Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain
Read by Elijah Wood

Audible, Inc.
November 9, 2010 / ASIN: B004BDL7N6
Young Adult / Classic Literature / Adventure
Amazon

Reviewed by Brenda Weeaks

Audible(.com) has created a new series, Audible Signature Classics. The first in this series is Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, performed by Elijah Wood. I was pleasantly surprised not only by his narration, but also reliving a classic by Twain.

The storyline is set in Missouri during the 1830's. Huck is an early teen - - about 13. It was nice to relive his adventures -- faking his own death, discovering the slave, Jim, in more ways than one. But to be honest, I wouldn't offer this audio to anyone younger than sixteen, because the
storyline shines a light on heavy subjects such as slavery, abuse, poverty and the language that put Huckleberry Finn on Ban lists. Was I offended listening to it? No. It's like going back in time to witness human nature and overcoming in the early 1800s.

I really enjoyed Elijah Wood's narration. With older audio versions and film I remember becoming quickly irritated by the exaggerated accents. It seemed the more ignorant they wanted the characters to be the more exaggerated their accents became. Finally someone got it right... Elijah Wood... His narration is smooth and engaging. The accents are controlled, making the storyline the focus and much more enjoyable. I'd forgotten how entertaining
Mark Twain's work really is.

Elijah Wood also narrates James Patterson's Witch & Wizard series....

Reviewers Note: