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    Uncle Tom's Cabin
    Uncle Tom's Cabin
    Uncle Tom's Cabin
    Audiobook (abridged)5 hours

    Uncle Tom's Cabin

    Written by Harriet Beecher Stowe

    Narrated by Liza Ross

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    This is the great anti-slavery novel that, it is said, convinced many Americans to join the Civil War against the South. Published in 1852, it tells the story of Uncle Tom, a patient, forbearing slave and his misfortunes in a life of being sold from one master to the next.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNaxos Audiobooks
    Release dateMay 23, 1999
    ISBN9789629545666
    Author

    Harriet Beecher Stowe

    Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811–1896) was an American abolitionist and author of more than 20 books, including novels, three travel memoirs, and collections of articles and letters. Her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) was a realistic account of life for African-Americans under slavery; it reached millions and became influential in the United States and United Kingdom.

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    Reviews for Uncle Tom's Cabin

    4/5

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    • 3/5
      Propaganda as art: That is how Harriet Beecher Stowe has presented the story of slavery in the mid-19th century. There are times when Stowe beats you over the head with the message that slavery is an evil that should not survive in a "Christian world." There is a heavy dose of religion presented here, and Tom's faith is a powerful tool in his struggle and ultimately a transcendent virtue at the novel's climax.

      Some of Stowe's viewpoints are outdated, with a kind of "noble savage" perspective of blacks, whom she portrays as pitiful creatures at times. The final chapters are a bit overwrought, with a drawn out tying up of loose ends and a call for African nationalism, but not in America, which seems racist in today's society: "Set free the slaves and send them back to Africa rather than allow them to be equals in America." The final chapter is Stowe's final thesis against slavery, as she argues the authenticity of her characters and their lives.

      Despite its dated language and ideals, it remains a powerful argument against America's worst transgression. The plot moves along quickly, as you can tell it was first published episodically. There is a lot of action, and the plot only stalls for a few chapters here and there. Some of the scenes will make you cringe, and that's the point.

      Stowe leaves no one out of this book. Every character archetype is here: from meek and subservient slaves to the revolutionary firebrands, from the well-meaning slave owner to the brutal plantation master. Stowe addresses every man, woman and child in her treatise to end slavery. While today's reader must look beyond some of the content here, this novel remains one of the most important novels in U.S. history.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      The story of Tom and his unflinching honor and kindness, the courage of Eliza escaping with her child across the river ice, the cruelty inflicted by the horrible Simon Legree, the efforts of the Shelbys and the St. Clares to live morally in an immoral system: these are great stories told well. The influence of the Christian religion on the author and thus on her characters is all-pervading and oppressive after a while. The book does read as a polemic and, no doubt, an effective one at the time. It is read now for its place in history rather than its intrinsic value as literature, I think.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      A very interesting and informative description of dark times that most of us might prefer to go through life not 'knowing' but must learn about in detail not in a glossed over history book.
    • 4/5
      I was pleasantly surprised to find this book not only readable, but actually captivating. Even people in my book club who aren't history geeks described this as a compelling read. That's saying a lot for book that's more than 150 years old. I now understand better why Stowe's novel ended up being so pivotal in the years leading up to the American Civil War.
    • 4/5
      "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (1852) was the best-selling novel of the 19th century, and of such importance that Abraham Lincoln reportedly said "So this is the little lady who made this big war" upon meeting Stowe.I think it's unfairly criticized in the 20th century and today for (1) being overly sentimental and dramatic, and (2) for its characters who created or amplified racial stereotypes. As James Baldwin put it in "Everybody's Protest Novel", "Uncle Tom's Cabin is a very bad novel, having, in its self-righteous, virtuous sentimentality, much in common with Little Women". I can't disagree more. The book is powerful and exposes the extreme cruelty of slavery. I can't understand why critics feel a need to cast it aside in favor of "Huckleberry Finn" as if one needed to decide "either/or" which was superior. The Norton Critial Edition is well worth it for its ocassional illustrations, articles putting the work in historical context, and for the reviews. Some of this extra material will resonate (for me, George M. Frederickson's, "Uncle Tom and the Anglo-Saxons: Romantic Racialism in the North"), and some of it will not, but most of it will stir a discussion and make you think.Quotes:On beauty in old age:"Her hair, partially silvered by age, was parted smoothly back from a high placid forehead, on which time had written no inscription, except peace on earth, good will to men, and beneath shone a large pair of clear, honest, loving brown eyes; you only needed to look straight into them, to feel that you saw to the bottom of a heart as good and true as ever throbbed in woman's bosom. So much has been said and sung of beautiful young girls, why don't somebody wake up to the beauty of old women?"On God:"Is there a God to trust in?" said George, in such a tone of bitter despair as arrested the old gentleman's words. "O, I've seen things all my life that made me feel that there can't be a God. You Christians don't know how these look to us. There's a God for you, but is there any for us?"On immortality:"O with what freshness, what solemnity and beauty, is each new day born; as if to say to insensate man, "Behold! thou hast one more chance! Strive for immortal glory!"On racism:"If we emancipate, are you willing to educate? ...We are the more obvious oppressors of the negro; but the unchristian prejudice of the north is an oppressor almost equally severe."On religion, powerful words:"Religion! Is what you hear at church religion? Is that which can bend and turn, and descend and ascend, to fit every crooked phase of selfish, worldly society, religion? Is that religion which is less scrupulous, less generous, less just, less considerate for man, than even my own ungodly, worldly, blinded nature? No! When I look for a religion, I must look for something above me, and not something beneath."
    • 1/5
      There are reasons I really wanted to like this book:

      *It is (or was) a classic
      *Its author is famously known as the person Abraham Lincoln jokingly credited with starting the American Civil War and, ergo, an end to slavery in the United States.
      *The principles and courage of the author to put herself out there and critique a nation, not just for its legislation, but the more insidious racism of many abolitionists, must have been tremendous.

      However, I found the act of ploughing through this novel to be one long exercise in patience. As someone who does not adhere to any religion, the endless passages about The Lord, quotes from the Bible, and descriptions of religious activity were increasingly tedious and I found myself skipping swathes of text just to get on with the story.

      Ah, the story... therein lies another problem. Having done a little more research since completing this book, I understand that Beecher Stowe originally wrote this as a series, published weekly in a paper. Therefore, the introduction to each chapter, which reminds 'our reader' who we are catching up with next and apologises to 'our reader' for not having had time to describe Mrs Such-and-Such last night with 'all the activity going on' became equally as wearing as the Bible-bashing after a few chapters. The other consequence of this approach means that Beecher Stowe introduced a plethora of new characters with each section. I ended up losing interest in 'meeting' yet another person because I couldn't get into any of the characters enough to care about them. The titular Uncle Tom is absent for more of the book than he is present and this makes it especially difficult to root for him by the time his story reaches its climax.

      The final chapters are ludicrous in their reliance on coincidence - at least Oscar Wilde made sure his tongue was firmly in his cheek during the reveal. The only aspect of the book I found interesting was the final word by the author, highlighting the plight of the slave to her Southern cousins and Northern friends. I would have been happy to read that part on its own and still come away with the same level of understanding about attitudes and issues at that time. Others have described the entire novel as reading more like an essay and I agree. Had Beecher Stowe not used such a clunky, preaching approach I am sure this would have continued to shine as an illuminating example of literature's powerful role in society. As it is, the author lacked the talent of her contemporary peers to create a wonderful narrative and the result, a century and a half later, is painfully dull.
    • 5/5
      This book is very moving. I almost cried at parts. I really enjoyed it.
    • 5/5
      I have to admit that I only just read it for the first time. All I can say is that this book is amazing -- and that Harriet Beecher Stowe must have been a genius because of the way she manipulated the story to "preach" for her without preaching.
    • 5/5
      “The way of the wicked is as darkness; he knoweth not at what he stumbleth.”Written in 1852, this book continues today as a classic novel about slavery, racism, hope and the Christian faith. It was written to educate as well as to remind future generations. It was a best-seller, selling 10,000 copies in the United States in its first week; 300,000 in the first year. It also sold then, and still sells today, in the international market. It has been on banned book lists since its publication. Today, many school districts and/or states ban it due to language, racism, and/or Christianity.Mrs. Stowe was from the Northeast United States. The United States Congress passed the Compromise of 1850. It was intended to address the concerns of slave holding and free states, yet it helped galvanize the abolition movement. Mrs. Stowe formed her stance on slavery because of this law. Among the provisions of the Compromise of 1850 were the end of the slave trade, but not slavery, and the creation of a stricter Fugitive Slave Law. Helping runaways had been illegal since 1793, but the 1850 law required that everyone help catch fugitives. This law erased any protection that a fugitive had had. Anyone on the street could be picked up and accused of being a fugitive from slavery. Thus free Blacks were often picked up and sent into slavery.She was angry, believing her country was now requiring her to comply with a system that she believed was unjust and immoral. While she and her husband, Calvin Stowe, were living in Maine, she disobeyed the law by hiding runaways. Mrs. Stowe lived in Connecticut, Ohio, and Maine, yet she knew slavery through several avenues. While in Ohio, she and her husband were a part of the Underground Railroad. Her brother met a plantation owner who was cruel and evil as the book’s Simon Legree. She traveled to Kentucky where she visited plantations with slaves. She felt the message of slavery needed to be espoused clearly and loudly. She shared her frustrations and feelings of powerlessness with her family. It was then that her sister-in-law suggested she do more: “…if I could use a pen as you can, Hatty, I would write something that would make this whole nation feel what an accursed thing slavery is.” This letter touched Mrs. Stowe to the heart. She was determined to write “if [she] lived.”The story follows two lines. One is Tom who chooses to stay with his family rather than run away once he finds that he is to be sold to pay debts of the plantation owner. He hoped that his family would be able to stay together if he did not run. The second is Eliza who finds that her young son, Harry, is also to be sold for these debts. Eliza chooses to run away with Harry.We follow Eliza and Harry as they wind their way on escape routes, running just ahead of slave hunters, being protected by Quakers missionaries along the way to arrive safely in Canada. We also follow Tom from plantation owners who treat their slaves gently and kindly to being sold to a harsh slave trader who then sells Tom to other plantation owners. The final one is the cruel and violent Simon Legree.Slavery and the slave trade separated families, husbands from wives, mothers from children. Punishments, fierce and gruesome, showed that slaves were treated as less than human. Freedom came for some; others received promises of freedom, but when the master died suddenly or he racked up a lot of debt, those slaves were sold “down the river.”There are moments in the story filled with hope and love, people desiring to help others. There are times filled with cruelty and fear, people filled with hatred. Uncle Tom’s Cabin is fiction yet is based on a conglomerate portrait of slaves, owners, families, and abolitionists. It has the genuine mixture of story/subject, characters, settings, and emotions to make it a classic and a bestseller. It is an excellent story, although so hard and harsh at times, yet carried along with hope and love.AuthorHarriet Beecher was born June 14, 1811 in Litchfield, CT to the Rev. Lyman Beecher (1775-1863) and Roxanna Foote Beecher (1775- 1816); the sixth of 11 children. The Beechers expected their children to make a difference in the world, and they truly did: All seven sons became ministers (the most effective way to influence society in that period) Oldest daughter, Catharine pioneered education for women Youngest daughter, Isabella was a founder of the National Women’s Suffrage Association Harriet believed her purpose in life was to write. Her most famous work exposed the truth about the greatest social injustice of her day – human slaveryStowe began her formal education at Sarah Pierce’s academy, one of the earliest to encourage girls to study academic subjects and not simply ornamental arts. In 1824, she became a student and then a teacher at Hartford Female Seminary, which was founded by her sister Catharine.In 1851, The National Era’s publisher contracted with Stowe for a story that would “paint a word picture of slavery” and that would run in installments. Uncle Tom’s Cabin or Life Among the Lowly turned out to be more than 40 installments before it was published into a book.In all, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s writing career spanned 51 years, during which time she published 30 books and countless short stories, poems, articles, and hymns.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~This has been a book I have wanted to read for years and years. I finally decided it would fit into my library of Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson and Slavery by Another Name by Douglas A. Blackmon, two excellent non-fiction books.This book is 496 pages. I joined in Sue Jackson’s “Big Book Summer Challenge” @ Book By Book (as this book was over the 400 page minimum).
    • 2/5
      While I understand the book’s historical importance and appreciate its message, I had a really hard time getting through this for a couple of reasons. First, the religious rhetoric was very difficult for me. The long passages of religious posturing seemed to go on and on without end. Second, the characters are extremely one dimensional and idealized. Even the quite evil Legree is said to somehow see the wrong he is doing and still choose the path of evil. Third, there are entirely too many happy or sad coincidences. Characters randomly happen upon one another by chance. It took me out of the story at times. I am glad I re-read it (it has been years), and I value the importance of the work. However, I don’t think I will be reading again.Note: Read through DailyLit
    • 5/5
      Whatever your race, gender, nationality is, just read it. What more can I say?
    • 3/5
      interesting and eye opening account on slavery. but the fact that constantly new people were brought into the story confused me. i started to loose track of characters. and not so much was actually taking place in the " cabin". for sure a classic considering when it was written.
    • 4/5
      Within a few pages I quickly understood why they aren't teaching this one in schools anymore. It's not nearly so bad as adaptations would have you believe, but yeah, it's bad. The author's heart was clearly in the right place, but several times she assigns blanket characteristics to an entire race. It's a fascinating historical artifact, but far from politically correct by today's standards. What's most engaging about reading it now is its perfect capturing of the voice of its times. It's difficult to fathom a world where slavery is the number one pressing political issue, but here it is in all its grimness. This is no great work of literature - the author's insertions, the staggering pacing, and the giant Christianity club can be wearing - but every bit worth a read for a chilling visit to a not-distant-enough past.
    • 4/5
      Although the character Uncle Tom has been criticized for being too meek and utterly subservient, and too gentle and religious when maybe a real person would have been bitter and rebellious instead, that's hardly the point of this book.Stowe, the daughter of a preacher, opposed slavery on the grounds of her faith. That is evident throughout the book, and regardless of the reader's religious persuasion, the truth about slavery and its inherent injustice is brought to light and boldly condemned.In this book, she represented an entire range of slaves and slave-owners, from the persistent superlative meekness and gentleness of Uncle Tom to the desperate rebellion of others, and from the kindness of one slave-owner to the insane cruelty of Simon Legree. She draws special attention to the tragedy of mothers and children being separated and the inability of slaves to protect themselves or their families, and even the futility of a kind master's good intentions.
    • 5/5
      Excellent book from which to learn about slavery and the times.
    • 3/5
      Well, I'm pleased to say that I finally finished Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. I have always wanted to read this book given its status as an American classic, and that the author was considered to be the first 'serious' female American author. The novel was published in 1852 and addresses the issue of slavery in such a confronting and raw way that it would have been very difficult to ignore in its time. I must admit that I struggled to get through this one, as the dialogue of the characters is extremely authentic to the times and therefore difficult to follow. The subject matter is also quite heavy and religion is mentioned on almost every page. All in all, I can now see why this book is called a 'classic' and I'm really glad I persisted and finished it.Would I recommend it? That's difficult to say... if you like to challenge yourself every now and again by reading a classic (like I do) then sure, this is worth it.
    • 4/5
      A great book on slavery, an educational book (read it when I was 12...)
    • 4/5
      I hear references to Uncle Tom's Cabin all the time but had never read it before now. It took me over a month to read but it was worth it.The story follows Tom, a slave in Kentucky who is sold after his kind masters hit some hard times and have to settle a debt. He has the opportunity to run away with 2 other slaves, but opts to be sold because it is the will of his master and Tom's mission in life is to do as his master asks. As he is preparing to leave his family and his cabin his wife cooks his favorite breakfast one last time. That entire scene left me crying my eyes out.I think this is where the phrase, "sold up the river," comes from because he is sold and moves up the river. Good or bad, his story continues from there.It made me consider what it was truly like to live in the south in the 1850s, when her story was written. In fact, the funnest part of reading it for me (if reading about slavery can be considered fun) was knowing that it was written before the Civil War. I learned that some say this book, which was actually not a book but a serial installment released in a magazine of the time, was like a rattling saber, "starting" the Civil War! Abraham Lincoln met her and said, "So this is the little lady who made this big war"!!! Can you imagine?!The end of the book gets a little too religious for my taste, but I am able to forgive it considering the time period it was written in.Harriet Beecher Stowe did a brilliant job exploring every persons' aspect of slavery through her tale, which is partially based on true stories.
    • 3/5
      Many portions of this book are difficult to get through, you have to sound out the accented phonic spellings and I found it more distracting then illustrative. If you enjoyed Huckleberry Finn, and the language there didn't bother you, then it won't here either. Both books bothered me on that front.
    • 5/5
      I never knew that it was such a page turner! About halfway through the pace picked up so that I was avidly reading whenever I had a chance to see if George and Eliza would shake off their trackers, Uncle Tom would make it back to his family, what it would take to make Topsy reform and much more. How about that crazy Cassy, hmm? And poor Emmaline ... would someone save her before Simon Legree got his filthy hands on her? Wow!I never knew that Uncle Tom actually was a Christ-figure, a living saint. No wonder he is misunderstood by so many. They are not getting the whole picture.I never knew that so many sorts of people were represented throughout the book. The language can be rather stilted due to the style of the times but Stowe did a good job showing many different attitudes toward slavery and how people excused themselves under the flimsiest of excuses. One expects the broadly painted very good and very evil owners but not the more shaded in-between characters.It was fascinating toward the end of the book to see where many of the slaves wound up. One could discern what Stowe's ideas of a solution for the slavery problem were and, indeed, it was even more interesting to read her afterward where she discusses it specifically.I thought that Stowe included herself in the book as the maiden aunt from New England who thought she understood the problem until she came up against Topsy who demanded that she put her whole heart and soul into realizing that the slaves were real people. My daughter saw her as Mrs. Shelby, the kindly wife of Uncle Tom's original owner, who as soon as she got a chance absolutely did the right thing.
    • 3/5
      3.5 stars.Uncle Tom's Cabin was written in 1852. Tom and Eliza are slaves owned by Mr. Shelby, who is a kind master and treats his slaves well. However, when he has money problems, he must sell a couple of them to a slave trader - Tom, and Eliza's young son Harry, are sold. The book follows Tom one direction after he is sold, and Eliza and Harry in another direction as they run to escape Harry's unknown fate once the trader sells him; they are trying to reach Canada. I was surprised that this was much easier to read than I expected. I don't normally like books written in the 19th century (at least the few that I've attempted to read), so I wasn't sure how this would go. I actually quite liked the book.
    • 4/5
      Summary: Stowe blows the lid on slavery during the time when people were still insane enough to believe that it was an acceptable way of life.
    • 5/5
      Whatever your feelings about the characterizations in this book are, it is a true classic of literature. As a woman, Stowe had to please both herself and the male-dominated world she was writing for (both abolitionist and non-abolistionist), and she did so beautifully. Along with Gone With the Wind, the most important literary work of fiction concerning slavery. Pioignant in it's humany and rich in laguage, this is one of my favorite books. I can't believe I waited until I was in my 40s to read it, but I've read it twice now.
    • 5/5
      This book is so overwhelming good, I just don't know what to say, other than, I wish I had read it earlier in my life, and I wish all United States citizens and residents were required to read this. The author's "Concluding Remarks" alone are powerful enough to bring the reader to tears, and the whole book makes one question man's inhumanity to man in one of the darkest chapters of this planet's history. I feel spent just from having read it. I can't imagine all the poor souls who had to go through this...
    • 4/5
      Brutal and confronting portrait of American slavery.
    • 2/5
      The books message is great. The bravery in addressing the subject deserves our praise, but the quality of writing is atrocious. Although one of the best selling books ever, there are good reasons it never gets on anyone's "best" lists. Although you might care about poor Tom by the end you'll sure be glad it's over.

      Chapeter 18 starts out "Our friend Tom, in his own simple musings." Change Tom to Harriet and it's a done deal.
    • 5/5
      I read this in 8th grade and was duly taken by it. If I was not an abolitionist before I read it I certainly was one after I finished it.
    • 2/5
      Be advised that this is an abridged version. About 2/3 of the content from the original has been cut.
    • 5/5
      This is an amazing novel which is deservedly an all time classic. It is at various times, and sometimes at the same time, moving, horrific, grippingly exciting and comically funny. Like many 19th century novels, it has what to many modern readers seems to be excessive sentimentality, though in this context, it doesn’t seem excessive to me. The narrative also places a reliance on the role of religious faith and Christian virtue in overcoming adversity that may strike many readers especially in Western Europe as rather dated, though I find it very moving in this context of resisting oppression and injustice especially as articulated by the title character. From the historical point of view, there are a number of significant learning points. The life of a slave depended solely on the arbitrariness of having either a kind or a cruel master; the life of a slave belonging to a kind master may appear superficially quite reasonable but if that master dies or goes into debt, the slave can be sold off to a very different kind of master. Some “superior” slaves who acted as foremen on behalf of their master could be as cruel to other slaves as the masters themselves. Finally, and perhaps, most revealingly, is that both kind and cruel masters see their slaves as animals rather than humans, the kind master indulging them as many people do their pet dogs or cats, the cruel master doing worse, but neither of them understanding that the black man or woman could feel love for their family as much as the white man and fight to prevent their being sold off separately. This e-book edition contains a postscript by the author describing the sources for her narrative incidents. A profoundly moving and human book that should be read by everyone whatever their race or nationality.
    • 5/5
      This is a GREAT Book. It has humor, heartache, triumph, inspiration and reflection. Don't run away from this book because of the controversy of slavery.Give it a chance, you will not regret it.