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My Rating - 2 out of 5 stars
Publisher - Puffin Classics
Genre - Classic/Fiction
Publishing year - 1881
Language - English 
ISBN - 978-0-140-36749-2
Pages - 272



My Review - 

It is a story of two young boys, Edward and Tom Canty. One was born as a Prince of England, and another in a poor household. Fate brought them together, and they switched places due to identical resemblances. Tom, who always imagined being a royal, is now living his dream life. Edward, a gullible and gentle Prince who never knows the suffering of any kind, is starving, beaten, and called names. 

I picked this book because I watched The Princess Switch movie starring Vanessa Hudgens a few months back. A young princess switches places with a normal girl and finds love. Things will end on a good note. But I was naive to think Mark Twain's novel would be like this at all. 

A lot of movies and series are inspired by The Prince and The Pauper's book. But the real essence of this book is missing in all those tales. It is a kind of account that is difficult to conjecture. It depicted the harsh realities of culture when people were burned alive or hanged for petty offenses. Prince Edward witnessed these brutalities in his journey that changed the course of his life. 

Tom Canty's father and grandmother were abusive. They forced him and his two sisters to beg and beat them immensely without any remorse. When he switches places with Edward, the poor prince has endured all the humiliation. They both try to tell others the truth but are labeled insane. 

This is the first time I have read Mark Twain's book, but I am unsure if I will pick up his work again anytime soon. The reason is his writing and narratives; complex language did no good to me. This novel puts me nearly in a reading slump. But at the same time, I like how we wrote this historical fiction with accurate details of gentlefolk and elites. The different characters support the leads and help them reach their destinations despite their own miseries. I will not recommend this book, but if you are into classics, give this a try. 

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