The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain.  I am of two minds about this book.  On the one hand, I recognize the comic genius of Mark Twain, as well as his artistry in plot and dialect.  On the other hand, the characterization of blacks in the book is embarrassing, and the frequent use of the n-word is appalling.  (That it is indicative it its time makes it even more appalling.)  As a window into a period of American history, I suppose this book is useful, but I don’t see it as the great American novel.  I prefer Henry James or Edith Wharton.  I am glad to have finished it at last, though.  Now I can check Mark Twain off my list and move on to other things.