Manga Classics: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Title: Manga Classics: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Author: Stacy King
Rating: ★★

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Chafed by the “sivilized” restrictions of his foster home, and weary of his drunkard father’s brutality, 14 year-old Huck Finn fakes his own death and sets off on a raft down the Mississippi River. He is soon joined by Jim, an escaped slave. Together, they experience a series of rollicking adventures that have amused readers, young and old, for over a century. Their peaceful existence ends abruptly, however, with the appearance of the King and the Duke, an incorrigible pair of con artists who take over the raft. After many difficulties, Huck and Jim escape their tormentors, and with the help of an imaginative rescue by Huck’s old friend Tom Sawyer, Jim gains his freedom.

Manga Classics breathes new life into this American Classic with a faithful adaptation (complete with original text)of Mark Twain’s masterpiece Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

I think what I struggled with a lot was the dialect. Whenever Jim spoke, I understood what he was saying less than half of the time. Plus, bad grammar is a pet peeve of mine. 

The story seemed a bit detached from the reader. One chapter, one thing was happening and then the next, a completely different thing. It seemed like it was an accumulation of a lot of different stories, almost like a novella. Granted, I have not read the novel prior, so maybe it would make a little more sense had I read it.

Also, the characters seemed entirely childish and unrelatable. I couldn’t connect with any of them and some things were completely unnecessary or lacked all common sense (which should be taught at schools today because most people seem to be lacking it).

I don’t think this manga was for me, unfortunately. But I can definitely see how many others would enjoy this, especially if it was true to the novel.