The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, published in 1884, is considered by most to be Twain's masterpiece.

The story follows Huck Finn as he helps Jim, a runaway slave, to escape along the Mississippi River.

The novel is filled with rich descriptions of the river and the colorful people who lived along it. He also employed humor to involve his readers in issues of justice and morality. What else helped make this book so well loved?

Twain wrote dialogue for his characters that made them sound like real people. He didn't make all his characters sound the same; instead they each had a unique voice.

Here is how Chapter One of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn begins:

"You don't know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; but that ain't no matter. That book was made by Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly. There was things which he stretched, but mainly he told the truth. ..."

Can you see how this captures the way someone speaks?

This style of writing greatly influenced American literature, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is now considered a classic novel, a work of excellence that is read long after it is written.

Which classics have you read?