Book Review: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

***Scroll to the bottom for my rating***

As some of you have seen or heard me talk about, since I don't shut up about my reading goals, one of my many goals this year is to explore more classic literature. In my previous experiences with classic lit, I found authors I truly enjoyed and some not so much. Mark Twain is somewhere in the middle for me. 

This was my first tandem read of the year, floating between Audible to listen and my library book to read; it was a fun way to get through this title. The narrator, Nick Offerman, was very entertaining to listen to. 

With The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, I liked following a boy's journey through adolescence without taking him to adulthood. It was also endearing that some of these stories and characters are real. Although with different names, Twain makes it known that he utilized adventures from his and his friends's childhoods and enjoyed thinking of these tales as such. 

This added concern about these events' outcomes, leaving the reader wondering if the real person behind the story held the same fate. I especially enjoyed the consistent reminder of Tom's naivety, including his lack of knowledge of some things and how they'd play. Yet, Tom was still great at outwitting the other boys in his town. But, regardless of how brilliant Tom was in a street sense, he continued to land himself in trouble. 

My setbacks with this book were not with Twain's writing or the plot but that this writing is from a different time. Societal norms are different, and the people and location are also far different from the people and places I've had the pleasure of encountering throughout my life. So, putting myself in Tom's shoes or any of the other characters was hard. One of my favorite parts of the reading experience is being able to put myself into the story. For the reasons listed and some additional unknown factors, I could not connect with it in that way. 

Although I had a hard time relating to the story, I plan to read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in the near future. I enjoyed Huck's involvement in Tom's story and wouldn't mind reading more about him. 

After reading this book, I see why Mark Twain is considered a classic writer. Regardless of societal changes over time, the elements of childhood and boyhood are timeless. His writing style is descriptive but not overbearing, and his dialogue is entertaining. Because of these reasons, I am rating The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 3 out of 5 stars.

If you are into classic literature or want to try something different from your norm, I'd recommend trying Mark Twain. 

As always, thanks for reading! 💜

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️