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Lisa's Reviews > The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
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So, my daughter just started reading Tom Sawyer for the very first time, and I am jealous of her!
First of all, she can read it in original, while I read it in translation as a child. Second, I wish I could still have that immediate, surprised response to the silly situations. About every five minutes, she comes into my room, reading out loud some funny quotes, making the scenes come alive in my memory again. The fight between the two boys threatening with their fake big brothers, followed by the famous selling of the honour to take over Tom's Saturday chore -the fence white washing, and so on, and so on. All that humorous content is being quoted in a voice broken by giggles. Her favourite new expression is "the terms of the next disagreement agreed upon", as used in the context of the deadly serious war games that Tom Sawyer engages in.
She's completely mesmerised, and she hasn't even got to the scary parts yet, or to the budding love affair.
There is magic in a children's classic that can make mothers and daughters laugh together at the silliness of naughty boys, and at the fact that very little has changed in the dynamics of childhood friendships, despite the time that has passed since the novel was written.
It has just the right mix of exotic, historical appeal and universal human behaviour to make a perfect introduction into world literature.
First of all, she can read it in original, while I read it in translation as a child. Second, I wish I could still have that immediate, surprised response to the silly situations. About every five minutes, she comes into my room, reading out loud some funny quotes, making the scenes come alive in my memory again. The fight between the two boys threatening with their fake big brothers, followed by the famous selling of the honour to take over Tom's Saturday chore -the fence white washing, and so on, and so on. All that humorous content is being quoted in a voice broken by giggles. Her favourite new expression is "the terms of the next disagreement agreed upon", as used in the context of the deadly serious war games that Tom Sawyer engages in.
She's completely mesmerised, and she hasn't even got to the scary parts yet, or to the budding love affair.
There is magic in a children's classic that can make mothers and daughters laugh together at the silliness of naughty boys, and at the fact that very little has changed in the dynamics of childhood friendships, despite the time that has passed since the novel was written.
It has just the right mix of exotic, historical appeal and universal human behaviour to make a perfect introduction into world literature.
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
June 25, 2014
– Shelved
June 25, 2014
– Shelved as:
children
July 28, 2017
– Shelved as:
unforgettable
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Glenn
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Jul 28, 2017 07:38AM
I always enjoy how readers and reviewers from all over the world fall in love with this American classic. Some of the most perceptive comments and insights on this novel come from reviewers far removed from the American Midwest.
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Glenn wrote: "I always enjoy how readers and reviewers from all over the world fall in love with this American classic. Some of the most perceptive comments and insights on this novel come from reviewers far rem..."To me, it is one of the timeless stories showing that children form their own worlds quite apart from the grown-up society, and that they perceive it as just as real and as important. When I was a girl, I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder's adventures as well, and read them in the same way I read European classic children's literature: there is a bond between children across the world. They go through the same transitions and initiation rites.
Tom and Becky is such a universal story:
Beautiful review, Lisa - and I loved your shared mother/daughter moments! :)
Jaline wrote: "Beautiful review, Lisa - and I loved your shared mother/daughter moments! :)"Thank you, Jaline! Reading thorugh the eyes of my children is a great pleasure ofmine. My middle son started Oliver Twist at the same time, and I have to stop myself from hanging over his shoulder.
What joy that must bring, having a daughter walk in with a classic in her hands to read an excerpt! It does my heart good and restores my faith in humanity, that!
Ken wrote: "What joy that must bring, having a daughter walk in with a classic in her hands to read an excerpt! It does my heart good and restores my faith in humanity, that!"It does indeed, Ken! Thank you for your kind words - we do need a positive outlook on the future to be able to put up with present times.
I haven't thought of Tom Sawer for years and years, Lisa! And somehow or other, I didn't get to introduce him to my children at the right moment. I blame Harry Potter ;-)
Fionnuala wrote: "I haven't thought of Tom Sawer for years and years, Lisa! And somehow or other, I didn't get to introduce him to my children at the right moment. I blame Harry Potter ;-)"Hehehe - I blame Harry Potter for a few things as well - among others breaking my middle son's heart to such a degree that he refused to read the seventh volume for THREE years, until he had finished mourning Dumbledore, despite his older brother's insistence that he'd feel better if he read on! I will never forget the child silently crying on and on. Come to think of it - that speaks for the power of the book spell.
Tom Sawyer is such an appealing book for my daughter and myself, - partly because we both have two brothers, and Tom opens up the world of boyhood to us, and makes us see their point of view. Sadly, we have never managed to get the boys to read Anne of Green Gables as a quid pro quo.
May I ask you how old is your daughter ?
I’ve noticed a strange phenomenon: The books I loved as a child means a lot to me.and the books we love during that decade seems to get wired into our lobes for good.
Thank you for sharing your experience. lisa of a book that so forcefully do worm its way into your memory.
I’ve noticed a strange phenomenon: The books I loved as a child means a lot to me.and the books we love during that decade seems to get wired into our lobes for good.
Thank you for sharing your experience. lisa of a book that so forcefully do worm its way into your memory.
Lisa wrote: "...that speaks for the power of the book..."I accept that, Lisa. My daughters mourned Dumbledore too - and I was nearly as bad as them, convinced that some magic would bring him back in the seventh book. They were more Potter-worldly-wise than me though. They knew he wasn't coming back.
Joudy wrote: "May I ask you how old is your daughter ?I’ve noticed a strange phenomenon: The books I loved as a child means a lot to me.and the books we love during that decade seems to get wired into our lobes..."
You may well be right, Joudy. My daughter is 11, and I believe she already knows which books will stay with her.
Fionnuala wrote: "Lisa wrote: "...that speaks for the power of the book..."I accept that, Lisa. My daughters mourned Dumbledore too - and I was nearly as bad as them, convinced that some magic would bring him back..."
I never warmed to Harry Potter myself, but feel deep gratitude to the series for what it did to whole generations of children, who may have turned into avid readers mainly because of their infatuation with Hogwarts. When we did inventories in the school library each year, we always had to buy new sets of the series because the copies we had were read so many times that they were falling apart - and we never had fewer than three or four sets in circulation (in a small school). And that is not counting the kids who owned their own sets.
What dedicated readers you're raising, Lisa - especially your poor, broken-hearted middle son.
Cecily wrote: "What dedicated readers you're raising, Lisa - especially your poor, broken-hearted middle son."Yes, we are a bunch of addicted readers, and our talk circles around books quite a lot. There is no television, so the kids have time in the evenings. But we get annoyed with each other because of it as well, when one is passionate about a specific book and the others can't be bothered.
Sounds eminently healthy to me, even with occasional frustration.
Cecily wrote: "Sounds eminently healthy to me, even with occasional frustration."Yeah, and our real-life frustration is nothing compared to the monster mess GR creates regularly. I don't like having all the likes taken away, for example! I guess I should be pleased that I can comment on it now at least...
I read this book in the past year and it is a very fine work of literature!
Jessica wrote: "I read this book in the past year and it is a very fine work of literature!"I agree!
I still read children's books now and again although my children are in their 20's. My wife loved Dzieci z Bullerbyn so much she convinced me to read it about 10 years ago.
Czarny wrote: "I still read children's books now and again although my children are in their 20's. My wife loved Dzieci z Bullerbyn so much she convinced me to read it about 10 years ago."That is one of the many stories by Lindgren that I could probably recite by heart - it is part of my childhood, and part of my children's lives as well. I can't wait for the time when I will hopefully be able to read it to grandchildren...
Loved "Tom Sawyer" and Mark Twain in general. Tom Sawyer getting his friends to whitewash the fence is definitely one of my favorite parts of the book. Out of curiosity, how well do you think it worked in translation? There are certain works of Twain's that derive a great deal of their power from the way he uses ungrammatical and extremely informal American English, and I find the idea of Mark Twain in translation very interesting.
Jennifer wrote: "Loved "Tom Sawyer" and Mark Twain in general. Tom Sawyer getting his friends to whitewash the fence is definitely one of my favorite parts of the book. Out of curiosity, how well do you think it ..."
It is hard to say. When I read a Swedish translation as a child, they had omitted all the dialect to make it comprehensible, and I still loved it for the story itself. However - it wasn't until I read Huckleberry in original that I realised just how good Mark Twain is. I guess I could say he is a decent children's book author in translation, but only a master of his trade in original.
My daughter started reading this novel (she is 10), and I decided to read it (again) as well. This was one of my favourite books when I was growing up and I do hope my daughter will love it too. I also read the translation, but I would like to try to read the original.
Adisa wrote: "My daughter started reading this novel (she is 10), and I decided to read it (again) as well. This was one of my favourite books when I was growing up and I do hope my daughter will love it too. I ..."Best bonding time ever!
My parents said I was lucky to read Harry Potter for the first time.
I hope the reading community will continue to pass on the "first read" jealousy from generation to generation, Eleanor!
