Rating: 
Summary: Melodrama At Its Height
Review: Upon re-reading this work, I found the book to so much more melodramatic than when I read it thirty years ago. But then this is another day, another time. It's prose that hit the nail on the head in those turbulent times before the Civil War. Harriet Beecher Stowe had a cause to write about and wrote a work that still stands the test of time.
Rating: 
Summary: Theres is a reason for it being a 'classic'!
Review: I just read Uncle Tom's Cabin for the first time, and I fell in love with it from the first chapter. It was a non-stop thrill ride that left me in my seat until I finished it! I'm astonished to see so many reviewers giving this epic novel a bad rating, because it was one of the best books of its time!This story is filled with unforgettable characters that you will remember for you whole live, it will make the hairs on your neck stand high, and also make you cry! You can sewe Harriet Beecher Stowe's anger, and pain through her writing..she is the only person who could have written such a novel, a great storyteller! I have never read a book of this genre that kept me intruiged throughout the whole novel, I found myself expecting there to be a point were the action stopped, and it started to get boring, but it never came. Upon its release in the mid-1800's Uncle's tom cabin has remained one of the most talked about books of all time, and there are obvious resons for that. When this bookk was released it shocked the northern United States, and the Southern United states claimed that the book was a lie, and that they didn't treat they're slaves anything like the characters in the book. This book is called one of the main reasons for the civil-rights movement, so just by reading this novel, you are reading a big 'chunk' of history! The messege of this novel by abolistionist Harriet Beecher Stowe, was clear to see...Slaves needed to be free, and if it wasn't for this book that might have not happened at that time! Uncle Tom's Cabin starts off with Eliza (a slave-mother) overhearing her master, and a slave trader talking about selling uncle tom (one of the most loyal, and reliable slaves on the plantation) for a large sum of money. The trader is reluctant to the deal because he dosn't belive that any slave is worth the amount of money that was offered...but when a slave boy comes in (Eliza's son) he askes if he can buy both Uncle Tom, and the little boy..The plantation owner agree's, and Eliza is very worried. When the plantation owner tells his wife about what he did, she is not at all happy. She even suggests telling the Trader that he had changed his mind and no longer needed to sell two slaves......but he asssures her that she is wrong, and that even though Uncle Tom is the best slave that they have on the whole plantation, he needs the money. She informs him that the little boy has a loving mother but, he just acts as if he dosn't care and assures her once agian that he needs the money. That Same night Eliza, tells her son that they are running away and finding Canada, because the plantation owner is trying to sell him. He quickly agree's and they run off, hours after their escape when they are reported missing, a search is sent out for them, and they are seen for a few minutes but then are lost agian.....if this biggining sounds interesting to you it is just a 100'th of many interesting, and suspenseful scenes to come, don't miss out on the classic, and piece of history in litrature, or you will be sorry! --Oskar Vidaurre
Rating: 
Summary: Has its virtues, but doesn't deserve the title "classic"
Review: For anyone who is picking this book up in the interest of learning about lives and conflict during the times of slavery, you'd be better advised to read "Roots" if you haven't already done so, or perhaps some historical non-fiction. That said, it's a moving story and grips the reader with its pain and anguish. But it's also rather poorly written, and were it not for its subject and the time period it came out in, no one would dare call this a "classic." The author's tone and perspective is muddled and the "Christian" themes she promotes in her characters seem rather ludicrous to me. "Good" slaveholders are warped into demigods filled with "virtue" and "refinement," and it's easy to see why the title character has become such a source of resentment for many people. But, on the other hand, it is what it is and has influenced a great deal of readers and our society in general, and that alone makes it a necessary read. But it can't compare to something like Alex Haley's novel, because she simply isn't on the same par as a writer.
Rating: 
Summary: Propaganda
Review: This fictional story was claimed to be of divine inspiration and was used to justify the shedding of blood...this is a prejudiced view against Southerners, who, Library of Congress Records show paid their servants better wages/profit sharing, and provided better housing than the average industrial New York worker of 1900. Mrs. Stowe, and her husband, both shared a very high view of mankind, and a very low view of God. They claimed a higher moral authority than the US Constitution, and the Bible, in condemning slavery...rather than the evils that attended slavery.
Rating:
Summary: Melodrama, but historically significant...
Review: In glancing over a few of the reviews, it is obvious that some readers missed the point. I suggest they go back and reread the conversations between Augustine St. Clare and his cousin, Ophelia. Stowe masterfully summarizes the conflicting attitudes of a nation on the brink of civil war. I expected melodrama, of course, from a 19th century novel. I did not expect such well-written discourse. And, as a result, it is now required reading in the college level U.S. history courses I teach.
Rating:
Summary: A Study In Prejudice.
Review: When Harriet Beecher-Stowe published Uncle Tom's Cabin in 1852 it sold more copies than any book before, other than the Bible. It became a significant catalyst in the social movements of the time: abolition of slavery, and States' rights. It could be argued that her book was a major cause of the Civil War and Emancipation Proclamation. That's one powerful book--especially for fiction. While the book was intended as an illustration of the evils of slavery, it ends up as more--specifically a study in racism with the conclusion that prejudice comes in infinite degrees. Even Harriet herself was prejudice. She occasionally takes the unorthodox approach of interrupting her narrative to preach to the reader, clearly stating her opinion that Blacks were a "degraded race," but still worthy of humane treatment. As she wends her way through the story and reveals her large and varied cast of characters, she exposes the many forms of discrimination, some more forgiving than her own. She portrays her hero, the old slave, Uncle Tom, as a likeable, caring, Christian man deserving compassion and freedom. She unwittingly coined the Uncle Tom cliché, that of a complacent and passive black man resigned to his low station in life, kowtowing to white men. But she also delivers us the more savory George Harris, a hot-blooded and intelligent young slave willing to die for his freedom, a man with true "American" virtue. She introduces the reprehensible slave traders and run-away trackers, the brutal plantation owners, Southern apologists and sympathizers, Northern indignation and apathy, and the only color-blind people in her book, the helpful Quakers on the Underground Railway. Most important, she shows the tragic result of slave child ripped from mother, and husband from wife to be "sold down river." A century and a half later, it's hard to imagine how this could happen. Uncle Tom's Cabin is a prime example of the power of the written word. It divided a nation and changed an institution. Its message remains relevant even today, and still manages to ignite passions. Beyond all that, it's actually one heck of an entertaining story. --Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Wake Up Dead.
Rating:
Summary: A Glimps of Old...
Review: Wow... what can I say? I did like this book, as far as the story goes. But I must admit, the style of writing was... well... let's say less than professional. I guess the style of writing back then was much different than today, but there was too much "He said. She said." or "Tom said. St. Claire said." There is no need to put "[whatever] said." after each sentence of dialog. I think what I liked the most about this book is that it is TRUE and ACCURATE. It is noted that the characters are based on real people, the attitudes and way of speech are based on the reality of the time... since it was written by a person during that period of time, the accuracy cannot be matched. It was a nice story... but most of all... it was fiction based on non-fiction. It was a story you can believe in.
Rating: 
Summary: I've tried to enjoy this book
Review: Uncle Tom's Cabin is a piece of propoganda that masquerades itself as literature. The book was written to further the cause of the abolitionist movement, a fact that every reader should pick up in the first chapter. There are several flaws in this book that I would like to point out. First, there are simply too many characters in this novel. The result is that none of the characters are fully developed. Stowe creates stereotypes, not real people. No one is as purely evil as Legree, or as saintly as Eva or Tom. Another problem with the book is that it is simply too long. I feel Stowe could have easily gotten her point across in half the space. Finally, I enjoy subtlety. This book has none. The messages in the novel are thinly veiled, at best. In many instances Stowe actually interrupts the story to explain what is going on, or make a plea to the reader. Thanks for the help Ms. Stowe, but I can figure out what is going on by myself. The book is not without merit however. It is well written, even if it is on the long side. The book is also important in a historical sense. I would recommend reading it if you haven't done so. Just don't expect to be amazed. It is a long book, that is very hard to get into.
Rating:
Summary: Deeply, deeply flawed.
Review: This book, while well-intentioned, stands as yet another monument to cheap American liberalism, wherein a well meaning person makes a case for his/her (often inaccurate) personal idealisation of an oppressed people, without taking the time to really understand what is happening. The slaves in this book are angelic and good, yes, but they do nothing to impart in the reader a realistic understanding of what their plight really involved. The end result is almost embarassing. UCT's heart is bigger than its brain, and that's a dangerous thing for an intended instrument of social change. If you want the real story, read Fredrick Douglas' autobiography. On another note, this book is so sugary it made my teeth itch. It should be read and reviled.
Rating:
Summary: I Just Don't Like It
Review: Harriet Beecher Stowe was born in Connecticut in 1811 and four years later her mother died leaving hear older sister, Catherine, to raise her. Catherine founded a college in Hartford, where Stowe received her education, and later became a teacher at the school. Stowe married Calvin Stowe, a minister at her father's seminary college, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Living there for eighteen years, Stowe was unconsciously gathering data and impressions about slavery. This information was the main influence for Uncle Tom's Cabin. This book is historical fiction, based on Stowe's real life experiences with slavery. "The portrayal of slavery and its effects on families and on individuals is gut-wrenching - when Uncle Tom has to leave his family, and when Eliza may lose little Harry, one feels utterly desolate." . The way you feel when you finally realize, after straightening out all the details in your mind, that Uncle Tom has to leave his family and that Eliza may lose her son. This was the best part of the book, as you can see illustrated in two lines. Uncle Tom's Cabin has been deemed unbearably boring by many of its readers including myself. "...absolutely tedious, over-wrought--morality tale one of those books they make you analyze to death in English class. not worth the money." That is not to say that it is a bad book, or that the reason for writing it is unjust and that it doesn't make any sense, I am just referring to the extensive detail used in creating, the sometimes, overly vivid scenes. The book could have been two-hundred pages long and still gotten it's point across just as well, or maybe even better. I didn't like the book, it was too long and drawn out, personally I like a writer to just say what they mean and not try to make you think something when they refer to something else. This book had a lot of religious reference, but it wasn't necessary for you to understand all of them because it was part of Uncle Tom's character to be somewhat of a preacher. One review I read stated that from reading this book, the reviewer discovered that this book supported slavery. I didn't get this impression at all. What I saw was that many slave owners were actually very nice to their slaves. The only reason for slavery was cheap labor, many plantations couldn't have survived without slavery, but for the slave owners to keep their slaves in line and from running away they had to develop a friendly relationship just as many managers do with their employees today. I saw this friendly relationship in almost all of the slave owners in the novel. You will see this specifically when Uncle Tom finds out he has to leave the Shelby plantation, he says he wants to be loyal to his "Mas'r". So this book is not supporting slavery, it is just saying that all the slave owners weren't bad. All in all Uncle Tom's Cabin was not my favorite book and I wouldn't tell anyone to read it, but you may like it. It was too long and had too much detail much like a Charles Dickens novel except not quite as bad. The rating I would give this book on a scale of one to ten on the plot of the book is an eight maybe even as far as a nine. However, if I rated it on how well it kept my interest I would probably say a one or two, any Charles Dickens books being in the negative numbers. So in all finality, the book has its ups and downs, but it is still not as bad as a Charles Dickens novel.
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