Rating: 
Summary: Classic Twain
Review: This book is a classic. As like many of the books I was forced to read in high school this one was great. I beg parents to read this with their children. Some derogitory remarks are made towards african americans but children need to be exposed to this and told that it is not the way to act.
Rating:
Summary: A brilliant achievement in American literary history
Review: Don't listen to the naysayers. This is a truly great piece of literature. On the surface, it's a great adventure story in the tradition of "The Odyssey". But there are deeper issues to be tackled, issues that still can provoke lively discussion more than 100 years after the book was written. In my opinion, the central theme to the story is Huck's development of a moral code. Huck's sense of right and wrong is forged in the furnace of experience and the need for survival. The reader is put in the position of rooting for Huck to escape his abusive father even if it necessitates the use of deception, making people believe that he, Huck, had been killed. In the journey down the Mississippi with escaped slave Jim, Huck survives by use of his wits, pretending to be someone he's not (his attempt to pass himself off as a girl fails miserably), and encountering various interesting characters. For awhile, he stays with a very respectable, upright family who has one problem: they are in a feud with another family, which results in a tragic ending for all concerned. (As a sidenote, I read that section of the book the morning of September 11, before turning on the TV only to be horrified by the events of that day when America and freedom itself was so violently attacked. Why must the world continue partaking of the bitter fruit of violence?) The comic pair of "royal" con men who become traveling companions with Huck and Jim scheme to dupe the unwitting out of money as they travel from town to town, until Huck helps to foil their biggest scheme. Huck's moral code is continually shaped by the extent by which he values people as friends and worthy individuals. Once Jim is recaptured, Huck has to make a decision which becomes the central moral dilemma of the book: should Huck return Jim to Miss Watson, from whom he escaped, because now Huck is having severe misgivings about helping take someone else's "property", or should he help Jim escape because Jim has become a friend to him? Interestingly, Huck does not debate, in his own mind, the morality or immorality of the slave trade in and of itself, but be makes his decision based on Jim's friendship, which Huck thinks is the wrong decision based on what he was taught. But, of course, Huck basically follows his heart.
At this point, the book bogs down a little. There is a contrived situation where Huck reunites with Tom Sawyer, and what should have been a fairly easy escape for Jim is complicated needlessly by Tom's romantic ideals gained by his reading of adventure books. Even though I found this part of the novel frustrating to read, it does point to the difference between Huck's pragmatism and Tom's romanticism. Huck gives in to Tom too easily on this point, and the whole escape plan almost blows up in their faces. Don't allow the rather weak ending (or the liberal use of the n-word) to deter you from reading perhaps the paramount achievement in American literature. Enjoy it for the rousing adventure it is, and think about the deeper moral questions raised by this book. If any novel deserves the label "classic", it's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn".
Rating: 
Summary: Is It the Most Overrated Book?
Review: Ever since Hemingway's unfortunate comments about HUCKLEBERRY FINN the book has been required reading for the literati. Like most people, I read it as but a lad. I had finished TOM SAWYER and was swept up in the stories of lost treasure and endless caverns and Injun Joe. I thought HUCKLEBERRY FINN would be more of the same, and was disappointed to find it was about a boy abused by a drunken father who runs away in a bildungsroman where he meets all sorts of unengaging characters. Even the Duke and the Dauphin come off better in the movies than on the original page. Before continuing, I suppose I ought to give my bona fides. I have nothing against "classics". They've been my principle study for nearly thirty years -- Proust, Dostoevsky, Dickens, Tolstoy, &c. all are great chums of mine. I'm unafraid of dead while males (oddly enough, unlike Huck, who says, "After supper she got out her book and learned me about Moses and the Bulrushers, and I was in a sweat to find out all about him; but by and by she let it out that Moses had been dead a considerable long time; so then I didn't care no more about him, because I don't take no stock in dead people." I get a grim satisfaction knowing Sam Clemens is now among their number, as everyone will be who criticizes what they've produced. I've recently turned 40, and just read TOM SAWYER again for the first time in a quarter century. It's still a solid book, exciting, well-written, and funny. It's a swell book, and great for imaginative children, as it was for me at Tom's age. I'm now fighting Huck again, and it's rough sailing and choppy seas. I wish I was back with Swann and Baron de Charlus! Huck's aimless drifting down the river is less interesting than seven volumes of Proust. The "racist" accusation is fraudulent. Twain is careless with his use of certain verboten words, but one must not judge a writer by modern standards of racial sensitivity (as with Twain) or plot development (as with Smollett) any more than future -- and I hope more rational and well-centered -- generations that come after modern writers are dead like Moses, that some of their books are not written off simply because of the twentieth century writers' rabid obsession with sex. One reason young people don't like to read is because in schools, which is unfortunately the first place many young people face anything to read, force them into areas over their heads. Tom Sawyer's story would be a better start. It's a book written by a man who hasn't forgotten what it's like to be a boy. Huck's book is written by a man exploiting a child's voice as a mouthpiece for his own prejudices and petty dislikes. It's written above the heads of youths. Perhaps its appeal is more like MOBY DICK or LES MISERABLE. As the vision of Ahab after the white whale is more powerful than can be contained in a book, as the vision of Javert after Valjean transcends a magnificent novel, so perhaps the image of Huck and Jim on the big river simply couldn't be expressed by a writer of Clemens' fine humor but rather limited abilities.
Rating: 
Summary: For all kids at heart
Review: This was the first classic I read. Wow, have I come a long way!!!!! Adventure is the most obvious theme of this novel, which in return leads to self-discovery. Hucks average day consists of danger, trouble, and a few screams but never intentionally only because his natural boyish interest always seems to lead him to dirty water. With trials and tribulations, something Huck finds plenty of on his great journey, comes growth. At the end of the novel, Huck goes from overlooked to the looked up to kid. All kids, and kids at heart should read this novel.
Rating:
Summary: A Boy's Book
Review: This is truly one of the great American novels, but not only is it popular with critics and academics, it is a great story for the everyday reader. I was originally assigned to read this book over the summer before eigth grade and thought it was a terrifically fun story about a young boy on an adventure down the Mississippi River, but now several years later I can still relate to it, but on a new level. This book contains fabulous social satire, excellent use of the vernacular, wonderful characters such as the Duke and Dauphin, and several lessons in morality presented by a savvy young boy who doess not realize how intelligent are his instincts. Mark Twain is a marvelous author, this being only one of his fine novels and short stories, and I envy his ability to get in touch with his childhood and create such a genuine and accurate character as Huck Finn. This is a terrific book, and I feel that anyone who has not had the privilege of reading it is missing out on something wonderful.
Rating:
Summary: American Classic
Review: This book is undoubtedly the icon of American Literature. It's about an innocent orphan's journey with an escaped slave named Jim along the Mississippi River. The elements of prejudice, loyalty, friendship, and moral values are all present. It is definitely a must-read for any American, and anyone who speaks English!
Rating:
Summary: Very exciting
Review: This book is a great classic. I can definetly see why people would call it racist. However, we have to remember when the book was written and take it for what it is worth. THis is a great adventure story and every body should read it.
Rating:
Summary: Slightly Abridged
Review: This particular edition does not claim to be abridged, but in relation to the audiobook version available on Audible.Com, there is at least one "adventure" (story) missing from this edition of which I'm aware. Specifically, Huck's visit to the very long raft where he over-hears the ghost barrel story does not seem to be present. Chapter XVI opens with a mention of the long raft, but then the story continues on to the next adventure without Huck visiting it. I'll be ordering a different print edition for cross-checking purposes.
Rating:
Summary: Huck Finn
Review: In my opinion, this book is awesome just simply because I like adventures. I was delighted to find this rather a unique, fun, very interesting book. This is a book that I highly recommend to older teens and adults. If I could chnage anything in the book, I would just leave it like hhow it is written. As a teenage reader, I found the reading to be addictive. huck and jim's adventures for the most part are quite exciting and fresh, with plot turns that I would not have predicted.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Play on the Mind and Imagination
Review: Ever want to escape it all? To float down an endless river not caring what happens next or where you are headed? Well in both a metaphorical and literal sense, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the book for you. At first thought, the book appears as a child's paradise, a sort of novel well suited to young boys who want to play "Cowboys and Indians" or "Cops and Robbers". However, these games, though included in the book, deal more with real life than at first thought. Seeming trivial pursuits in the novel possess a greater meaning and symbolism in association with the culture of America. A tale of rafts, rivers, and nature can be appreciated both for its literal sense and its deep underlying political and cultural commentary. Chronicling the life of a boy, Mark Twain masterfully utilizes literary elements such as dialect and satire along with his infamous and brilliant wit. Huckleberry is an incorrigible boy who longs to escape the strict restrictions of society and pursue a life free of woe, living off the land in expansive forests and forever gliding down the Mississippi River. Huck's adventures include interactions with a runaway slave, robbers, feuding families, and two scheming "carpetbaggers". The reader is transported into the world of the 1840's where one encounters the economical and cultural conflicts of the day. It seems that as the more Huck attempts to escape the society that ties him down, the more he encounters it and the more it attains a hold upon him. Twain expresses his views on such cultural issues as the elitist yet scheming upper class through the characters aptly named the "king" and the "duke". These characters expose the gullibility of the American public as they scam and deceive their way to economic prosperity. Twain also utilizes literary motifs as a way of revealing common facets of American culture and goals of citizens. One such motif, money, shows how some characters (for instance the king and duke) view money and material possessions as a necessity for self-fulfillment. While on the other hand, different characters (Huck and Jim) are happy to enjoy the luxury of money but are more than able to do without it and fend for themselves. These evident yet subtle touches are what make the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn enjoyable not only for its excitement and story line but for what can be learned from these instances. Overall, I found the novel Huck Finn an exciting and engaging experience. It allowed me to kick back and relax with my body as my mind floated on a river of ideas and symbols hidden in the novel. I liked the body of the tale and the in-depth relationship the reader develops with the character Huck. It would not be surprising to find yourself speaking with a southern drawl after an hour or two of reading. I did however find some fault in the way the book was completed. I found the ending section's plot a bit too excessive and overall unnecessary. It did not, however, detract to any extent from my opinion on the book. I would give the book a three point five or four out of a five-point scale. I recommend the book to just about anyone, especially to those with an active imagination and an ability to look past the words of novels into the extensive world they are capable of revealing.
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