A great adventure story

In its own right, this book is a simple, first-person adventure story and greatly enjoyable. Written in 1884, it incorporates the attitudes and culture of the time and as it is set in the deep south during a time of racial inequality, there are attitudes, expressions and words used that may shock or offend some people. This book is now a historical reference to a time gone by. The current debate regarding one US publishers decision to remove racial terminology from it has brought this book into the news for all the wrong reasons. People should be allowed to witness history unsullied by current obsessions with political correctness - witnessing both right and wrong is what educates us.

The narration by Elijah Wood is excellent. His youthful voice and excellent characterisation make this a great listening experience.

27 people found this helpful

A slow, meandering journey

The performance is great and really brings all the characters alive with their distinctive Southern voices. The story, however, and I feel churlish in admitting this, had me a little bored at times. This is one of those I wanted to read and thereby cross it off the "books to read before you die" and am glad I have...but equally am glad to have finished it.

13 people found this helpful

Classic evocation of a particular era

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a great evocation of a particular era in American history. The attitudes displayed, especially towards race and slavery, are shocking to modern ears and I had to keep reminding myself that the book was not only set, but also written in a very different time and place. I loved the variety of characters, all very real yet memorably larger than life, and I’m sure Elijah Wood’s expert narration was a major part of my enjoyment. His portrayal of all the dialects and accents was fabulous. I think even Dickens would have been proud of the King and the Duke! Having not read any Mark Twain as a child, I expect some of the excitement of the adventures was lost on me – I did get a little bored by the intricacies of the plot at Aunt Sally’s – but the major part of the book detailing Huck’s escape from his abusive father and his and Jim’s journey down the river had me completely hooked and even a little envious at times.

8 people found this helpful

a great reading!

of course it's still 'huckleberry finn', a wonderful novel,alive with characters and colour and action.but this fine reading made it all the more enjoyable as the varying accents and speech rhythms are all part of the book's charm.

7 people found this helpful

Elijah Wood is superb!

If you could sum up Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Signature Performance by Elijah Wood in three words, what would they be?

Authentic, engrossing, nostalgic

What was one of the most memorable moments of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Signature Performance by Elijah Wood?

Elijah's Wood's amazing variety of accents.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

The drifting down the Mississippi past St Louis.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me think back to childhood when I last read this book, and reminded me what a great book it is.

5 people found this helpful

Great read

Everyone should read this book ,
And Elijah Wood dose a fantastic job reading this book ,
I think people should listen to this .

4 people found this helpful

Huck Finn

It's been a long time since I read Huckleberry Finn, and I had forgotten how much depth there was in the novel, and how much Mark Twain used it to attack the issues and attitudes related to slavery in the Southern States. The movingly, if unsentimentally depicted friendship between Huck and Jim, whom he helps to escape from slavery, and Huck's ruminations on how very sinful he must be to 'steal' Jim from Miss Watson are, even now, powerful indictments against racism.

Elijah Wood is an ideal narrator for this tale, which is, more than anything, good fun.

4 people found this helpful

Classically Wonderful.

Where does Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Signature Performance by Elijah Wood rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is a very good rendering of the classic Mark Twain story concerning Huckleberry Finn. Elijah Wood brings the text to life with a sensitive reading and a very good attempt at differentiating the various dialects spoken by the many beautifully drawn characters.

What other book might you compare Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Signature Performance by Elijah Wood to, and why?

Most of us are aware of this story as the sequel to Tom Sawyer, and in many cases it has been studied as literature in school. This reading of the book repairs some of the damage done by poor English teaching, in that the story is made accessible and enjoyable without all the dissection done in literature classes.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Speaking as someone who has had books 'ruined' in such ways, it was delightful to just listen to the story on its own merits and as such it showcased Mark Twain's wit and his astute observation of human nature.

Any additional comments?

It is an absolute joy to add this to my library as a book to listen to again and again purely for the joy of the storytelling without having to worry about O Level grades!! (and yes, that does show my age!)

3 people found this helpful

Elijah Wood saves the day

Would you try another book written by Mark Twain or narrated by Elijah Wood?

Elijah yes, Twain no

Didnt like the book, couldnt relate and it just didnt speak to me.

Has Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Signature Performance by Elijah Wood put you off other books in this genre?

not really, next time Im going way more fantasy

Could you see Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Signature Performance by Elijah Wood being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?

I dont think so

3 people found this helpful

An exaggerated authenticity ... and testament to history

This is entertaining, unusual and controversial; the language and narration are novel with a current of humour as it describes the American South of the time. There’s an exaggerated authenticity in its joie de vivre, raw-emotional comeraderie, naïveté and skull-duggery but also entrenched racism of slavery. The small town, Mississippi Southerners happily ate their meat’n greens and smoked their corn cob pipes but propagated great cruelty and the book exposes this.
The adventures of Huck Finn, entertaining as they are.... eventually become a little tedious and I flagged toward the end.... but finished.
At the very least the novel is a literary testament to history and holds its place as one of the (sic) ‘great american novels’ . No regrets !

2 people found this helpful