The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Listeners are becoming more and more discriminating about the fidelity of the audio production, as well as the artistry of the reading performance. Norman Dietz's 1991 interpretation is at a listenable speed, and Recorded Books' acclaimed level of audio fidelity is definitely present. The immediacy of the voice produces an intimacy with the story. Dietz does not merely read; he interprets and gives life to the story. He portrays a very sympathetic and believable Huckleberry. His other vocal characterizations, however, particularly the real Phelps brother and the slave Jim, could be more realistic. Norman Dietz's professional performance offers us interpretive substance through his credible and kind Huckleberry. P.W. (c)AudioFile, 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