The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain Narrator: William Dufris
Length: 7 Hours 33 Mintues
Also by this author: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Published by Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated on 2006
Genres: Classics, Fiction
Pages: 231
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
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From the famous episodes of the whitewashed fence and the ordeal in the cave to the trial of Injun Joe,The Adventures of Tom Sawyeris 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. In his introduction, noted Twain scholar John Seelye considers Twain’s impact on American letters and discusses the balance between humorous escapades and serious concern that is found in much of Twain’s writing. This new edition includes a new text and, for the first time, explanatory notes
Why Did I Listen To This Book?
When I was a little kid, my family had this Tandy computer and on that computer was an Adventures of Tom Sawyer game in 8 bit glory. You had to walk through this maze and collect fruit and then Aunt Polly would yell at you and there was fence painting. I just really loved that game. After having The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer on my Audible app on my phone for years there was some sort of culmination of weather and an impulse to listen to Mark Twain’s classic story of childhood. So, I fired up the app and here we are with this review of the audiobook. Note – I went into this having read and listened to The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn first and that was narrated by Elijah Wood, so my expectations were kind of high for William Dufris’s narration of this seminal work.
What’s The Story Here?
Really The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain is the story of a boy and his friends and their adventures. I think pretty much everyone knows about Tom being punished by having to whitewash the fence and then he goes and tricks his friends into painting the fence for him and giving him their treasures on top of that. Which, btw he’s like the best trader ever and uses those toys to trade for tickets to get a Sunday School bible, which results in hilarity. So, anyways, there’s murders, there’s a new girl, there’s gold and treasure. There’s our bae – Huckleberry Finn. There are a ton of adventures going down in this story and that’s all you really need to know before picking this book up.
What Did I Think Of Tom Sawyer?
I liked Twain’s precursor to Huckleberry Finn a lot. I mean, I don’t think it’s as good as Huckleberry Finn — but honestly, this is a fun book. It’s just one of those childhood reads with adventure and silliness and without really what I felt was some big life lesson. Tom’s just a boy who has adventures and who isn’t quite as wild as his BFF Huck. That’s all.
How’s The Narration?
To be quite honest, the narration of The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer left something to be desired. I did not like it as much as Elijah Wood’s narration of Huckleberry Finn. Maybe I am comparing too much but I am human and it cannot be helped. I did tune out off and on while listening. I don’t know. I didn’t love William Dufris’s narration. That’s all. I think I might need to try to re-read this in hard copy.
Sum It Up With A GIF:
Becky and Tom forever y’all.
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You liked this more than I did. There were a lot of things to like about it, but the subject matter is heavy for a book that reminds me a little of MG. Great review!
I recently reread this with my kids, and I remember liking it more as a child. Maybe it ran together with Huck Finn in my mind. I will have to check out the audio when I reread Huck. That sounds great.