Synopsis: Classic story of a young boy living in a small country town, simply put. Tom is rambunctious but sweet, as quick to start fights as he is to sweep a girl off her feet. His friend, Huck Finn, is a vagabond kid who is possibly even more lighthearted and wilder than Sawyer. Together, they go on mini-adventures in search of fortune and fame. They dream of becoming pirates or robbers, but get a taste of danger when they witness a murder.
The Good: This is one of the few "classics" I've read that I feel actually deserves its title as a classic. The writing--in spite of or because of Twain's penchant for writing as the characters would speak--is superb, so realistic the reader is able to "hear" the characters. There are so many scenes throughout the book that are so fully-detailed and poignant that it's hard to forget about them once the book has been finished. One scene in particular was my favorite. Tom and Huck find themselves in a cave and are discussing how they will use this particular area as their future hiding place as robbers. At one point, Tom mentions that they will have orgies there. Huck asks what an orgy is. Tom replies that he doesn't know, but robbers always have orgies so it must be great.
The Bad: I really can't think of a bad thing about this book. Definitely a great story overall. I don't know if it was specific to my edition or if Twain intended it to be a part of the story, but my copy had a "dictionary" of sorts to explain all the quaint phrases or boyhood slang used. It was pretty charming and helpful.
