Product Description

From the famous episodes of the whitewashed fence and the ordeal in the cave to the trial of Injun Joe, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is redolent of life in the Mississippi River towns in which Twain spent his own youth. A somber undercurrent flows through the high humor and unabashed nostalgia of the novel, however, for beneath the innocence of childhood lie the inequities of adult reality—base emotions and superstitions, murder and revenge, starvation and slavery

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #64049 in Books
• Published on: 2007-01-25
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

About the Author
Mark Twain is the pseudonym of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910). He was born in Missouri, USA. He travelled around America, seeking fame and fortune before returning to become a steam-boat pilot on the Mississippi River, where he had grown up. Later he became a successful journalist and travel writer. In 1876 <I>The Adventures of Tom Sawyer</I>, inspired by his own childhood, was published, followed eight years later by <I>The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. </I>

Customer Reviews

Growing into a Man
Tom Sawyer is the first great coming of age American novel. In addition, Tom Sawyer is one of the most endearing characters in American fiction. This wonderful book deals with all the challenges that any young person faces, and resolves them in exciting and unusual ways.

Like many young people, Tom would rather be having fun than going to school and church. This desire to enjoy life is always getting him into trouble, from which he finds unusual and imaginative solutions. One of the great scenes in this book has Tom persuading his friends to help him whitewash a fence by making them think that nothing could be finer than doing his punishment for playing hooky from school. When I first read this story, it opened up my mind to the potential power of persuasion.

Tom also is given up for dead and has the unusual experience of watching his own funeral and hearing what people really thought of him. That's something we all should be able to do. By imagining what people will say at our funeral, we can help establish the purpose of our own lives. Mark Twain has given us a powerful tool for self-examination in this wonderful sequence.

Tom and Huck Finn also witness a murder, and have to decide how to handle the fact that they were not supposed to be there and their fear of retribution from the murderer, Injun Joe.

Girls are a part of Tom's life, and Becky Thatcher and he have a remarkable adventure in a cave with Injun Joe. Any young person will remember the excitement of being near someone they cared about alone in this vignette.

Tom stands for the freedom that the American frontier offered to everyone. His aunt Polly represents the civilizing influence of adults and towns. Twain sets up a rewarding novel that makes us rethink the advantages of both freedom and civilization. In this day of the Internet frontier, this story can still provide valuable lessons about listening to our inner selves and acting on what they have to say. Enjoy looking for fun in new ways!

A classic story of boyhood
Whatever age you are, this book is sure to enjoyed by all. Some people will read it as a purely entertaining account of the childhood of an over-imaginative but loveable boy. Even today, Toms exploits reverberate with growing up, and the pure joy of being young and free. Sadly, in a world of growing regulation and overprotectiveness by parents, some of the adventures of Tom Sawyer will not sadly be enjoyed by todays average twelve-year-old, but are still sure to be understood and provide amusement to all young people.

It is difficult to compare this novel with Huckleberry Finn, and at times seems to be written by a different author. That said, it typifies much of Mark Twain, and the area of the US in which he grew up, without relating too much to the serious issues that lie just under the surface of Huck Finn.

Overall, it is a book that deserves to be read, preferably as a child, and by those [slightly older people] that remember growing up and getting up to some of Toms adventures as a child, and want to reminisce.

Great for kids and adult alike
I love this book. Whether you're a kid or an adult, this book will delight. It conjures up wonderful images of life in America at this time and you can't help but be enchanted by the adventures Tom gets himself involved in, as well as the childhood rituals (simple things like swapping toys and playing in woods!) he takes part in, that we all did and don't realise we miss until reading a book like this. This is a delightful book about childhood and adventure. Superb.