Dow Jones’s Reviews > Five Novels > Status Update

Townspeople ferry around the river & island shooting the cannon to make Huck’s body float up & they come close to seeing him on the island. Jim is also on the island & meets Huck after Huck’s had to dodge detection for a few days. Jim ran away to avoid being sold & tells how he escaped & the town’s talk of Huck’s murder. Lots of black & boy superstitions that are amusing.

Huck fakes his death in grand fashion with ax cuts, pig blood, drag marks, and trails of food. He sets off for Jackson’s Island in the night after his dad passes by in the skiff after selling driftwood in town.

Huck panics from superstition and gives Judge Thatcher his $6k, but I hope the judge didn’t really go through with taking all his money. Huck’s dad waits in his bedroom & kidnaps & beats him regularly out of jealousy for schooling and the widow’s care. Now they’re in a cabin & dad regularly gets drunk & abuses him & Huck reverts to liking homelessness. Don’t take after your dad!

Absolutely incredible book and really glad to read it in full. I love the style of narration w/ quips & long descriptions like the water dripping from stalactites in the cave since the dawn of time. This is a must read for everyone and it’s a masterpiece in humor, suspense, and adventure for all ages. Now I’m gonna start Huck Finn & see what I can remember.

T&B make it out, rescued, and are showered w/ love while Huck recovers. Tom tells Judge Thatcher Injun Joe’s in the cave & hes found dead @ the new gate. Huck thinks the treasure is gone but he and T sneak back a secret robber’s way in the cave & bring back over $12k to split. Judge loves & supports Tom. Huck’s adopted by Widow but can’t stand civility. Huck wants to run but Tom makes him stay to be friends.

Huck awakens to find out Injun Joe & pal got away & the town was bursting to know the story but the Welshman kept his promise & didn’t include Huck. That Sunday Thatcher and Auntie found out Tom & Becky hadn’t returned from the cave & no one could find them. T&B wandered the cave & got lost without any light but shared some cake. Tom alone sees Injun Joe & runs away to hide the secret from Becky.

Tom tells Muff Potter’s lawyer what he saw and it’s a weight off his shoulders but Injun Joe escapes & T&H are afraid of revenge. They play robbers and dig up treasures only to find Injun Joe’s hideout, his cash, and haunted house bonus treasure. Their detective work pays off and Huck rushes to tell someone he’s out planning to hurt the Widow Douglas. Great suspense writing!

Tom takes the blame for Becky ripping the schoolmaster’s copy of Grey’s Anatomy but gets revenge by having a cat steal his toupee in the middle of their big exam in front of everyone. Lots find religion while Tom’s down w/ measles but that trend dies quick enough, just like joining the sobriety cadets.

The boys get tired of pirating & wanna go home but are afraid to say so. Huck teaches them to smoke but they get sick and “look for a lost knife” to throw up. Tom escapes to town to see what’s up & hatches his funeral resurrection secret plan. Auntie finds out & is disappointed but finds his bark note in secret & forgives him. Tom & Becky play hard to get jealousy games & poor Alfred being used & rejected.

Tom gets hooked on codeine trying to overcome his lovesick blues. After Becky returns to school and shrugs him off, he resolves to run away, as does Joe and Huck, and they begin their life of piracy late at night and float a raft down to a small island. Very good and funny adventure imagery in this chapter and their morals and ideals often conflict but resolve in a manner only boys understand.