The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer

The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer
by Mark Twain

Download Book
(Respecting the intellectual property of others is utmost important to us, we make every effort to make sure we only link to legitimate sites, such as those sites owned by authors and publishers. If you have any questions about these links, please contact us.)

link 1
link 2
link 3
link 4
link 5

About Book

From School Library Journal
Grade 5 Up-British actor Mike McShane provides a superb portrayal of Mark Twain's classic characters, nailing the Mississippi drawl and cadence. For those who know and love the story or are following along with an unabridged edition, however, this production is marred somewhat by what the publisher has chosen to leave out. The more descriptive chapters are shortened or expurgated entirely, which is understandable in the interest of editing for time. Some of the more distasteful racial epithets are gone as well, although Injun Joe retains his moniker. Sid and Mary are also cut entirely, as well as references to smoking, slavery, most of Tom's ludicrously funny romantic notions about the violence inflicted by pirates and robbers, and even the naked figure in the schoolmaster's anatomy book. The result is a watered down Tom and, especially, Huck. The ending also lacks the satisfaction of the original version. The party scene where the fortune is revealed has been cut as has Twain's concluding paragraphs which "endeth this chronicle." It lacks even the closure of the customary, "You have been listening to-." The sturdy plastic case will survive many circulations. If your facility serves an elementary-age population for which the language of the original would not be appropriate, or there is a teacher looking for a sanitized version, McShane's excellent performance makes this edition worth recommending.
Diana Dickerson, White Pigeon Community Schools, MI
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Huckleberry Finn may be the greater book, but Tom Sawyer has always been more widely read. Moreover, it is a book that can be enjoyed equally by both children and adults. Twain, who called it a "hymn" to boyhood, would be thrilled that in narrator Patrick Fraley his hymn has found its most passionate voice. Many good unabridged readings of Tom Sawyer have already been recorded, but most are simply that: readings. Fraley's performance is something more; in attempting to bring each character to life, his enthusiasm for the material is so palpable that the mere sound of his voice commands attention. A can't-miss addition to all libraries, including those that have other Tom Sawyer programs. Kent Rasmussen, Thousand Oaks, CA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Parents' Choice®
A captivating version of Mark Twain's classic yarn about an orphan growing up on the Mississippi. The narrator's voice resembles Twain's; he uses Twain's language. The reader for Tom does an exceptional job. A few of the minor characters sound forced, but don't ruin the performance. For all ages. A 1999 Parents' Choice® Recommendation. (Parents' Choice®)

From AudioFile
[Editor's Note: The following is a combined review with THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN.]--Recorded over a decade ago, these volumes suffer from a few bad edits and sound quality inferior to today's standards. Tim Behrens does a spirited job performing both, fully voicing the characters and keeping his touch light. But he adds an inappropriately mincing quality to the children and women he impersonates and emphasizes the low humor. These are definitely not the most profound interpretations of these classics but are amusing enough for the casual listener. Y.R. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

AudioFile Magazine April/May 2002
"Fraley has many virtues: a gift for voices and dialect, incredible energy, an obvious and infectious delight in his material."

Billboard, 12/01/95
"The humor and high-spirited adventure of Mark Twain’s classic are here in full in this exuberant performance."

Billboard, 12/01/95
"This is that rare audiobook that can truly be enjoyed by all ages."

KLIATT, May 1996
"Show me a finer recording, and I reckon I’ll eat it, by Jimminy!"

VOYA, February 2004
"His clear, distinct, resolute voice is filled with a liveliness... in a reading to be enjoyed by all ages."

Billboard, Dec. 1, 1995
"The humor and high-spirited adventure of Mark Twain's classic are here in full in this exuberant performance. Fraley, a veteran voice-over actor who has provided voices for thousands of cartoons, radio shows, and commercials, tells the story in a lively country twang and energetically acts out all the parts, offering a veritable one-man show. Especially entertaining are the scenes in which Tom wheedles his way our to trouble wit his aunt, tries to charm Becky Thatcher, or gets into a heated argument with a schoolmateFraley effortlessly switches back and forth between voices, throwing himself into each part with gusto. This is that rare audiobook that can truly be enjoyed by all ages."

Review
"Twain had a greater effect than any other writer on the evolution of American prose."

Book Description

Here is one of the great American novels, illustrated by one of this country's most distinguished artists.

Readers will enjoy the antics of that irrepressible boy-hero, Tom, who lies to his Aunt Polly and still is forgiven, wins the heart of Becky Thatcher by getting whipped at school, gets out of whitewashing a fence by tricking his friends into doing it, and has dangerous adventures with his sidekick Huckleberry Finn but emerges unscathed.

Barry Moser's seventeen unforgettable watercolors bring Mark Twain's beloved novel to life in this deluxe gift edition that readers will want to return to again and again.

The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature
(in full The Adventures of Tom Sawyer) Novel by Mark Twain, published in 1876. Tom Sawyer, an enduring narrative of youthful escapades, is perhaps Twain's best book for a juvenile audience. The setting is a small Mississippi River town in the 1830s, and the characters are the grownups and the children of the town. The book's nostalgic attitude and its wistful re-creation of pre-Civil War life are humorously spiced by its main character, Tom Sawyer. Rather than the preternaturally "model boy" of Sunday-school stories, Tom is mischievous and irresponsible but goodhearted. Although Thomas Bailey Aldrich's Story of a Bad Boy was published seven years before it, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn changed the course of American writing and gave the first deeply felt vision of boyhood in juvenile literature.

Card catalog description
The adventures and pranks of a mischievous boy growing up in a Mississippi River town on the early nineteenth century.

From the Publisher
Sparkling with mischief, jumping with youthful adventure, Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer is one of the most splendid re-creations of childhood in all of literature. It is a lighthearted romp, full of humor and warmth. It shares with its sequel, Huckleberry Finn, not only a set of unforgettable characters--Tom, Huck, Aunt Polly and others--but a profound understanding of humanity as well. Through such hilarious scenes as the famous fence-whitewashing incident, Twain gives a portrait--perceptive yet tender--of a humanity rendered foolish by his own aspirations and obsessions. Written as much for adults as for young boys and girls, Tom Sawyer is the work of a master storyteller performing in his shirt sleeves, using his best talents to everyone's delight.

Inside Flap Copy
Join Tom Sawyer's wild adventures along the banks of the Mississippi River in this exciting addition to the Step into Classics line. Tom and his best friend, Huck Finn, share exciting make-believe escapades as treasure hunters, swashbuckling pirates, and soldiers in battle. They also unwittingly become real-life witnesses to a terrible crime!

From the Back Cover
"Twain had a greater effect than any other writer on the evolution of American prose."

About the Author

Mark Twain was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in Florida, Missouri. Following careers as a printer, Mississippi riverboat pilot, and a brief stint in the Confederate militia, Twain wrote such American classics as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.

Comments

SEND A COMMENT

PLEASE READ: All comments must be approved before appearing in the thread; time and space constraints prevent all comments from appearing. We will only approve comments that are directly related to the article, use appropriate language and are not attacking the comments of others.