Mark Twain - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Recently I bought this truly beautiful book which is a collection of Mark Twain stories because I've always wanted to read his work, any of it, so when I found this collection I got really excited and bought it because it was relatively cheap in comparison to the recommended retail price.  I decided to read one of the stories every so often because it's huge and there are five stories altogether.  This will also allow me to review the individual stories with more detail like Gena Showalter's Dark Beginnings anthology.

Mark Twain's novels are American Classics and are rooted in the South and a lot of his work is influenced by his experiences and where he has lived; Twain worked as a riverboat pilot which is said to be the influence behind The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as well his living in the town that these stories are set in.

Rating: 5

Recommended To: Classic lovers

Favourite Characters: Huckleberry Finn - more likeable out of him and Tom

Favourite Part: "Huckleberry Finn, indeed!  It ain't a name to open many doors, I judge!  But let him I, lads, and let's see what's the trouble."
"Please don't ever tell I told you," were Huck's first words when he got in.  "Please don't - I'd be killed, sure - but the widow's been good friends to me sometimes, and I want to tell - I will tell if you'll promise you won't ever say it was me."
"By George, he has got something to tell, or he wouldn't act so!" exclaimed the old man; "out with it and nobody here'll ever tell, lad." - Page 147-8 

Good Points: Tom's imagination; Tom is more than a mischievous kid

Bad Points: Seemed random at the beginning

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer focuses on Tom Sawyer, a mischievous young man, who skates by on everything because he tricks people into doing his chores so he can go off and do whatever he likes, whether he is spends time with friends or alone.  Tom lives with his Aunt Polly, his cousin Mary, and half-brother Sid and two of his best friends are Huckleberry Finn and Joe Harper, who come along on his adventures; he is also infatuated with Becky Thatcher, his classmate.

I loved how Tom used his imagination; he truly is a dreamer.  Twain captured a child's imagination really well as this mischievous young man distracts himself from everyday life with little random adventures as a pirate or whatever else his imagination can come up with by himself or with his friends.  I found this relatable because I had quite a vivid imagination when I was younger and was running about with my friends even though I was supposed to be doing chores or something less boring; I understand Tom's need for a distraction so I enjoyed it when he was pretending to a pirate or something more so than anything else.

What was great as well is that Tom is actually more than a mischievous kid, trying to get away with doing what he wants; he is manipulative and has the potential to be the villain in any story because he tricks his "friends" into doing his chores for him.  This was enjoyable for me because he was just a normal character who wasn't inherently bad or good but had potential to be either because as well as his manipulative nature, he also cares for his family and friends and inevitably does the right thing in the end.

Though I found many of Tom's qualities great and relatable because they were amusing, I found that I didn't like him overall as a character and preferred Huckleberry Finn as he has a sweeter and more innocent nature in comparison to Tom which I found endearing.  It wasn't that I detested Tom, I just didn't find him likeable apart from some little parts of his personality.  Huck had a stronger sense of right and wrong and from my point of view, he was the hero of this story in the end rather than Tom because he stood up against the villain in the end which Tom only did when he knew Huck would.  Huck is the unappreciated character in this story because of his father being the town drunk which I think is awful because he could be smart for all anyone knows and no one will really give him a chance.

I found this book really hard to focus on from the beginning because it flitted between random adventures that Tom was going on and there wasn't a main focus until nearer the end when he and Huck witnessed a crime.  Due to the lack of focus until the end, I found that this story didn't appeal as much to me and while I wouldn't rush to read it again, I would say it's worth a read for anyone that loves American Classics.  If there was more focus from the beginning, I might have enjoyed this more even though I am completely aware that this story is called The ADVENTURES of Tom Sawyer; if there had been only one, I might have complained about that too.

"Huckleberry Finn, indeed!  It ain't a name to open many doors, I judge!  But let him I, lads, and let's see what's the trouble."
"Please don't ever tell I told you," were Huck's first words when he got in.  "Please don't - I'd be killed, sure - but the widow's been good friends to me sometimes, and I want to tell - I will tell if you'll promise you won't ever say it was me."
"By George, he has got something to tell, or he wouldn't act so!" exclaimed the old man; "out with it and nobody here'll ever tell, lad." - Page 147-8

I loved this part because it's the first time that someone other than Tom Sawyer and some of his friends listens to Huckleberry Finn, especially a grown up because he's the town drunk's son and not worth their time in some people's minds because of this but then this gentleman listens to the desperate and frightened boy as Huck pleads with the man and his sons to save someone's life.  Maybe it's because I like Huck more than I like Tom and can't wait to read his story but this is my opinion.

While I didn't enjoy this story as much as I thought I would, as I said, I would recommend it to those who enjoy American Classics or looking to get into them as Tom has great potential as a character and has a great imagination to carry various adventures.  This may be a good story for older children, maybe eleven or older (secondary school), to start reading as the language may be difficult to understand as it is written in a more South American dialect, further setting the scene.

Other Books by Mark Twain