Mark Twain - The Prince and the Pauper

As I've said before, Mark Twain's work has always intrigued me so I bought a collection of his stories in one book, one of which I reviewed in February and while I didn't enjoy it as much as I have other books, his work still intrigues me so I have continued reading this book every so often.

Mark Twain's novels are American Classics and are rooted in the South and a lot of his work is influenced by his experiences and where he has lived; Twain worked as a riverboat pilot which is said to be the influence behind The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as well his living in the town that these stories are set in.  The Prince and the Pauper, however, was Twain's first attempt at historical fiction and differed from his other works greatly due to it being set in a different place to his other work and the time in which it was set.

Rating: 6

Recommended To: American classic fans

Favourite Characters: The prince - reluctantly adapted well

Favourite Part: "Now were he imposter and called himself prince, look you that would be natural; that would be reasonable.  But lived ever an imposter yet, who, being called prince by the king, prince by the court, prince by all, denied his dignity and pleaded against his exaltation?  No!  By the soul of St. Swithin, no!  This is the true prince gone mad!" - Page 217

Good Points: The two narratives working simultaneously; found it funny; enjoyed this more than Tom Sawyer

Bad Points: Could have more interaction between characters; combination of the two languages was a bit weird

J.R.R. Tolkien - The Hobbit

At least fourteen years ago, I started reading The Hobbit with my dad and while I can't remember it well, the thought of those times brings a smile to my face.  Unfortunately, and I don't remember how, we lost the copy of The Hobbit that we had and we didn't get to finish it back then which was a shame because it was nice spending time with my dad.  I did eventually get to finish Tolkein's book years ago when I found it in the library.  Happily though, while at work, I found a copy of The Hobbit in the stockroom and I bought it immediately.  Originally, I was going to wait to read this again but I changed my mind recently and pulled it out of my mountain of books.

The Hobbit, or There and Back Again is a fantasy novel from J.R.R. Tolkein, aimed at children, set in Tolkein's fictional world of Middle-earth with fictional creatures such as hobbits, dwarves, elves, and goblins.  It was published in 1937 and went through a number of revisions and has been reprinted since; the world was expanded in the sequel Lord of the Rings which is aimed at an older audience because readers wanted to know more about Middle-earth.  The Hobbit has inspired the recent film franchise by Peter Jackson, two films have already been released and the third is being released this December, which followed the other film franchise inspired by Lord of the Rings.

Rating: 8

Recommended To: Fantasy fans; excellent for kids to introduce them to Tolkein

Favourite Characters: Fili and Kili

Favourite Part: "What shall we do, what shall we do!" he cried.  "Escaping goblins to be caught by wolves!" he said, and it became a proverb, though we now say "out of the frying-pan into the fire" in the same sort of uncomfortable situations. - Page 115

Good Points: Very descriptive; interaction with reader

Bad Points: Not a vast amount of speech; time skips

Mark Twain - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Recently I bought this truly beautiful book which is a collection of Mark Twain stories because I've always wanted to read his work, any of it, so when I found this collection I got really excited and bought it because it was relatively cheap in comparison to the recommended retail price.  I decided to read one of the stories every so often because it's huge and there are five stories altogether.  This will also allow me to review the individual stories with more detail like Gena Showalter's Dark Beginnings anthology.

Mark Twain's novels are American Classics and are rooted in the South and a lot of his work is influenced by his experiences and where he has lived; Twain worked as a riverboat pilot which is said to be the influence behind The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as well his living in the town that these stories are set in.

Rating: 5

Recommended To: Classic lovers

Favourite Characters: Huckleberry Finn - more likeable out of him and Tom

Favourite Part: "Huckleberry Finn, indeed!  It ain't a name to open many doors, I judge!  But let him I, lads, and let's see what's the trouble."
"Please don't ever tell I told you," were Huck's first words when he got in.  "Please don't - I'd be killed, sure - but the widow's been good friends to me sometimes, and I want to tell - I will tell if you'll promise you won't ever say it was me."
"By George, he has got something to tell, or he wouldn't act so!" exclaimed the old man; "out with it and nobody here'll ever tell, lad." - Page 147-8 

Good Points: Tom's imagination; Tom is more than a mischievous kid

Bad Points: Seemed random at the beginning