I first read this as a teenager having watched one of the movies (I think it was the musical). The famous fence scene being uppermost in my memory.

It was nice reading it again with my 11yo. She was quite reluctant as she's sort of on the edge of outgrowing my reading to her. However, I do the southern accent quite well if I do say so myself and we read it over several months, in bite-size installments. 

Our overall comment is "he ah!", which is a typical Chinese Singaporean exclamation of exasperation at boys. He is the epitome of that rascally, egotistical yet so charming small males that cause hypertension in every female he encounters. The upside being that he makes the actual boys we know, much less troublesome and full of mischief. 

Yes, the language and dialects are strong, however, I suppose I'm used to it having watched a lot of American media. It is also very much a product of its time. I explained to my 11yo why I wasn't reading a certain word, because despite it being of the time, it still makes me uncomfortable. 

I do not suggest reading it to a boy of a certain natural inclination because it will definitely give them ideas!