The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain

The last time I read Twain I was probably around twelve years old, though I can't be sure. What I am sure of is that it had no effect on me. After just finishing Finn, I can understand why it had no effect on me--the language requires an understanding of the setting and time period.

The setting takes place along the Mississippi River. Unless the reader understands the complexities and difficulties involved in this setting, they cannot appreciate so many of the actions of the characters throughout most of the story. The time period is referred to as antebellum, that is, before the war (in this case, the Civil War).

In this work, Twain depicts a young boy and a black adult, named Jim, making their way along the river, hoping to get Jim to Ohio, a free state. The first one third of the story of their journey takes the reader on a number of adventures, including a finding by the two characters of a "floating house" in which Jim finds a dead man. He doesn't allow Huck to look at the dead man.

The second one-third of the story centers around two characters who become known as the duke and the king, titles which belong to neither, but to which they attribute many activities and rights. Huck and Jim both experience quite a handful of activities with these two characters.

The last one-third of the book centers around the escape of Jim.

I read this book in about five sittings, the last being about three hours long. As with so many other books, I found it much more interesting during the times in which I was disturbed by nothing and was in a hurry for nothing. I found myself re-reading much of the dialogue, especially between Jim and Huckleberry. But this did not bother me much; the story rolled along quite easily, and the reading was smooth, despite the frequent change in style of dialogue.

Not only does this story entertain, but it educates as well. It's quite amazing that so many who lived during this time, though fraught with difficulties, including disease and the simple provisions of life, saw these as mere facts of life, and determined to survive. This story, written in 1884, gives us a rather clear picture of the difficulties of life, not only along the Mississippi, but throughout the country. It provides us with a perspective of life that we won't find in modern literature.

I enjoyed the story. I enjoyed the language. I enjoyed the experiences that I visualized through the writings of a young boy named Huckleberry.

And yes, we find out in the end why Jim didn't allow Huck to see the dead man that they discovered in the floating house.

7.5/10
Read it in solitude,
Steve

Eats, Shoots & Leaves, by Lynne Truss

This book is about punctuation. However, the reader is entertained; something that might seem unusual in a book about this particular subject. The author does a good job of relating stories about despicable usages of the comma, the period, the apostrophe, the dash, and more. And most of these stories are rather entertaining. I love some her quotes about the general necessity for correct punctuation, like this:

Taking our previous analogies for punctuation, what happens when it isn't used? Well, if punctuation is the stitching of language, language comes apart, obviously, and all the buttons fall off.

The author's ability to make the subject of punctuation interesting is quite impressive, and I'd advise this as a read for someone interested in the subject, but if you happen to be the average person who has little interest, you might find it less than appealing the moment the book does anything but entertain. When the author gets into the specifics of punctuation, it does tend to dry up a bit.

6.5/10
Read if you want,
Steve