The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Level 1

Written by Mark Twain

Narrated by Iman

This novel is about the adventurous boy Huck and his friend Jim, who venture down the Mississippi River on a raft.

This audio classic novel has been carefully abridged and adapted into 10 short easy to understand chapters. This format enables listeners of all ages and English language abilities to understand and enjoy the story. Composition includes original custom back ground music.

• Language: English
• Publisher: EDCON Publishing
• Release date: Jul 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9780848113049

Mark Twain

Mark Twain (1835-1910) was an American humorist, novelist, and lecturer. Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, he was raised in Hannibal, Missouri, a setting which would serve as inspiration for some of his most famous works. After an apprenticeship at a local printer’s shop, he worked as a typesetter and contributor for a newspaper run by his brother Orion. Before embarking on a career as a professional writer, Twain spent time as a riverboat pilot on the Mississippi and as a miner in Nevada. In 1865, inspired by a story he heard at Angels Camp, California, he published “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” earning him international acclaim for his abundant wit and mastery of American English. He spent the next decade publishing works of travel literature, satirical stories and essays, and his first novel, The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873). In 1876, he published The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, a novel about a mischievous young boy growing up on the banks of the Mississippi River. In 1884 he released a direct sequel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which follows one of Tom’s friends on an epic adventure through the heart of the American South. Addressing themes of race, class, history, and politics, Twain captures the joys and sorrows of boyhood while exposing and condemning American racism. Despite his immense success as a writer and popular lecturer, Twain struggled with debt and bankruptcy toward the end of his life, but managed to repay his creditors in full by the time of his passing at age 74. Curiously, Twain’s birth and death coincided with the appearance of Halley’s Comet, a fitting tribute to a visionary writer whose steady sense of morality survived some of the darkest periods of American history.

Reviews for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

[auntieknickers · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I've read this several times, most recently, I think, to my son when he was about 4 years old (really!) I don't really know what The Great American Novel is, but I think if someone from another country or universe were to read only one American novel, this would be it. Excuse me, I got to light out for the territory now.

[aelione_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I always liked Huck more than Tom. Tom always struck me as something of a brat, while I sort of identified with Huck, and his lack of parental security and support. I was rooting for him, and his scrappy can-do ways.

[downtownlibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In my opinion, the great American novel.

[bluenichols_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another literary classic. a must read

[mike_frank_44 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic... a struggle to get started with but incredibly rewarding. Twain's word play, sarcasm, and general demeanor are invigorating. Can finally check this off the books I lied about reading in high school... ;)

[cynfrank · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a very good production of Huck Finn's adventures. They say Mark Twain was a great story teller, and I think you get a feel for that from this audio book. Because of the written dialects, this may be the best way for new readers to discovery Twain. There is an error in it, chapter 12 starts over with chapter 10, but it's not too long and then goes on from there. Tom Parker does an excelent job of bringing the many characters to life. I'd definately listen to anything he does. I purchased the this audio book from audible.com wich I really love.

[purplehena · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I would like to like Mark Twain, but for some reason I don't. I had to read this in 10th grade English and at one point I read several pages and then realized that I hadn't paid attention to it at all. And that was the part about pig's blood and faking a death, or something like that. I still don't know.

[thelostentwife · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's always daunting, isn't it, to review a classic that so many people have read?We discussed Huck Finn in my American Lit class this semester, and overall there really was quite a bit to discuss, despite the story being a very well-known one (at least to me). There is more to this book than than a simple story of a boy and a man floating down the river in a raft.What I loved about this reading of Huck Finn is that we were also to read Toni Morrison's Introduction to it. It was through this Introduction that I was able to see the story in a completely new light - and to understand just what was so "wonderfully troubling" about it.Morrison talks a lot about silence in the book - the silence in those moments of floating down the river, the silence with regard to learning much of anything about Jim's family, the silence with which Huck treats his friendship with Tom. Then there's the silence of Jim toward Huck - why did he fail to disclose who that man was under the cloth? This is an extraordinarily troubling book, but yes.. a wonderful one as well. It's enlightening - it shows how hard the struggle was to accept the idea that a human is a human, no matter his or her skin color. It's educational, it reminds us of where we've come from in an effort to remind us of where we should not return. It's captured history through the dialect of Jim. It's a look at two individuals escaping slavery - Jim the actual slavery, and Huck, escaping abuse at the hand of his father.I always recommend these books. Tom Sawyer is more suited to younger audiences (although I personally find Tom to be a scoundrel), but Huck Finn is a must read for teenagers and adults.

[ldvoorberg · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I think I liked this book better than [book:Tom Sawyer], but that may be because of the dramatization of the voices -- different actors doing the different voices made it easier to follow the dialogue in audio.

Good to have finally read this American classic.

[mlpybas33 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Everyone loves a classic novel. In this case, you may not. Mark Twain was a realism writer. Meaning he believed that good characters were more important than plot. So, if you're only looking at the plot, this book has no point whatsoever. But if you do look only at the characters, they develop before your eyes and you really get to know them. This novel has many great themes like racism, classism, and freedom. I would not consider this novel racist, or Mark Twain, because (once again) Mark Twain was a realist writer. He wrote how it was in the civil war era. So there was slavery and discrimination of colored people. I learned a lot from this book, so I recommend it to you!

[kattepusen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I had previously only read this novel in a translated version (Norwegian), and after reading it in "proper English" I am quite amazed about what gets lost in translation... Among the major strengths of this adventure tale is its language, which, I must admit, also made it quite strenuous to read at times. I often had to read out loud various passages in order to understand them. In retrospect, just for this very reason, this might have been a good book to listen to on tape to fully appreciate the proper pronounciations. This classic coming-of-age story is quite good, and the characters stay with you long after the book is finished. I especially enjoyed all the delightful superstitions that Twain weaves into his characters - among the black folks as well as the white. Also, the tender relationship between Huck and Jim is delightful reading. As a sidenote, the version I was reading did not have a map and I quickly came to miss the ability to visualize the locations that were described along the Mississippi. I eventually found a different copy of the book (an abridged version, nonetheless - ugh!) which had a map that clearly showed all the action. Afterwards, I had a much better appreciation for the geographical nuances... I am glad this is a required high school text - its themes are still highly relevant, and it has the potential to start great debates about race relations - then as well as now. I almost wish that I could have read it as part of a class. This is the kind of literature (kind of like Shakespeare) that I would be able to appreciate even more if I could pause at regular intervals with some class-room discussion. However, even if you are battling it alone, it is well worth the effort. Recommended!

[gazzy_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The story of a young boy and an escaped slave down the Mississippi on a raft. In each chapter the hero meets an archtypal character of the American landscape. Been said American Literature started and ended with Huckleberry Finn. I'll agree it started here.

[daniexj · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Argh. Classic. I don't think so. It was horrible, just... I know that I'm supposed to see it as some great book that changed whatever, blah, blah, blah, but I just can't stand it. I didn't mind the Tom Sawyer book, but this one, every time I had to read it in school (more than once, including in eighth grade) I just wanted to scream hated it so much. Give me the Sound and the Fury over this.

[heatherswinford · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Huckleberry Finn has been taken in by Widow Douglas and her sister, Miss Watson, who intend to teach him religion and proper manners. Huck soon sets off on an adventure to help the widow's slave, Jim, escape up the Mississippi to the free states. Huck tell's his own story, the book is able to tell the painful contradiction of racism and segregation in a "free" and "equal" society.

[speedy74_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Huckleberry Finn is arguably the best American novel of the 19th century. After staging his own murder to escape from his alcoholic father, Huck sets off on a river journey to an island on the Mississippi. While on the island, he finds that he is not the only one that is hiding out. It turns out that Jim, an escaped slave, is also living there. Throughout the novel, Huck wrestles with the moral dilemma of helping the fugitive slave. On one hand, he has been socialized to believe that it is his moral obligation to turn Jim into the authorities, but on the other hand, he has found that Jim is a good man and it is evident that Huck begins to question the system of slavery. Jim and Huck set out on the river with their raft and continue to become entangled in many adventures as they float the Mississippi. At various points in the novel they become embroiled in a feud between two families, participate in schemes concocted by two men who join them on the raft, and work to free Jim as he is held captive by another family that happens to be related to Tom Sawyer, a childhood friend of Huck and a previous character in Tom Sawyer, Twains earlier novel.

[figre · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

How do you go for over 50 years without reading a classic? Not sure, but I accomplished it. And it was only after being shamed about that fact (on a web page, no less) that I dove in. Of course, it is ludicrous to try and do just a normal review – there is too much history, too much baggage. But I refuse to work on analysis. Here’s the most important part. It is a good read and a fun read. It takes a little while to get going but, once Huck and Jim hit the river, the whole things takes off. The peak – when the story is at its best is during the telling of the experiences with the Duke and King. Then things begin to meander a bit at the end as Tom shows up and the book goes into an almost improvisational mood. But it is still all a good tale, and there is definite depth to the characters – depth and growth.And as to the language, it’s not that tough. Yes, when Jim goes into his dialect you have to read a little slower. But all the other dialects flow, and there is a music to the way it is written.Many trumpet this as America’s greatest novel. A bit over the top to my mind, but a good tale worth the telling and worth the reading.

[converse_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was a very interesting book. The adventures were so ridiculous and unrealistic that they were hysterical. What I mean by that is that most of the things Huck does, like getting caught up in with people trying to steal money from orphans, wouldn't happen to regular people. I think that's what makes this story so different. Huck hates having to act civilized and so when his father kidnapped him, he doesn't really mind. After getting beat up many times though, Huck decides that he needs to run away. This book is full of the adventures he goes through trying to stay hidden from his past and the people that he meets along the way. There are points in this book where you're sure that Huck is going to be found out, and sent back. But Huck and his friends always outsmart everyone. While I did enjoy the plot, the way this book was written was very different. It added a lot to the book because it helps you really visualize Huck, but it is very difficult to understand. I would recommend this book only if you have time to break down the text and really understand it.

[rameau_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I always thought this was an amazing book until it fell apart in the last few chapters, but I think I finally figured out what Twain was doing. The book is about lies and a society of lies, with slavery the biggest lie of all. Also, I love the bits when they're just floating down the river.

[daniel5estes · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is an American classic, famous for its use of the local vernacular, which in this case is from the Midwest Mississippi river valley during the 1830's and 40's. This includes the controversial use of racial slurs, commonly heard as a part of the daily conversation of the time. This novel is also a window into a slice of American frontier living which no longer exists, and had mostly disappeared when Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was first published in 1885.Huck and Jim's adventures are the most engaging at the beginning and end of the novel. I feel the middle loses focus somewhat as Huck Finn becomes more of a secondary player as he crosses paths in the lives of other characters.If you find the dialogued difficult to read, then I recommend listening to a good audiobook version which will capture the exact flavor of how the speech is supposed to sound.

[gbill_7 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book is genius primarily because Twain writes in an incredibly original voice - that of Huckleberry Finn himself, who explodes off the page from the very beginning .It is of course a very controversial book and one that many are not comfortable with; this is because of Twain's apparent ambivalence to racism and his use of the word 'nigger'. If you are offended by the word itself or depictions of life in those times without accompanying moral judgment, I wouild not recommend it. Personally I view the fact that Twain put the scenes down without commenting as a positive; I am capable of drawing my own conclusions and believe others who have read it since 1885 are similarly capable.As T.S. Eliot wrote, "Huck has not imagination, in the sense in which Tom has it: he has, instead, vision. He sees the real world; and he does not judge it - he allows it to judge itself." Also: "...Mark Twain could not have written it so, with that economy and restraint, with just the right details and no more, and leaving to the reader to make his own moral reflections, unless he had been writing in the person of Huck. And the style of the book, which is the style of Huck, is what makes it a far more convincing indictment of slavery than the sensationalist propaganda of "Uncle Tom's Cabin"". Aren't the Norton Critical Editions great? Well worth it in this case, and I also loved the illustrations that appear throughout the text. I wouldn't go as far as knocking Stowe's classic as Eliot does - I think both books are outstanding - but I agree with the gist of his points. David L. Smith's review "Huck, Jim, and the American Racial Discourse" from 1992 is also excellent, and makes the argument that "Huckleberry Finn" is in fact profoundly antiracist, instead of the opposite.The other complaint I've seen leveled against the book is artistic: Twain draws out the plot for too long in the second half of the book. I agree and was tempted to knock him down a half star for that, but I resisted; it's not perfect but so close and so original that I cut him some slack.It seems I've been mostly defending the book instead of stating its merits; I will let Twain speak for himself through these quotes:On Heaven:""Don't gap and stretch like that, Huckleberry - why don't you try to behave?" Then she told me all about the bad place, and I said I wished I was there. She got mad, then, but I didn't mean no harm. All I wanted was to go somewheres; all I wanted was a change, I warn't particular. She said it was wicked to say what I said; said she wouldn't say it for the whole world; she was going to live so as to go to the good place. Well, I couldn't see no advantage in going where she was going, so I made up mind I wouldn't try for it. But I never said so, because it would only make trouble, and wouldn't do no good.Now she had got a start, and she went on and told me all about the good place. She said all a body would have to do there was to go around all day long with a harp and sing, forever and ever. So I didn't think much of it. But I never said so. I asked her if she reckoned Tom Sawyer would go there, and she said, not by a considerable sight. I was glad about that, because I wanted him and me to be together."On nature:"When it was dark I set by my camp fire smoking, and feeling pretty satisfied; but by and by it got sort of lonesome, and so I went and set on the bank and listened to the currents washing along, and counted the stars and drift-logs and rafts that come down, and then went to bed; there ain't no better way to put in time when you are lonesome; you can't stay so, you soon get over it.""I was powerful glad to get away from the feuds, and so was Jim to get away from the swamp. We said there warn't no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don't. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft."On the past:"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."On religion:"She told me to pray every day, and whatever I asked for I would get it. But it warn't so. I tried it. Once I got a fish-line, but no hooks. I tried for the hooks three or four times, but somehow I couldn't make it work. By and by, one day, I asked Miss Watson to try for me, but she said I was a fool. She never told me why, and I couldn't make it out no way.I set down, one time, back in the woods, and had a long think about it. I says to myself, if a body can get anything they pray for, why don't Deacon Winn get back the money he lost on pork? Why can't the widow get back her silver snuff-box that was stole? Why can't Miss Watson fat up? No, says I to myself, there ain't nothing in it."On virtue:"I felt good and all washed clean of sin for the first time I had ever felt so in my life, and I knowed I could pray, now. But I didn't do it straight off, but laid the paper down and set there thinking; thinking how good it was all this happened so, and how near I come to being lost and going to hell. And went on thinking. And got to thinking over our trip down the river; and I see Jim before me, all the time, in the day, and in the night-time, sometimes moonlight, sometimes storms, and we a floating along, talking, and singing, and laughing. But somehow I couldn't seem to strike no places to harden me against him, but only the other kind. I'd see him standing my watch on top of his'n, stead of calling me - so I could go on sleeping; and see him how glad he was when I come back out of the fog; ... and at last I struck the time I saved him by telling the men we had small-pox aboard, and he was so grateful, and said I was the best friend old Jim ever had in the world, and the only one he's got now; and then I happened to look around, and see that paper. It was a close place. I took it up, and held it in my hand. I was a trembling, because I'd got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself:"All right, then, I'll go to hell" - and tore it up."

[tnyren15 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Rating 5 out of 10.This book was decent. I found it to be funny in some parts, but boring in others. Sometimes it seemed that it dragged on and on, and went over the same things. But in other aspects it was funny. Huck had a sense of dry humor at times, and he and Jim made things brighten up even in the darkest times. Huck was creative and insightful, and had a bright mind for someone his age and back in his day.

[hklibrarian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The book I read was an older version than this, complete with nice black and white sketches. Dealt with some VERY grown up issues--drunkenness, child abuse, gambling, runaways, etc. Kind of a dark humor to the whole thing.

[zach1234567_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one great big adventure. I really did not like this book. From the beginning I just could not get hooked on the book. I thought that it was very slow and boring. This book is about a boy named Huck who runs away with a black slave named Jim. The book tells of all their adventures that they go through together. I will admit that there are some cool parts like when Huck fades his death and when Huck and Tom bake a pie with a ladder in it. I think it might have just been me who didn’t like this book but I would not personally recommend this book. I love adventure books but this one just didn’t click for me.

[moonimal · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've read this book twice - first in college, as part of a Great American Authors course. Re-read it this year because of the edited version coming out (the one that removed the n-word).Many parts of the book are really funny, and I read them out loud to my kids, who laughed too. The elaborate 'rescue' at the end of the book is especially funny.My evaluation this time is that this is a great adventure book, full of rich detail on life in America. I read it as a condemnation of slavery, through Huck's struggle to de-personalize Jim (due to his cultural training) despite what Huck sees, feels and believes about Jim as a fellow human (due to his friendship and love for Jim).I think removing the n-word from the book is a copout, and it should either be read as written or not at all.

[rsubber · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The classic, an easy read, the dialect is a bit tedious sometimes. Huck's philosophy and Jim's patience are a delight. It seems like idyllic life on another planet.

[eejjennings_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I found it hard to believe that this book was written in the late 1800s since Twain had such a modern sensibility. He continues to be relevant over 100 years later! One of my all-time favorite authors!

[ldsmith1031 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I could read this book once a year for the rest of my life. I think it may be my absolute favorite.

[ani_na_3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book is an important part of American fiction, so I'd recommend it for anyone interested in canon on that note alone. As a novel? I'd have more reservations. Some parts of the book are hilarious, others drag along (especially when you get Tom Sawyer involved, the jerk.) Twain is a great writer, but I think his style is better found in other books, especially his nonfiction. The scene where Huck condemns himself to hell for defying social norm and aiding his friend - well, that's beautiful and powerful and worth the slog for it alone. The rest of the novel you could really pare down without losing anything. The book is frequently targeted at too young an audience, I think. For anyone curious about US fiction, though, this is definitely required reading. I'd recommend pairing it with "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison.

[jawalter · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

eBook

What is there to say? It's my favorite novel. Funny and profound and moving; It's almost hard to read because it spins my thoughts and imagination in all different directions on almost every page.

I suppose you could take something different from it every time you pick it up, but for me, it's about recognizing that everyone has the power to shape their beliefs to meet the world they encounter. As Huck travels down the river, he keeps adopting and discarding the belief systems he encounters until he finally realizes that it's up to him to decide what's right and what's wrong. That he's unable to stick to his guns is what makes this both a tragic work and a profoundly real one.

Huck, the boy, is the man I aspire to be. Smart, despite not being educated; wise, yet not without flaws. It's a good day when I recognize his cadences in my thoughts.

[talbin_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, recounts the adventures of 13-year-old Huck, who has escaped from his alcoholic and abusive father, and Jim, a runaway slave who has heard he was going to be sold down river. As Huck and Jim make their way down the Mississippi River, they meet up with robbers on a capsized steamboat, get involved in a tragic feud between the Grangerfords and Stephensons, meet up with the Duke and the Dauphin who lead them into several unlawful situations, and finally with Tom Sawyer at his aunt and uncle's farm in Arkansas.There are many themes and motifs to explore in the text, which I'm not going to do here. But after not having read this book for at least 15 years, what really struck me this time around was just how cruel the last "Tom Sawyer" section of the book is. Through the book, each "scrape' that Huck and Jim get involved with becomes more tragic and dangerous than the next. After they are completely betrayed by the Duke and Dauphin, the "escape" that Tom and Huck plan for Jim seems particularly cruel and unnecessary. The figure of Tom Sawyer is interesting. At the beginning of the book, the organized the boys in town into a "gang" that is supposed to rob and kill people. In the end, it's all pretend. At the end of the book be concocts Jim's elaborate escape without realizing the heartache he causes his relatives and the danger he puts everyone into - including himself.