Customer Reviews

Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn

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This is a collection of two books that are often considered for children. However, they are suitable for both adults and children. The kids will love the adventure, the wonderfully irreverent and humorous view of childhood and the characters with their loyalty and friendship. The adults will also enjoy the satire of life in the "proper" lower middle-class society of the South with the sendups of hypocricy, false religiousity, racism and slavery and the like.

Tom Sawyer is probably more oriented for children than the other one. Here, the focus is Tom, who is largely a child prankster. His romantic ideals of doing things like running away to be a pirate are the source of great amusement and reflection for him - and worry for his family.

Huckleberry Finn has more adult themes. Here, the mockery of society is much harsher as Huck escapes from his abusive, drunk father to sail down the Mississippi with Tom and Jim (a runaway slave). Along the way the get to see the best and worst of what America on the river has to offer.

These books should be treasured and deserve their fame. Twain informs and relates in a totally entertaining and warm way.

I purchased this book because It had both Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn in one. The cover, pages, and print size make it a perfect treasure to read, and eventually to keep on your bookshelf display. It's a great Sunday afternoon read.

Back in junior high school (ie, MANY moons ago) I read Tom Sawyer and/or Huckleberry Finn. However I couldn't remember which one, nor did I know one story from the other (like most Americans, I've seen more film adaptations of these stories than I care to recall). So I decided to read these little jewels once again. And I'm so glad I did.

First of all, I don't believe either story is suitable for children really. Both Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer seem too, well, immature compared to the youths of today. And the crude racist language is certainly unfashionable nowadays. But as an adult one can appreciate these stories as Mark Twain's trip down memory lane, looking at life on the river with rose-colored glasses. No, the stories (..which we all know) are not realistic. But they are fun, harmless and well-written.

The Wordsworth Edition is very nice little package of both stories. And I certainly recommend reading both stories back-to-back since they flow together well.

So I recommed all middle-aged kids (like me) revisit Mark Twain's memorable boys. They will bring a smile to your face.

A wonderful edition which includes both Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn (very handy for the Twain lover). It also has a red bookmark attached to the binding so you can easily find your place. The book is small and light so it is ideal for travelling and reading out of your home. It also includes a nice introduction and a comparative chronology of Twain's life. For a Twain collector, this is a lovely, readable copy.