The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

By: Mark Twain

Narrated by: Robin Field

Mark Twain's classic novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, tells the story of a teenaged misfit who finds himself floating on a raft down the Mississippi River with an escaping slave, Jim. In the course of their perilous journey, Huck and Jim meet adventure, danger, and a cast of characters who are sometimes menacing and often hilarious.

Though some of the situations in Huckleberry Finn are funny in themselves (the cockeyed Shakespeare production in Chapter 21 leaps instantly to mind), this book's humor is found mostly in Huck's unique worldview and his way of expressing himself. Describing his brief sojourn with the Widow Douglas after she adopts him, Huck says, "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."

Underlying Twain's good humor is a dark subcurrent of Antebellum cruelty and injustice that makes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn a frequently funny book with a serious message.

Public Domain (P)2011 christianaudio.com

Visit With My Old Friend Huck finn

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

You can't go wrong with Mark Twain!

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?

Oh my goodness Jim's recounting of how he came to learn that his young daughter was deaf is so touching. Your heart just breaks for Jim and you want to console him. Jim just comes across as such a good soul.

Which character – as performed by Robin Field – was your favorite?

By far Jim. I've read the The Adventures of Huck Finn in the past and loved it. However, Robin Fields portrayal of the characters adds such a deeper dimension to all of them. I appreciate the character of Jim much more after hearing him come to life through Robin Field's interpretation.

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

I just really enjoyed it. It's been 30 years since I read the book in school. I had forgotten so much. It was like becoming reacquainted with an old friend.

Any additional comments?

This is the second book I have listened to which was narrated by Robin Field. Each of the chapter numbers he announces in his own voice. Then a moment later he transitions to the dialect of multiple characters from the region. The contrast from his real voice is impressive. Robin Field is really a talented narrator.

Tom Sawyer's a pain in the ass...

... but Huck Finn rules. I like Tom less and less as I grow farther and farther from the smart-ass I was when I started reading these Tom and Huck books.

And Robin Field is an unsurpassed voice-actor/narrator of Mark Twain's works. Just note perfect.

And I love this book, which is on the shortlist for "Great American Novel," and I read it about every 10 years or so, although I'm 5 years late this year. I've been reading it since I was 10, and the pleasure of a Mark Twain book written for young boys is that every 10 years down the road, it's a different book, according to your age and point of view and situation in life. And having read Life on the Mississippi, I saw echoes of that book in Huckleberry Finn's book.

Samuel L Clemens is a timeless, wonderful companion to my old age. And Robin Field supercharged this picaresque - and morality play - into a spectacular radio program.