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Summary: The Prince and the Pauper
Review:
The Prince and the Pauper was written by Mark Twain in 1882. Although 33 chapters and 209 pages are sandwiched between this book's covers, it is a work that is meant to be chewed slowly, and digested carefully. The Prince and the Pauper is a literary feast, but if you aren't careful, you will get indigestion.
Set in England, during the reign of Henry the Eighth, this tale is enticingly sweet. Twain's story begins in not one place, but in two utterly diverse locations: the king's palace, and the lowly, cramped rooms of Offal Court. In one situation, a lofty lord is born, but in the other, humble Tom Canty arrives to trouble his family with another mouth to feed. The entire nation rejoices with the birth of the prince, but no one heeds the pauper. Later in the story, lovable, loyal characters such as Miles Hendon and princess Elizabeth are brought out of Twain's vast menagerie of actors. The protagoni, the Prince Edward and Tom Canty, act entirely different from one another, but look exactly alike.
Trouble first begins when Tom and Edward playfully switch places, and Tom is left in the palace as the real prince leaves seeking entertainment. When he is harassed, a heroic warrior jumps to the misplaced monarch's defense. Meanwhile, poor Tom Canty of Offal Court is belabored by the wearisome customs of the court. Without warning, the King Henry the Eighth dies, leaving his "son" to the throne. Back in the streets of London, the prince is captured by Tom Canty's father, who takes him for his own son. With Miles Hendon hounding his steps, Canty falls in with a band of vagabonds. Fortunately, the prince escapes, but only to be attacked by a crazed hermit who thinks that he is a
"mere archangel" with a claim to the papacy. Slowly the time passes for poor, nervous Tom Canty, with his coronation drawing closer. After a while, he develops a taste for life at court, and begins to fear the possibility of the real prince's return. Recaptured by John Canty, Edward re-escapes to Miles Hendon, who is on a journey to recover his rightful lands from his treacherous brother, Hugh Hendon. In all of his travels, the prince, (who now considers himself king because of his father's death) realizes how cruel English punishment really is, especially when Miles is put to the pillory, and bears the lashes of the whip. Finally, the day of coronation is at hand, and Tom Canty is actually looking forward to the pomp and glory of the ceremony. Proudly he greets his people, without a thought to his old family, until he spots his mother with the crowd. At Westminster Abbey, he was about to accept his crown, when the actual prince shouted out: "I forbid you to set the crown of England on that forfeited head. I am the king!" In a moment of truth, Tom Canty proves that Edward is really all that he claims to be, explaining their foolish exchange of clothing. The populace is amazed, and Edward inherits the crown of England.
Twain seizes one with a gentle jolt, and seals him into this book, welds the entrance shut behind the reader by simply stating the facts: "In the ancient city of London, on a certain autumn day in the second quarter of the sixteenth century, a boy was born to a poor family of the name of Canty, who did not want him. On the same day another English child was born to a rich family of the name of Tudor, who did want him. All England wanted him too." This charming way to draw a reader in is a shining merit to the genius of Mark Twain. As the artist builds up to his dizzying climax, he follows each event of his protagoni's lives carefully, building their characters until the reader feels the same joys and pains that they feel. Peacefully the book begins, and serenely it ends. Nothing could possibly improve this classic but greater recognition. You will assuredly return again and again to the Prince and the Pauper, with greater relish each time.
Rating:
Summary: The Prince and the Pauper
Review: (...)This book is about two boys who were born on the same year, same day, but are still very different. One was the prince of England, while the other was a peasant. One day, the prince was taking a walk around his castle, when he saw a peasant being kicked around by a gaurd. the prince brought the boy into his castle. Then they noticed how similar they looked, and decided to see how they would look in each other's clothes. Thats how the problem began. The prince mistakenly was kicked out of the castle, and the peasant remained trapped within the castle.(...) The things I liked about this book were when the prince and the pauper were at the ceremony being asked questions, when the pauper changed clothes, and when the royal adviser thought that the prince has gone mad. The events that I didn't like about this book were when Miles Hendon was being tortured, when the prince was forced to steal, and when the prince was about to be killed by the hermit. My favorite part of this book was when prince Edward and the pauper Tom got back together.
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Summary: oustanding wit - captivating till the end
Review: A book that captures your interest from the very start - and keeps you interested till the very end - providing lots of laughs in between.
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Summary: no me agrada Mark Twain
Review: El Príncipe y El Mendigo Mark Twain Esta es la tercera vez que intento leer a Mark Twain y parece ser que este escritor esta destinado a no ser de mi agrado. La primera vez que lo leí fue con Tom Sawyer y no logro inducirme a terminarla, pese a las buenas criticas que tiene esta obra. Mas tarde trate con Huckleberry Finn y tampoco logre encontrar nada que me mantuviese pegado a la pagina, pese a ser esta según los críticos, su obra maestra. Creo que comparto con mi escritor favorito, William Faulkner, su reticencia hacia este escritor de color local. Color local para los que no recuerdan es la forma de escribir que es regional y se aplica usualmente a los escritores norteamericanos que emplean esta forma.
Ahora vuelvo a intentarlo una vez mas con El Príncipe y El Mendigo, una obra corta y de fácil lectura, pero que después de cuatro días, descubro que estoy en la pagina 66 y sin ganas de seguir adelante así que me salto y leo de un lado para otro tratando de interesarme sin lograr otra cosa que no sea aburrirme y desesperarme, pues ya se el final y eso me disgusta. No importa por donde vayas, o si nunca la has leído, el final es tan predecible como una novela mexicana de las malas (todas son malas), así que dejo el libro y me siento a escribir la critica que ahora ustedes leen. Por suerte cuento con otros libros que son buenos y comienzo vacunándome con un capitulo de otra novela que me hace sentir mucho mejor después de este lapsus de mala literatura. Ahhhh, que bien, pues siempre es bueno tener un libro a la mano cuando otro ha fallado. De todas formas, Twain podrá ser muy admirado por los norteamericanos, pero me parece que fuera de América solo le espera el olvido o quizás una que otra reseña quizás no tan mordaz como la mía o algún pie de pagina. Pero tiene que haber de todo en la vida y los libros aburridos son muchos y tienen su espacio. Luis Méndez.
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Summary: BORING????
Review: I am appalled at how many people use the word boring when reviewing a book. There are so many individuals today who seem to get bored so easily. If people who were held prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp during WWII, can maintain their sanity and prevent boredom while in a 8 ft by 10ft cell, then surely we can do the same with all that we have going for us. I have never read a boring book. I have read books that are either challenging or not so challenging. The Prince and the Pauper falls somewhere in between. Read it with an open mind.
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Summary: It was good, but not enough........
Review: I enjoyed this book but it really did not make me want for more, a story about a prince and a pauper that change roles by accident, it is interesting to see how each one adapts to a TOTALLY different life, they are both good and kind, Edward the prince finds that life outside the castles is very different, he learns about life and goes trough several adventures that teach him great lessons, on the other hand Tom the pauper, finds himself surrounded by wealth and servants, at first he is timid about it, but after some days he is very comfortable and wants more and more, until the point when he sees his poor beggar mother and when she reaches toward him he rejects her by saying he does not know her.
Expect a Happy fairy tale ending.
Even if this is a book for children it is still very strong in some parts, but it does get the point trough.
I would have liked to know what happend to Tom's mother while he was King, also a little more detail on Edwards father (the king).
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Summary: I enjoyed reading this book
Review: I first started reading this book for class assignment and I chose this book because it seemed easy and had simple words. It also had more than that; it had that thing to pull the reader in
It was very interesting to read about Tom and Edward and to know how each one grownup in environment very different then other and how each one adjust himself in the new place.
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Summary: I enjoyed reading this book
Review: I first started reading this book for class assignment and I chose this book because it seemed easy and had simple words. It also had more than that; it had that thing to pull the reader in
It was very interesting to read about Tom and Edward and to know how each one grownup in environment very different then other and how each one adjust himself in the new place.
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Summary: The Prince and the Pauper is a great read
Review: I found the Prince and Pauper a great read and I would recommend it for its exciting storyline and great characters. I would say it would be best for older readers because the old style langauage is difficult.
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Summary: Not such a good book
Review: I had to read this book for school. It was the worst book I have ever read. It has mostly old English and you have difficulty understanding what is being said. The plot of the story was good, and I enjoyed it. It was hard to read on my own. I won't recommend this book.
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