The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

One of the better unabridged recordings of Mark Twain's masterpiece is on par with others vis-ˆ-vis interpretation and excels in sheer beauty. In this impeccably quiet release, Tom Parker (aka Grover Gardner) contributes a resonant announcer's baritone, superb technique, musical expressiveness, and a fond, intelligent understanding. He is less a narrator here than a storyteller, one of the best this reviewer has heard, sounding as if he were speaking extemporaneously. Of the half-dozen recorded renditions I've auditioned, this is the one that best expresses the brilliance of Twain's rendering of dialect and a rural boy's sensibility. A judicious use of sound processing enhances his performance. Y.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine


Twain's classic of American realism is given a serviceable narration by Garrick Hagon, who voices the many personalities and dialects clearly. What is missing is the sense of wonder the boy-narrator experiences from lying on a raft and looking at the sky, from noticing the beauties of the majestic river and its traffic, and especially (in Chapter 31) from his soul-shaking battle with his conscience, one of the great passages of world literature. Pace is another casualty. Hagon maintains a mostly consistent pace, which fails at times to capitalize on some of the dramatic moments. In sum, this is a respectful reading of a famously disrespectful book, so this unabridged recording is welcome but not definitive. G.H. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine