The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer (Family Audio Classics)

Rating:
Summary: A return to childhood.
Review: Although I have always enjoyed Mark Twain's work--his Diary of Adam and Eve is one of my favorites--I've never read Tom Sawyer. Recently I found a small book from the Barnes-Nobel collector's library and decided to read it. That particular issue is probably not the best to use, especially for a first introduction because it is badly edited and exhibits an inordinant number of spelling errors and misplaced words. Certainly for a volume one will use for quotations in any paper one writes a better copy, like the one above, would be more desireable.

Despite his depression in later years, Mark Twain captures the sly sense of humor and dry wit that is a characteristic of American humorous writers: O'Henry and Will Rogers, among them. This is well illlustrated in Tom Sawyer, a novel about being a kid, not just in the 1880s but any time. Twain gets right into the heart and mind of childhood, it's myths, superstitions, trials and victories, even it's great philosophies: "He had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it, namely, that in order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain (p. 25)." (The latter a gloss on the whitewashing of Aunt Polly's fence.)

Truly a Twain and truly a joy.

For THOSE WRITING PAPERS: in English literature. How might Twain stack up against a modern humorist? What types of things make this a "dated" work? Why does that datedness appeal to many readers. How is Tom like modern children? Mark Twain was an adult when he wrote the book. Do you think that that fact makes the story less about a child and how he views the world and more about how an adult remembers being a child? Watch a film about Tom Sawyer. How has Hollywood reworked the story? Does seeing some of Tom's adventures help one enjoy them more? Or does getting "inside his head" through the book make it more enjoyable?

Rating:
Summary: Delightful
Review: Here is a truly rare gem -- a classic book which can also be described as "easy reading." Most books which inhabit the world of famous literature demand a great deal of concentration and reflection on the part of the reader in order to be properly understood and appreciated. Not so Tom Sawyer. This is a breezy and light-hearted book which takes the reader on a journey through the innocent and universal adventures of boyhood. Mark Twain was a writer who was completely in touch with his "inner child." I doubt that any adult could read this book without recognizing pieces of themselves in the thoughts and actions of Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, Becky Thatcher, and the other characters. They dig for buried treasure, play with captured insects during class, and keep the adults in constantly revolving states of worry, agitation, and relief.

Humor abounds throughout this story. Every chapter practically commands you to smile and reminisce about your own childhood adventures. Serious morals about honesty, compassion, greed, love, jealousy, justice, and responsibility are numerous here as well, but they are presented in such a quaint and unpretentious manner that they are easily digested by readers of any age. I have a one year-old nephew who will definitely be receiving this book as a birthday present in a few years

Rating:
Summary: One of the best!
Review: Set on the 19th century river banks of Mark's Twain hometown, the Adventures of Tom Sawyer takes you on the raft ride of your life. It is starts by a synopsis of the character of Tom and his friends, by cataloging a few of the queer things that they involved themselves in. Nonetheless as the story unfolds it deepens into a more serious nature. Tom and his friend Huck witness a murder. Moff Potter the town drunk, is accused of the crime and only Tom and Huck can save him. However, they fear that the real killer Injun Joe,will exact his vengeance on them. The story ends in the last scene with a dark rendition of finalty in the cave with wild Injun Joe. Tom and Huck end up rich with more than a dollar a day for the rest of their life.. " More than a body can handle".. This is a truly a remarkable book and a must for every young boy. It is filled with laughter, suspense and cheer for those of all ages and gender..But don't think it ends there.. Just wait till you read the adventures of Huck Finn!