Title: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Author: Mark Twain
Publisher: Recorded Books
Narrator: Norman Dietz
Duration: 6 hours, 36 minutes
Copyright: 1991
Genres: adventure, satire, juvenile
Filed in: Audiobook reviews
THE GIST: This book is very aptly titled because Tom Sawyer knows how to have an adventure. Growing up in a rural, Mississippi river community in the late 1800’s, Tom needed all the cunning and mischievousness in his possession to keep himself and his friends occupied and entertained.
Who could forget the scene of Tom white-washing the fence? Not one for manual labor, Tom quickly convinces all his friends to do the work for him, and even gets them to pay him for the privilege. Not long after that, Tom, along with his best friends Huck Finn and Joe Harper, decide to run away from home and become pirates. After spending most of a week on an island in the middle of the river, they finally return, just in time to visit their own funerals. It seems the entire town was convinced they had been drowned in the river.
Much of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” recounts Tom's experiences with Injun Joe. Visiting the cemetery at midnight, Tom and Huck witness Injun Joe murdering a young doctor. Injun Joe blames the murder on the town drunk, Muff Potter. Tom’s conscience gets the better of him, and at Muff's trial, he steps forward and tells the truth, at which time, Injun Joe makes a hasty exit. Later on, while hunting for treasure in a haunted house, Tom and Huck discover that Injun Joe is back in town, disguised as a deaf and dumb beggar, and that the old house is his hideout. As they watch Joe and his accomplice, they hear him plotting his revenge and witness him finding a buried treasure of his own. Will Tom and Huck fall prey to the murderous half Indian? And who will end up with that treasure? Whatever the outcome, the journey is sure to be fun.
MY THOUGHTS: I can’t say much about “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” that hasn't been said already. Mark Twain's satire is amusing and just plain fun to read. I was pleased to see that my library had a copy of this audio book.
NARRATOR: Norman Dietz did a pretty good job with “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.”. The accent he uses for these characters is not quite convincing, but he makes up for it with his animated style. I’d like to try some other audio books that he narrated.
FINAL WORD: “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” is a classic piece of American literature. If you haven’t read this book, shame on you! Seriously, this audio book would be a fun read for young and old alike.
TRY THESE OTHER AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS :
“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” by Mark Twain
“The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain
“Thirteen Moons” by Charles Frazier
FILM ADAPTATION: “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” was adapted to film in 1973. The film starred Johnny Whitaker as Tom Sawyer, and none other than Jodie Foster as Tom’s love, Becky Thatcher.
If you liked this audiobook review,you can purchase the audiobook here:
Get The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, (Classic Books on CDs) [UNABRIDGED] from Amazon.com.
Interested in the movie?
Get "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" on DVD from Amazon.com.
This audiobook review is based on the unabridged audio book.
Audio book review by Steven Brandt
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Shame on me! I read this when I was in grade school but have long forgotten the treasure that lay hidden in Mark Twain's mastery of words. Maybe a re-read? :-)
ReplyDeleteGREAT review!