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A review by krisrid
Autobiography of Mark Twain: The Complete and Authoritative Edition, Volume 1 by Mark Twain
3.0
I love Mark Twain, and I was very excited to read his autobiograph, after a wait of 100 years! And while I enjoyed hearing Twain's own take on his life and times, the book isn't a fast or easy read by any means.
The style of writing was very different in Twain's time, and so there's plenty of references to things that we don't necessarily understand. This necessitates a huge "Notes" section so you have to flip back-and-forth constantly to clarify various things Twain talks about, i.e. current events of the time that Twain discusses, people he interacts with, etc. The way Twain's writing was edited is very well-handled, but the constant flipping to the Notes is a big distracting and does make this a bit like a text-book.
Still, Twain's unique and irreverant approach to life and writing does come through clearly and there are numerous very entertaining stories he tells. He also doesn't shy away from telling stories that tell the truth about him, and his often bad-mannered behaviour.
Overall, if you are a big fan of Twain the man, you probably want to read this book. But I recommend having something lighter going at the same time so you can take breaks from the ambition you will need to work your way through this tome. It's worth the work, but it is work to read this autobiography
The style of writing was very different in Twain's time, and so there's plenty of references to things that we don't necessarily understand. This necessitates a huge "Notes" section so you have to flip back-and-forth constantly to clarify various things Twain talks about, i.e. current events of the time that Twain discusses, people he interacts with, etc. The way Twain's writing was edited is very well-handled, but the constant flipping to the Notes is a big distracting and does make this a bit like a text-book.
Still, Twain's unique and irreverant approach to life and writing does come through clearly and there are numerous very entertaining stories he tells. He also doesn't shy away from telling stories that tell the truth about him, and his often bad-mannered behaviour.
Overall, if you are a big fan of Twain the man, you probably want to read this book. But I recommend having something lighter going at the same time so you can take breaks from the ambition you will need to work your way through this tome. It's worth the work, but it is work to read this autobiography