Customer Reviews

The Complete Tom Sawyer. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer -- Tom Sawyer Abroad -- Tom Sawyer, Detective

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This collection of three Tom Sawyer stories keeps the reader laughing and entertained and eager to see what mischief Tom is going to get into next. Mark Twain is a wonderful writer and his stories reach out to the young and old alike. If you're looking for a few hours of escape from the real world, I suggest you find it in the pages of this book.

Mark Twain's 1876 novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is one of American literature's most famous and best-loved works. It may thus seem strange that 1894's Tom Sawyer Abroad and 1896's Tom Sawyer, Detective are now almost obscure. This collection usefully contains all three, letting us experience the lesser-known alongside the famous. We can compare them, but above all, we can enjoy all three. Anyone wanting the more famous work might as well get this, and those seeking the rarer ones have little to lose by re-reading an American classic.

The Adventures is a treasure of American literature and has added immeasurably popular fiction. If any book needs no introduction, it is this. Its influence is simply ubiquitous;: countless images are commonplace not only in literature but also in television - nay, everywhere. The tale is timeless and universal. Though it may have been written mainly for children, it can - and should - definitely be enjoyed by all. The imagination, narrative drive, and sheer adventure will fascinate children of all ages and may very well spark an early love of reading. However, the book also exists on a whole other level. The character of Tom symbolizes the child in us all - what we once were, or what we'd like to be (again, perhaps) and the innocence that we have so irretrievably lost. As always with Twain, it also contains masterful wit. Keen observations on society and human nature abound, as do subtle comments on religion and superstition; this is quite a good satire of religion in its own way - very different from what Twain later did it in works like Letters from the Earth. The book contains many bits of wit and interlaced commentary that will likely be lost on younger readers but that older and/or more perceptive readers will enjoy immensely. It is truly an American classic and an essential read.

As for the sequels, the truth is that their relative obscurity is not entirely undeserved. Anyone expecting another immortal work will be sorely disappointed. They lack the more famous work's seriousness and ambitiousness, making them inevitably minor. However, like nearly everything else Twain wrote, they are eminently readable, very entertaining, and often funny. Fans of Twain's lighter work, especially Tom Sawyer, will love them, and there is something for all to appreciate it. They are notable for taking the series and its characters in surprising new directions, for example leaving the rural South for distant Egypt in Abroad and adding character development in both. Though not great literary works in other respects, they perform surprisingly well in the latter area. Those eager for more adventures from Tom, Huck, and Jim will certainly warm to them. Like the book that bears his name, they are narrated by Huck with all his delightfully provincial grammar and spelling; "prostitution" for "prosecution" in Detective's court scene is my laugh aloud favorite. His naïveté and ignorance also come into play in skillfully unprecedented ways, particularly in Detective.

As for the stories themselves, like most of Twain, they can be read and enjoyed on several levels. Most simply and obviously, they are rollicking, picaresque adventures of the sort later classed as Young Adult or Juvenile. Similarities aside, each is a distinct part of genres then immensely popular - travel and detective fiction respectively. They can be read on these terms alone or as burlesques. There are thus some significant differences despite all the similarities. However, both are notably entertaining and quite humorous even in this limited sense, particularly the dialogue. While far from politically correct by current standards, they can easily be enjoyed by the very young as well as those of all ages who will take it on their own terms.

The discerning can see significantly more, even if no one can see greatness. Though less savagely biting than later work, they are vintage Twain satire in many ways. Huck Finn's infamous closing section satirizes Romanticism in its various forms, including medieval ideals of chivalry, and Abroad works similarly. The new target is a type of book then immensely popular - travel adventures like Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days. Twain mocks such works' implausibility and superficiality but only gently, arguably even good-naturedly, especially compared to his vicious later satire. We get the feeling that Twain appreciates such books even as he mocks - not least because this story itself can legitimately be taken in such a way, and not without enjoyment. He also throws in a few shots at more serious issues. Those familiar with his life and thought will recognize several - his ongoing feud with Sir Walter Scott's work, his near-fatal run-in with patents, etc. - and laugh appreciatively. He treats these subjects more seriously and bitterly elsewhere, but it is notable that he was able to write of them relatively lightly, if effectively, here.

It is indeed remarkable how subtle yet piercing Twain's satire can be even in a minor work like this. An example will suffice. In one scene, Tom sends a letter that says it comes from the "welkin." Huck and Jim have never heard the word and are mystified. Tom initially acts as if they are ignorant fools but, when pushed, admits he does not know what it means but that every description of a great noise says that the hubbub was so loud it "made the welkin ring." Anyone familiar with the word - or who bothers to look it up - will realize that, while ostensibly only poking fun at the ignorance of rural Southern boys, Twain also mocks writers who use conventional phrases without thought. Those who appreciate such points will see that they are well-made.

No one should put Abroad with Twain's great work. Befitting its status, it can be read quickly and easily. It is at least as episodic as Tom Sawyer, and the little plot that exists is highly implausible. Yet even within this we can easily sense repetition and strain, as dialogue starts to seem canned and jokes become overly familiar. It almost seems at times that Twain had a simple template and stretched a little too far. Finally, the ending is very abrupt and a sort of deus ex machina. One may at first feel that Twain could have stretched the adventure out rather longer, even that he ends just as he seems to really get started; the characters after all visit but one country. However, he was right to stop when he did; anything more would have stretched the thinness past the proverbial breaking point. It is no great loss, as what we have is quite good for what it is - and, more importantly, Twain's satirical purpose is accomplished.

Detective is in multiple ways very much like Tom Sawyer Abroad and, indeed, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, not least in returning to the latter's rural South. However, it also differs significantly in obvious ways. First and most clearly, as the title shows, it is a detective story of the kind then very popular; this was after all when Sherlock Holmes was a sensation. Those who, like me, love such stories can appreciate it simply on this level. It is set up like a typical one with a murder mystery and has exciting elements such as a false confession, a dramatic courtroom scene, a climactic discovery, etc. - and, of course, eventual justice. Seeing all this play out is exciting, and Twain milks it for all it is worth. Unlike most of his works, this is filled with literary devices conventionally used for entertainment value, especially in modern popular fiction: foreshadowing, suspense, dramatic irony, etc. The revelation and ending are in particular highly wrought. Anyone who likes blazing stories of this sort, particularly detective ones, will enjoy and appreciate this and find Detective well worth reading for it alone.

As for the satire, detective fiction itself is the target, but Twain's burlesque is gentle; we feel he lightly pokes fun at something he himself enjoys - not least because his satire could be far more bitter. He has some fun at the expense of the genre's conventions, using them in slightly exaggerated fashion to show how superficial they can sometimes be. What may seem exaggeration if read straight comes into play here: melodrama, implausibility, clichés, etc. This is where Huck's naïveté and ignorance are important. Many, perhaps even most, readers will be able to deduce some - or even all - of the ostensibly revelatory events, turning what would normally be suspense into dramatic irony. Those who miss the satire may think of these as defects, but those who see what Twain is doing will know they are intentional knocks at a) provincial Southern ignorance, and b) detective fiction conventions. Even simply moving from popular detective settings - i.e., Victorian England - to Twain's rural South makes the genre seem slightly ridiculous. However, that the story itself can still be enjoyable shows that the genre can as well. Indeed, Twain's satire is so subtle that many, perhaps especially detective fiction fans, will not even notice it - with whatever ambiguous result. As for those who dislike the genre, they may well like the story significantly more - indeed, may think it a riot. Twain at any rate did not cut off his satirical take on the genre here, returning several years later with the novella "A Double-Barreled Detective Story," which drops Tom and Huck but actually has Holmes(!) and is significantly more biting.

Tom Sawyer, Detective is thus quite a strange book - a light-hearted satire that most will not get and that many will likely enjoy for the very reasons Twain tries to mock. Its canonical status depends on how well one thinks he succeeds here. It will certainly delight fans of the associated stories and characters. The story itself is better than Tom Sawyer Abroad, arguably even better than The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; it has more plot than either, and characterization is strong. Conversely, there is significantly less humor, especially in the dialogue, except for those unusually alive to the satire.

All told, the stories are a worthy edition to the series and to Twain generally even if only hard-core fans, especially those who treasure associated works, should read them in the end. He hardly wrote anything not worth reading, but these should be among the last stops. They are pleasant reads even if the fact that they have survived more than a century has more to do with Twain's name and his better works than inherent quality. Even so, they are surprisingly enjoyable proof that he was ever-readable even when far from this best. As for Adventures, it has achieved true literary immortality, and the collection would be worth buying for it alone, but it is certainly nice to get two bonuses.