Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Top Ten Books I Read in 2011, #7

Number 7 is ...

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

One reader, I know at this point your asking yourself, this self-proclaimed bibliophile has not read this American classic? Can he even make that self-proclamation?

No I didn't read Twain's classic in high school, Harry Potter was summer reading (indeed a breakdown in the literature program). Yes, that also means I'm young enough to have been in high school when Potter was published, although to little credit the movies didn't come till my seminary years.

Now that the awkwardness is out the way ... I loved the book. I listened to as an audiobook narrated by the hobbit himself,  Elijah Wood. I was impressed with his skills. He did a great job narrating it. The southern accent was much better than his attempt at an English one in the aforementioned film.

As for the book itself, 'twas great. Twain's use of colloquial allowed for a certain endearment to Huck and Jim.  The story dealt with the difficulties in the south without being self-righteous or offensive.

For anyone who is like me and uncultured in classic American fiction needs to pick this up in one of its forms.

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