Publisher Description
One of the greatest treats in all world literature, this masterpiece from Mark Twain is revolutionary. It offers both brilliant humor and tragedy as Huck and Jim explore moral dilemmas of slavery and freedom. Huck, the narrator, is shrewd, ingenious, and literal—he reports on everything he sees, which allows the listener to experience the hypocrisy of “sivilization.” This superb reading by Patrick Fraley is rich in the color and adventurous spirit of the Mississippi River. It captures the world and people that Mark Twain knew and loved.
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"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a very good book, and is also considered to be very important and representative of 19th century American society. Huck, the main character, is adventurous but at the same time naive about how his society works. It is good to have Huck's perspective, as the reader can learn about his world as he learns about it, and can also connect with Huck very well, and understand his thought processes. The book sends a message about how uncivilized people in Southern society were, ranging from families who locked themselves in a nonstop feud to foolish citizens who could not recognize their own family members. Often times Huck finds himself in difficult situations that expose his true character. Jim, as Huck's runaway slave partner, adds tension to the story (although it is difficult to understand what he says in his dialogue). One less good thing about this novel was the spots where major events are told very briefly, such as the King and Duke being tied up, as well as Jim suddenly being discovered to be free. But overall, Huck Finn is a very good book, and is a very important read for people who want to understand American society in the 1800s."
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Danny (4 out of 5 stars)
About Mark Twain
Mark Twain, pseudonym of Samuel L. Clemens (1835–1910), was born in Florida, Missouri, and grew up in Hannibal on the west bank of the Mississippi River. He attended school briefly and then at age thirteen became a full-time apprentice to a local printer. When his older brother Orion established the Hannibal Journal, Samuel became a compositor for that paper and then, for a time, an itinerant printer. With a commission to write comic travel letters, he traveled down the Mississippi. Smitten with the riverboat life, he signed on as an apprentice to a steamboat pilot. After 1859, he became a licensed pilot, but two years later the Civil War put an end to the steam-boat traffic.
In 1861, he and his brother traveled to the Nevada Territory where Samuel became a writer for the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise, and there, on February 3, 1863, he signed a humorous account with the pseudonym Mark Twain. The name was a river man’s term for water “two fathoms deep” and thus just barely safe for navigation.
In 1870 Twain married and moved with his wife to Hartford, Connecticut. He became a highly successful lecturer in the United States and England, and he continued to write.
About Patrick Fraley
Patrick Fraley has created voices for over four thousand characters, placing him among the top ten performers of all time to be cast in animated programs. He holds an MFA in acting from Cornell University and is the author of the only character-voice curriculum ever to be accredited at the university level.