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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Mark Twain

Start date: August 1, 2013

Finish date: August 31, 2013

Discussion leader: Katy

Why we're reading this: Revisit the Shelf Group Read, August 2013
Previous Group Reads:
- Book of the Month, April 2011
[close] Revisit the Shelf Group Read, August 2013
Previous Group Reads:
- Book of the Month, April 2011

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Feb 13, 2008 Laura rated it really liked it

Shelves: banned-books, 1001-books-you-must-read-before-you, classics, children-ya

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (or, in more recent editions, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn) is a novel by Mark Twain, first published in the United Kingdom in December 1884 and in the United States in February 1885. Commonly named among the Great American Novels, the work is among the first in major American literature to be written throughout in vernacular English, characterized by local color regionalism. It is told in the first person by Huckleberry "Huck" Finn, the narrator of two other ...more

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May 02, 2012 Rebecca Graf rated it liked it

This was a hard read for me. Maybe it is because I'm so used to more contemporary styles. Also, the movies were in the back of my mind which was not good as I kept comparing them.

There are many classics that become icons of cultures and periods. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of those books. Mark Twain is an entertaining part of American history.

Most people who have been raised in America know at least Huck Finn’s name. He is known for his escapades in early America and his friendshi This was a hard read for me. Maybe it is because I'm so used to more contemporary styles. Also, the movies were in the back of my mind which was not good as I kept comparing them.

There are many classics that become icons of cultures and periods. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of those books. Mark Twain is an entertaining part of American history.

Most people who have been raised in America know at least Huck Finn’s name. He is known for his escapades in early America and his friendship with the well-known Tom Sawyer. If you haven’t read the book, you’ve seen the movie. That might be a bad thing.

How can that be bad? Because if you only watch the movies and then years later read the book, you’ll be very disappointed in what you read.

The movies are so different than the book is. Yes, there are many movies, but the majority veer far from Twain’s original works.
It also doesn’t help that I am mostly used to contemporary writing which is much different that of the writings of the 1800s and earlier. The works are more description of scenes and actions than we are used to today. The style is vastly different. In fact, you might it difficult to read because of that.

You might also find it difficult to read where the dialogue is written exactly the way it was spoken. When the slave, Jim, speaks, it is not in formal English. It is written as he spoke it. In reading these parts, you might want to read it aloud so you can hear what he said instead of reading it.

I also found reading of Huck and Tom’s actions rather difficult. I don’t see boys of their age really acting that way, but that is how Twain wanted them to be. I really think the movies ruined it for me. Though I still enjoy Twain’s short stories. Maybe that is where I need to stay with him.

Please be aware if you have your children read the book for school. Throughout the book, the ‘n’ word is used. It was a part of the culture’s everyday language which makes it important to use in the story. You might want to explain the use of the word then versus now before reading the book.

Note: This was a free copy obtained through a public domain venue.
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