Pudd'nhead Wilson

By: Mark Twain

Narrated by: Bobbie Frohman

Another of Mark Twain's best-selling yarns of skullduggery and mischief. Set in the deep South, Pudd'nhead Wilson is the central character as an attorney who solves a murder mystery and lays bare the wicked deeds of a larger than life ensemble of personalities in his own wry and peculiar way.

David Wilson is called “Pudd’nhead” by the townspeople, who fail to understand his combination of wisdom and eccentricity. He redeems himself by simultaneously solving a murder mystery and a case of transposed identities.

Two children, a white boy and a mulatto, are born on the same day. Roxy, mother of the mulatto, is given charge of the children; in fear that her son will be sold, she exchanges the babies.

The mulatto, though he grows up as a white boy, turns out to be a scoundrel. He sells his mother and murders and robs his uncle. He accuses Luigi, one of a pair of twins, of the murder. Pudd’nhead, a lawyer, undertakes Luigi’s defense. On the basis of fingerprint evidence, he exposes the real murderer, and the white boy takes his rightful place.

The book implicitly condemns a society that allows slavery. It concludes with a series of witty aphorisms from Pudd’nhead’s calendar.

Table of Contents:

A Whisper to the Reader

Chapter 01 Pudd'nhead Wins His Name

Chapter 02 Driscoll Spares His Slaves

Chapter 03 Roxy Plays a Shrewd Trick

Chapter 04 The Ways of the Changelings

Chapter 05 The Twins Thrill Dawson's Landing

Chapter 06 Swimming in Glory

Chapter 07 The Unknown Nymph

Chapter 08 Marse Tom Tramples His Chance

Chapter 09 Tom Practices Sycophancy

Chapter 10 The Nymph Revealed

Chapter 11 Pudd'nhead's Thrilling Discovery

Chapter 12 The Shame of Judge Driscoll

Chapter 13 Tom Stares at Ruin

Chapter 14 Roxana Insists Upon Reform

Chapter 15 The Robber Robbed

Chapter 16 Sold Down the River

Chapter 17 The Judge Utters Dire Prophesy

Chapter 18 Roxana Commands

Chapter 19 The Prophesy Realized

Chapter 20 The Murderer Chuckles

Chapter 21 Doom

Conclusion

Author's Note to Those Extraordinary Twins

Public Domain (P)2004 Alcazar Audioworks

Very fun listen.

This title has received several bad reviews about over acting. I disagree, having listened to over three hundred books I found the acting just fine. And the story very good since finger printing was not accepted at the time this book as written. Kind of reminded me of a Sherlock Holmes story with Twain humor thrown in for fun. Listen to this title and enjoy the fun.

good, interesting story, readers overacted

I enjoyed the story, enough to sit through and make myself get over the actors portrayals. serious over acting.

Systematic Racism

Chilling yet humorous. Twain really knows how to make a reader uncomfortable with thoughts of American history.

Twain is a Master!

How can You begin to review Twain? He lived and is buried in my Hometown of Elmira, NY. He was an Amazing Master of Tongue and Cheek Humor... and yet, everything, including this, Has lessons to be learned. Extremely well written... :-)

Brilliance

Brilliant story. I loved how the story was told by the author and read by the reader. Great ending.

Terrible overacting by the narrators

I love Twain, but I could not get through a full chapter of this. The narrators were very hard to follow as they thought they were channeling Scout Finch, except for the overacting. I was not allowed to visualize the story in my mind, as it took all my effort just to understand what was being read.
The book may be terrific, but I won't know now.

completely overread

Would you be willing to try another one of Bobbie Frohman’s performances?

no

Any additional comments?

the southern accents were so drippy and wet that it was very difficult to understand what was being said.

The "dramatazation" of this book is terrible

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Maybe but read it don't listen t to it.

What other book might you compare Pudd'nhead Wilson to and why?

Mark Twain & Huck Finn

What didn’t you like about Bobbie Frohman’s performance?

The main narrator with a fake accent was bad enough but the dialogue was "dramatized" with fake accents that came and went in the middle of sentences.

Was Pudd'nhead Wilson worth the listening time?

It is a good story but read it or maybe try a different narrator.

Worst reading ever.

We survived about 30 seconds. And I like the book. We just sat in silence for the rest of the drive.