Between books at the moment, I began to think of some of my favorite reads. There are way too many to name so I'll just list a few. Of course, I am a HUGE fan of Harry Potter. My other loves include Pride and Prejudice, The Kite Runner, The Great Gatsby, Speak, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, and my newest favorite is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. If you haven't had the privilege of reading these books, pick them up immediately! They are truly the type you just can't put down. Obviously, my favorite genre is fiction. What about you, readers?
What are some of your favorites? I am getting a Kindle on Wednesday and could use some opinions on my first buys.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" -Mark Twain
I have officially finished reading my first assigned novel of the semester. You can probably tell from the title of the post what that novel was, but I will tell you anyway. I read "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by the founder of American humor, Mark Twain. In our class discussion, some complained about the book; I LOVED it! It had a great storyline, great characters, was touching but also pretty funny.
If you're planning on reading, though, be warned that is a very long and at times very difficult read. I say this because the book is written completely in vernacular, meaning the words are spelled the way the speaker would pronounce them. And each speaker tends to have quite a unique vernacular since this story's setting is mainly on a raft floating from town to town on the Mississippi River in pre-Civil War time.
From the start, we are told the story from the fourteen year old, Huck's point of view. He tells us how after he and Tom Sawyer had found all that money at the end of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," he was adopted by the Widow Douglas who is trying to "civilize" him. Though Huck is a little relieved to be away from his drunken father, he can't stand school, church, or the new clean clothes he's supposed to wear. To get his fix of trouble in, he decides to join Tom's band of robbers. However, the fun is soon spoiled by Huck's father who has heard of Huck's fortune and wants to gain back custody of Huck to have the money for himself. When custody is denied, Huck's father kidnaps him and keeps him locked in a cabin across the river from town. In a desperate attempt to get away from his dangerous father, Huck fakes his own murder by spreading pig's blood all over the cabin and running away. He hides out on an island that he and Tom would sometimes visit, knowing very well that can't return to town or to his father. From the island he can see the Widow, his father, and some others on a ferry searching for his body. While on the island, he run's into a slave, named Jim, who had worked at the Widow's house for her sister. Jim had run away after overhearing a plan to sell him away down the river. With Jim gone, and Huck assumed dead, Jim has become a major suspect in the "murder."
After finding out that people are looking for Jim to turn in for a reward, the two find it best to take off down the river and get away from town. While on the raft, they have an adventure at every stop, too many to name in one blog post, and meet many interesting characters. After each adventure, we seem to see some moral maturity in Huck. For instance, sailing around with a runaway slave could get Huck into a heap of trouble. But after many instances of doubt and debate, Huck decides that Jim is his friend and he will not turn him in.
I will not ruin the end for anyone, mostly because a short blog post could not possibly do it justice. Also, there is far too much storyline for me to cover in one sitting. But if so far this plot summary has intrigued you, I highly suggest you find a copy and read on. This story is truly a classic and has instantly become one of my favorites. Not only that, but it is a staple in American literature.
Hopefully this post was interesting enough!
If you're planning on reading, though, be warned that is a very long and at times very difficult read. I say this because the book is written completely in vernacular, meaning the words are spelled the way the speaker would pronounce them. And each speaker tends to have quite a unique vernacular since this story's setting is mainly on a raft floating from town to town on the Mississippi River in pre-Civil War time.
From the start, we are told the story from the fourteen year old, Huck's point of view. He tells us how after he and Tom Sawyer had found all that money at the end of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," he was adopted by the Widow Douglas who is trying to "civilize" him. Though Huck is a little relieved to be away from his drunken father, he can't stand school, church, or the new clean clothes he's supposed to wear. To get his fix of trouble in, he decides to join Tom's band of robbers. However, the fun is soon spoiled by Huck's father who has heard of Huck's fortune and wants to gain back custody of Huck to have the money for himself. When custody is denied, Huck's father kidnaps him and keeps him locked in a cabin across the river from town. In a desperate attempt to get away from his dangerous father, Huck fakes his own murder by spreading pig's blood all over the cabin and running away. He hides out on an island that he and Tom would sometimes visit, knowing very well that can't return to town or to his father. From the island he can see the Widow, his father, and some others on a ferry searching for his body. While on the island, he run's into a slave, named Jim, who had worked at the Widow's house for her sister. Jim had run away after overhearing a plan to sell him away down the river. With Jim gone, and Huck assumed dead, Jim has become a major suspect in the "murder."
After finding out that people are looking for Jim to turn in for a reward, the two find it best to take off down the river and get away from town. While on the raft, they have an adventure at every stop, too many to name in one blog post, and meet many interesting characters. After each adventure, we seem to see some moral maturity in Huck. For instance, sailing around with a runaway slave could get Huck into a heap of trouble. But after many instances of doubt and debate, Huck decides that Jim is his friend and he will not turn him in.
I will not ruin the end for anyone, mostly because a short blog post could not possibly do it justice. Also, there is far too much storyline for me to cover in one sitting. But if so far this plot summary has intrigued you, I highly suggest you find a copy and read on. This story is truly a classic and has instantly become one of my favorites. Not only that, but it is a staple in American literature.
Hopefully this post was interesting enough!
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