The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain: ****

This book deserves all the accolades it receives as the great American novel. A simple form - Huck glides down the river on a raft with a runaway slave, named Jim - provides a backdrop for countless adventures and deep questions about slavery and the meaning of friendship. It satisfies on the major points I always look for: moment-to-moment enjoyment, pacing of the story, and large-scale formal development (it comes together as a whole). And, of course, I felt alive while reading it. Ultimately, the moral is very strong, and the presentation of race relations, fascinating as a piece of history, also feels vital for our current society.

I would love to delve into extensive detail about so many specific situations and scenes that I loved, because I just want to share them with people, but I would hate to ruin the fun for anyone else that decides to read this. (My personal reflections on the book I've saved on my computer are much more specific - I've removed them sadly from these notes.) The characters are so alive, the dialogue is so sharp and crisp. I remember as a kid reading this book and not really getting it. Specifically, I had a hard time with Jim's accent as it was written by Twain. This time I quickly developed an understanding of it and had no trouble at all. On the contrary, I found it easy to imagine the character, and the result was that I felt more attached to the time period (1850's) than I have in any other historical novel or movie that I can remember.

The book contains one absolutely impossible coincidence (I'm talking more unlikely than pretty much any coincidence in the rich history of coincidences in novels), but for some reason it doesn't bother me. I think maybe because this is a comedy, and because the novel doesn't really have a normal "story" (it's just huck and jim floating to various places on a raft), a coincidence like the one in this book is acceptable. Also, unlike the worst coincidences in other novels, it's not a pathetic excuse for conflict resolution - it's just an absolutely impossible coincidence that allows for more comedy. But I have friends that really mark down this book for that coincidence.

Quotes:
pg. 14-15 - "There was a place on my ankle that got to itching, but I dasn't scratch it; and then my ear begun to itch; and next my back, right between my shoulders. Seemed like I'd die if I couldn't scratch. Well, I've noticed that thing plenty times since. If you are with the quality, or at a funeral, or trying to go to sleep when you ain't sleepy - if you are anywheres where it don't do for you to scratch, why you will itch all over in upward of a thousand places."
(fall 2001)

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