Home :: Books :: Audiocassettes  

Arts & Photography
Audio CDs
Audiocassettes

Biographies & Memoirs
Business & Investing
Children's Books
Christianity
Comics & Graphic Novels
Computers & Internet
Cooking, Food & Wine
Entertainment
Gay & Lesbian
Health, Mind & Body
History
Home & Garden
Horror
Literature & Fiction
Mystery & Thrillers
Nonfiction
Outdoors & Nature
Parenting & Families
Professional & Technical
Reference
Religion & Spirituality
Romance
Science
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Sports
Teens
Travel
Women's Fiction
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

List Price: $22.95
Your Price: $15.61
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 4 .. 23 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Tom Sawyer, a Must Read Classic!
Review: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain is a wonderful book. It is an energetic tale of a mischievious boy, based on Twain's own youth, with some fictional items thrown in. The story follows Tom Sawyer as he goes from antagonizing his Aunt Polly, to searching for treasure, from conning his peers, tohanging out with his best friend Huckleberry Finn. His life changes dramaticaly though when he and Huck witness the brutal murder of a man by a notorious lawbreaker. The lawbreaker, an Indian named Joe, blames the murder on the town drunk, Muff Potter. Can Tom go against his oath with Huck to stay quiet, and proves Muff's innocence? Or will he keep quiet and send Muff to his death, just to safe himself from the murderous Injun Joe? You will have to read the book to find out!
In my opinion, this is one of the greatest books ever written. Mark Twain has a way of describing the intricacies of childhood behavior so that kids know what he is saying, and also at the same time, he can describe the same in an adult, refined, manner so that grown ups can fully comprehend what is going on. If you have not read this book yet, you are truly missing out on a well written classic. This novel has been read for over 100 years, and I believe that it shall be read for another 100 years.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Tom Sawyer: A Piece of the Past That Should Not Be Forgotten
Review: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is one of the best books I have ever read. The language,the thinking,the adventures-all of it was just incredible and enjoyable. The only thing this book needs is more pages! Mark Twain's skill in writing has created a book that all ages should read (or have it read to).Mark Twain reactivates the life and actions of a boy in the mid-1800's,and showed me that kids should be who they are- not what they will be. This is a classic for every generation to read and enjoy.

Mark Twain's,The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, tells about a boy loving and living his life to the fullest. Tom Sawyer is the kid that the world has seemed to forgotten. He is the kid who always get in trouble but continues to have fun with life. In this book, Tom does everything from being engaged, to watching his own funeral, to witnessing a [death] and finding treasure. Twain's creative character finds fun everywhere in his little town in Missouri, as do his friends. The storyline is basic, but it is a piece of the past that everyone should hold on to.

In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, I learned mainly two things. The first thing I learned was that you can make life fun with just about anything if you use your imagination. Life is too short and precious to be wasted. I also learned that where you least expect it [help or protection], you might just get it. This book was just amazing-filled with unique characters, exciting events, and how a town can pull together to help those in need.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Review: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain, is a very tricky book. It portrays the image of a child's novel, when in fact it is an equally great read for adults. Yes, it is a story of childhood, but it inspires adventure for the young, and revives it for the old. Something that everyone needs to do.
Murder. It's a serious thing no matter what age you are. Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn both knew this when they witnessed the homicide of Dr. Robinson while they were attempting to rid themselves of warts at the town graveyard. Injun Joe committed the murder, but he took advantage of Muff Potter's drunkenness and Muff gets blamed for the crime. Tom and Huck decide to swear by an oath of blood that they will never tell a soul, but when it finally comes down to it, Tom breaks the oath in order to testify that Muff is innocent and that Injun Joe was the real culprit.
Unfortunately, Joe escapes from the courthouse in the nick of time and Tom and Huck begin to fear for their lives. In this fright, they run away for quite a long time, and the townsfolk start believing that they're dead. One night, Tom sneaks back to his house. As he's peaking through the window, and finds his Aunt Polly weeping over him with sorrow. He realizes that he should come back home, and he happens to return on the day of his funeral, surprising everyone. Now that he's become the envy of the town, his former love, Becky Thatcher, takes a liking to him again, and they get lost in a cave together. While the two children's families' search for them, Tom and Becky stumble across Injun Joe hiding out in the cave. With a lot of luck, they make it out of the cave as fast as they can, escaping Injun Joe once again. The town closes the cave up when they find out that Joe is stashing himself inside and he dies of starvation.
Mark Twain disguised this book as a simple story, but its crafty slang and emotionally stirring power tells me otherwise. Reading about a serious, horrific event such as murder, through the eyes of a young trouble-making boy, is a perspective that will bring out the child in everyone, no matter what age they are and no matter what they're expecting the book to be like.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Greatest Story Ever Told
Review: "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" is a wonderous tale of childhood, mixed with fact and fiction, from Mark Twain's own life, as well as those of several childhood friends. Tom Sawyer is the mischevious, imaginative, intuitive child we all once dreamed of being, if only for a day. Huck Finn is the outcast, shunned by the adults, and envied by all the children. Becky Thatcher is the girl that steals away Tom's heart, and breaks it more than once.
Here is a brief summary of the four distinct adventures intertwined within the main story, including the graveyard adventure, The Jackson's Island adventure, the treasurehunt adventure, and the cave adventure.
In the first adventure, Tom and Huck Finn stroll out to the graveyard along midnight attempting to cure warts with a dead cat. They inadvertanly come upon a grave robbery, perpetrated by Injun Joe, Muff Potter, and Dr. Robinson. When Injun Joe demands more money from Robinson, a fight ensues, and Muff is knocked out. To Tom and Huck's horror they witness Injun Joe murder the doctor. The two flee moments before Muff comes to, and Injun Joe lays the blame on him. Tom and Huck swear an oath never to tell a living soul what they saw; something which later on weighs heavy more on Tom's shoulder's, than Huck's.
In the Jackson Island adventure, Tom, feeling rejected by Becky Thatcher, and the world in general, runs away from home with Huck Finn and his bosom friend Joe Harper. On the island the three children hunt, play, fish, and learn to smoke, until becoming home sick. Tom steals away in the middle of night to find out wether or not his family misses him. Not only does he discover that they do, much to his delight, but that they are presumed dead, and will be holding a funeral for them. A plan is born in Tom's mind, namely to attend their own funeral and make a grand entrance. And what an antrance they do make!
In the treasurhunting adventure, Tom and Huck hit upon the idea of searching for treasure. Tom is certain there must be some kind of fortune hidden somewhere within the abandoned homes of St. Petersburg. When he and Huck explore one such home, their adventure is interrupted when two men arrive. One man is a stranger, the other man, a "deaf and dumb Spaniard" seen around town of late turns out to be Injun Joe, much to the boys horror. These men are at the home planning a job when Injun Joe finds an actual treasure buried long ago by Murrell's Gang, it is supposed. Tom and Huck are awe-struck at such a glittering sight; but are heartbroken when the men leave with the treasure. From that moment they begin a dangerous mission to track these men, in the hopes of stealing away the money.
In the final adventure, Tom, and Becky Thacther, become lost in the cave they are exploring during a picnic. There is an immediate rush to find a way out, which only leads to further confusion. Suddenly, the two realize they may die in the cave, if they can't find a way out. Their struggle continues as they search deeper in the cave. Becky, weak with hunger, pleads with Tom to go on without her. However, he is too much the chivalrous one, and refuses. In their plight, Tom sees a shadow and calls out, as he runs toward it. His relief is rapidly turned to shock when he sees the face of the man - Injun Joe. Luckily for Tom, Injun Joe does not recognize his voice, and makes a mad dash for safety. Tom and Becky are left to continue their search, and when all hope seems to be fading, a way out is finally found.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: YUCK !YUCK! YUCK!
Review: This book was required at our school to read as an assignment and it was dreadful! IT seemed nice to read a known "classic" but this was NO classic it horrible! It had no story, the charaters were lame, the plot was-yuck! and the way the talk was just difficult to understand.Seriously, if you are choosing something to read this is definitely NOT the book, unless your trying to find a book that you'll snooze all the way through it!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Imbedded in the American mind
Review: I can't paint the fence in front of my house without thinking of Twain's TOM SAWYER or HUCK FINN. But besides that, these two classics are imbedded within the American mind--they're really as important to us as the Statue of Liberty and the Jefferson Memorial. So many books that have followed owe a debt to Twain, either for their use of the child narrator voice, the humor, or the insight into the human condition. Lee's TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD comes to mind, as does McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD, Salinger's CATCHER IN THE RYE, and a host of others. Sawyer is a gem of a book and the term "Classic" doesn't even begin to cover it. As corny as this sounds, SAWYER is as American as apple pie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Twain's use of satire in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Review: In this book, the author, Mark Twain shows his insights into humanity by portraying them through the eyes of a naive young boy. Twain shows the flaws in humans by nature and also the good side of humans. The flaws are more of a focus in this book in my opinion, flaws that are poked at by satire. Many things, everyday things, are turned into a satire in this book. Although some things are blatantly made fun of, the literary device of satire is one used most often to do so. Things that are part of everyday peoples' lives, such as religion, are portrayed in a comical spoof way. The feeling that Twain had a bad experience with organized religion is one that every reader should get from the text. Or, perhaps it is his belief that organized religion is for those superficial and shallow. The kind of people that are insecure about what other people think of them, so since others are going to church and getting involved they will too. I feel the same way that Twain does about this such thing. All in all, his use of this literary device strengthens the book, giving it not only substance but entertainment value. Twain is able to take a random and normal setting and make it special to the reader. Set in early southern 1900's America, a place where not very much went on, he took the life of a young boy and made it entertaining, good literature. Tom Sawyer, a typical misbehaved young boy growing up through grade school, is the protagonist of this book. Twain makes him a literary character that one can never forget, a simple character, yet one that will always parallel someone that one may encounter. This book is filled with many unforgettable characters, such as Tom, Aunt Polly, and Huck. Twain is undoubtedly one of the best American writers that has yet to write, many of his writing styles and techniques have been the basis of many other stories. He wrote at a time where fantasy was almost not appropriate. The status quo of literature was one that showed the real truths of life, this most likely because of the aftermath of the Civil War. This period of American literature is called Realism, because there was no fantasy, there was no romanticism and there was no outrageous fiction. People wanted to see the cold hard truth in that grim time. A country always has to grieve after such a thing as a war, and it is a process. From this process of grieving we were given the period of realism. Twain was, and is, the most popular author of this period, because his writing was simple, yet so entertaining. In this particular book, he used many literary devices to strengthen his text. All throughout the book Tom is portrayed vividly in the reader's imagination, reminding us all of simpler times. Twain's satire of this period is humorous and enjoying to read. Twain pokes fun at the popular things of his time such as, convention and proper etiquette. The literary device of satire backs Twain's text and enhances the reading experience of the book.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the few classics for all ages and all readers
Review: I first read this when I was about 12 years old and bored out of my mind one summer. I discovered an old tattered copy among my father's faded leather-bound tomes on a shelf in our hallway. By the end of the first chapter I was hooked. This was the first, and remains one of the very few books I've EVER read that I literally could not put down once I got started. I remember effortlessly reading over 100 pages of it one day (and getting a stiff neck as a result) and being amazed that I was able to read so much in a few hours and that I even enjoyed every minute of it. This is the ultimate book for reluctant boy readers. Tom and Huck are two of the greatest character creations in all of American literature. And their adventures are sheer pleasure to read. Once the reader finds himself in the graveyard with the dead cat at midnight, that's it. He's a Twain fan for life.

To this day I find Tom Sawyer a much more fun book to read than Huck Finn. And I think that even for today's Internet and MTV generation, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer can rival anything, even the ubiquitous Harry Potter books for holding a reluctant reader's interest. 25 stars out of 5!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Tom Sawyer
Review: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain is a wonderful book about a young mischievous boy growing up in Missouri in the late 1800's. It is a fun novel to read. You will never be bored and you will never grow tired of the adventures Tom has. He plays hooky, imitates Robin Hood and learns to have fun with what he has. He has adventure after adventure. He tricks kids to whitewash a fence that he was supposed to be whitewashing. He lives on his own for a while on an island pretending to be pirates. He witnesses a murder and releases the truth about the killer at the trail. The killer is shut in a cave and dies of starvation. Tom and Huck find his treasure, that they seen him hide one night, and claim it as their own.

Mark Twain is an excellent author. He makes all of the characters believable and seem as if that was you in your early childhood. Tom is a well-built character; he is fun and sees everything through a child point of view, which is what the reader sees because Tom is telling the story. Huck is the boy that everybody looks up to and that the boy that everybody wants to be. Overall this book was a great book that kept me reading it and wanting to read more.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: It's a must to read
Review: The book I read was The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer. I really like this book because it talk about all the adventures that Tom did trough the book. He tried to go away to see if his family will care for him. I really encourage kids to read this book because it has adventures that kids go trough.


<< 1 2 3 4 .. 23 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates