I finally slogged through the 600 odd pages of this book. It was work. I did not enjoy reading this. I did not leave with changed feelings or impressions of Mark Twain. In kind of feel I might have been equally served by reading a Wikipedia entry about his life, or better served as I would have invested less time. Ron Powers is clearly a fan but I wasn't even convinced that I should also admire Mark Twain. The book is well researched and the writer is earnest. It is an exhaustive account of the life of Samuel Clemens. I wish he had selected a different thesis as he covered such interesting shifts in culture and has so much research material to work with he might have produced something sharper. He did cover some very interesting ground of the world of publishing, newspapers and copyrights and changes to the structure over time. I found this very fascinating and wish the book had been structured around that subject.

Thought it was one of the best biographies I've read. Good window into American mindset, history, nuances of 19th Century. Here is an excerpt from an email I sent to a friend right after finishing the bio(subjective and a little self aggrandizing, I know...but it reveals how the bio affected me...):

Just finished the Twain bio. The trouble with biographies...they bring me way down.WAY DOWN! They immerse you in the arc of life, so there is always the verve and whoosh of the ascending curve as you vicariously relive the great man's rise to a pinnacle of sunlit accomplishment. Savor it for what it is, because the inevitable descent towards the grave awaits, the curve of decline,
old age, bitter disappointment and final dissolution. There is usually some foreshadowing wherin the biographer lets the reader know that the subject's best notes have been sung and the last chords are being strummed...if you're lucky, there will be a bit of saving grace and beauty in the swan song. Still, the slippery downslope is never fun to read about, especially now that I am sliding rapidly within my own arc...but what ads so much weight and thrust to the net effect of despair that biography, without fail, evokes in me... is the fact that my own arc is so ...looking for the right word(s) here......hmmmm, can't find it....some word that would reveal my accomplishments as nil, my song banal, my time as frittered away in the dubious persuit of the trivial, my soul as niggardly, my vision as blurred, my mind as shallow and chaotic......what is the sum of me in a word?

I am currently reading this book for my book critique group. I doubt I get it finished in time for our meeting but not because it isn't interesting. Whenever I snatch a few minutes I'm into Twain. Great writing and didn't I think I knew most everything I needed to know about him? Yes, but I was wrong; even after the excellent PBS segment on Twain and visiting his home in Hartford, CT I am amazed at all I have learned in a few short sections of the book. I recommend it even though I am not finished. I have been a fan since I got my first copy of "Tom Sawyer," as a young child. At seven years of age I stood in awe of the fence at Hannibal. And much later stood where the exact spot of the Calaveras Jumping Frog episode took place. He remains my hero. Oh, yes one more mention; I read the book, "Mark and Libby," many years ago and it too was excellent. Especially when they were in Rome.

Not being a Mark Twain scholar, I conclude this book is all one needs in order to know Samuel Clemens as completely as necessary. Powers reveals Clemens in his glory as well as his humanity as an imperfect being...just like the rest of us. I truly enjoyed getting to better know this gifted author whose work had entertained me so thoroughly!

This must surely be the definitive biography on Twain; however, I cannot say I always enjoyed reading it. It took forever to wade through it over several months. It has almost too much information, yet I didn't finish the book with a true understanding of what made the man tick. We had planned to visit his home in Hartford on our trip to New England in May, but we canceled the two-month long trip because of Covid. Earlier in the year, I watched Ken Burns' documentary on Twain and must say that I enjoyed watching it more than I did reading this; although, I did learn more from the book. It's clear to me that Twain was a truly complicated man.

Not only a fine biography but a worthwhile overview of America’s transition from fragmented civil war casualty to budding economic and cultural superpower status in the late 19th/early 20th century. Mr Clemens is a fascinating, brilliant but flawed subject and Mr Powers does him proud, warts and all.

This book was in interesting exposure to the like of Samuel Clemens. It was read by the author Ron Powers. He does a good sample of Mark Twain's voice. I guess I was hoping for a bit more on how his life affected his books. I am afraid that I cannot comment on the veracity of the facts in the book as this is my first book on the author. I will, however, look for some of Mark Twain's books now that I know the author's story more and see if the books reflect his life. What I did find interesting is how he became such a legend when in fact he was looked down on as a humorist. I also didn't realize that he was actually the editor of a Buffalo paper for a while. Being from the Buffalo area - I found that an interesting fact.

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*The Diaries of Adam and Eve 4 stars
*The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 4 stars
*Joan of Arc 3 stars
*The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 3 stars
*The Innocents Abroad 3 stars

*Mark Twain by Ron Powers TBR

I think I might read these instead:
*Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 1: The Complete and Authoritative Edition
*Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 2: The Complete and Authoritative Edition
*Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 3: The Complete and Authoritative Edition

Really enjoyed this. The tail end of his life is really quite dark. The sins he had sown in his youth really came to fruition later in life. A parable for all.

Wow, this is a huge book and it took me two months to finish! So right off the bat, if you're not into biographies, put this book back on the shelf and check out something else. Secondly, if you're not into Twain or have never read one of his books, or you're not into the writing process and publishing, again, put it back on the shelf. This thing is a commitment!

Mark Twain is my favorite author. I've read most of his books and some of his essays and sketches. I was familiar with his writing and his personal life before reading this book. So from that perspective, what has Ron Powers done with the subject? Well, a lot.

The first part of Twain's youth in Hannibal is pretty short and Powers takes the reader right into the beginnings of Twain becoming "a writer". One thing that made this biography unique is how Powers doesn't just tell you what Twain did or how he did it, but he includes history from the time period (specifically the 1870s-1880's) so I felt transported back to post-Civil war American culture. I had forgotten what a unique time ("The Gilded Age") that was with regard to industrialism, all the new inventions, and new ways of thinking in medicine, science, and politics. Powers does a great job of reminding us that Twain was an author who was famous in his own time.

The only reason I gave it 4 stars rather than 5 is because I did feel like it dragged in a few sections. Powers included a lot of the details of how publishing houses worked at that time, more than I wanted to know. All in all, if you like Twain and want to know more - and you have a couple months to spare - enjoy!

An exceptional well written biography of possibly the greatest writer in American history. Full of wonderful stories. Does not spare the darker side of the man. Enlightening read.