I am currently reading Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain. Along with that, I'm reading various reviews of the book. I'm amazed at the number of one and two star reviews that come with words like "boring" and "needs a heavy-handed editor." This gives me pause as I read the book and I wonder whether we are reading the same book.
Then, these unhappy readers add that they quit reading when they hit about 43% of the book (yeah, e-version.) I understand because at about 43% in the e-version, the tone of the story changes. It's no longer the Mark Twain everyone thinks they know and love. It becomes someone else. It becomes Samuel Clemens.
If you have never had the privilege of sitting on the front porch on a summer evening with a country boy and plenty of sweet tea, you cannot understand what happens at that point in the book. About that point in the book, we return to the river after a long absence. Twain has done a lot of living and a lot of growing. He's filled himself with more experiences and has come back an entirely new person. His first love, however, is still there.
So, now pretend you are talking with a guy on his front porch while he recalls life. Pretend you are with my parents' neighbor, Ike. Or pretend you are with my Uncle John. You are listening to life now. You are listening to the humorous things; you are hearing the hard things. You have to listen to the ridiculous as well. It's all in there. Just listen. Hear the wisdom from one who has lived and done a thousand things. Listen for the heartache; listen for the joy.
This book is rich. But if you aren't prepared to listen, you won't get it. And when you don't get it, you will put a very good book down.
