Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (version 2)


Read by Mark F. Smith

(4.8 stars; 1696 reviews)

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain creates an entertaining adventure of Middle America in the 1800's - afloat on a raft on the Mississippi River. Huck escapes his civilized life when he arranges his own "murder" and turns back into the backwoods, downriver yokel he started as, and in the process springing a slave, Jim, from bondage.

Huck and Jim experience life as a series of tableaux as the river sweeps them through small towns on their way South. At each stop, Huck engages his talent for mixing fact with bald-faced lies to endlessly get himself out of situations... and of course, putting him into others!

Much has been written about the statement Twain is making about slavery in this book, but it's really secondary to the story. The facts of how black people were treated in this period give Huck and Jim their license for life on the run. Modern listeners will be intrigued by the unencumbered life of the pair; they make do with coffee, fish from the river, and little else (but of course, when they do need something extra, they don't mind helping themselves to it without recourse to money!)

Huck and Jim have run-ins with desperadoes and family feuds and even manage to get run down by a steamboat. The adventures ratchet up when they are joined on the raft by a self-proclaimed "duke" and a "king" - shysters both, who spend their time in figuring how to fleece the public in the little river towns. And when Jim is captured and threatened with being sent back into slavery, Huck enlists his old buddy Tom Sawyer in a frenzied, desperate, and terribly funny rescue.

I had to clip a lot of laughing from this recording at Twain's sly, catch-'em-when-they're-not-looking humor, but you can feel free to enjoy some good belly laughs at this crew of lovable rapscallions! (Summary by Mark) (11 hr 33 min)

Chapters

Chapter 01 10:54 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 02 15:21 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 03 10:55 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 04 9:01 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 05 10:39 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 06 17:55 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 07 15:36 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 08 27:20 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 09 9:33 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 10 8:39 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 11 17:37 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 12 17:55 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 13 12:35 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 14 10:33 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 15 14:48 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 16 20:35 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 17 20:40 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 18 28:56 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 19 21:43 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 20 22:03 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 21 22:38 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 22 13:31 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 23 15:22 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 24 15:05 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 25 17:59 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 26 17:48 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 27 16:34 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 28 22:39 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 29 22:34 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 30 7:52 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 31 22:47 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 32 15:00 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 33 16:39 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 34 13:43 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 35 17:21 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 36 13:16 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 37 16:12 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 38 16:25 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 39 13:14 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 40 13:57 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 41 16:21 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 42 18:33 Read by Mark F. Smith
Chapter 43 4:31 Read by Mark F. Smith

Reviews

That was the most awesome reading


(5 stars)

That was the most awesome reading that I have ever had the chance to enjoy. Thank you so much for taking the time and so much effort, much more than Tom and Huck could ever have wished for.

Great Classic, Masterfully Read


(4.5 stars)

This is, as the title tells you, a “Great Classic, Masterfully Read,” but there is one tiny problem… the racial slurs. Do we really need to hear a slur every time Twain refers to Jim? I know LibriVox policy is to not change the original words at all, but I honestly sometimes wish that wasn’t the case, “bleep-out” noises could work… I wonder… but yeah, great job reading this, I appreciate it!

wonderful reading


(5 stars)

The narrator is a talented and practiced storyteller who brings this story to life with many well done variations of southern accent and dialect. His consistency among the characters is impressive and I felt fully immersed in the experience.


(5 stars)

What an outstanding reading. Mark S and Mark T had me laughing out loud at times, and, as someone else said, he has taken the time to master the dialect and emphasis so that it is much easier to understand this audio than to read it. The power of Twain’s social criticism and irony and Huck’s innocence and Jim’s guidance and instruction come through beautifully, as a result. I was looking to see if there was some way to get in touch with Mark Smith to thank him for this and saw the reviews and realized that this was a good way to do it, so thank you, Mark. I would love to learn your technique, because you clearly have prepared to read so well and naturally. A gift to us all. I have read the book numerous times, but never enjoyed it so much.

We know the story, meet the reader!


(5 stars)

This is the best reading of this fantastic story. He does a wonderful job of articulating the many dialects the the author emphasis throughout the story. I was pleased that it is the original story and unabridged. Yes some of the language may be offensive, whether poor white or slave, which is why the many voices Twain incorporates makes this a masterpiece. I fell in love with this story as a child but had a hard time reading the dialects. this audio really puts the story in the setting. I felt as though I was there. just wonderful.

Great, two Marks we're at it!


(5 stars)

Mark Twain and Mark Smith take you on a river ride through the Southern states back in time. The great story and perfect reading just pull you along, thanks for letting me enjoy this! I would like to emphasize what a great job Mark Smith did in giving each character a distinct feel by voicing it in a different tone and dialect. While the book was written in a time slavery was a common and accepted practice, the book introduces some questions and the main character Huck Finn clearly struggles with the morals of slavery and racism.

Great voice and excellent reading


(5 stars)

I read the book in a German translation when I was a boy, dreaming of roaming around on the Mississippi just like them. So listening to it brought back childhood memories. Great voice and excellent reading making it much more authentic then my German translation. Thanks so much for reading it in!


(5 stars)

My 7 year old daughter and I absolutely loved this! We listened to it every night at bedtime for a week or two. Mark Smith’s reading made it so thoroughly enjoyable that when it was over my daughter cried for a good ten minutes that she will miss listening to it!