This is very different than the first two books in the series. The writing and plot is much more basic, but made for an enjoyable, quick read. It seems to be written for a younger audience and is really a short fantasy tale that happens to feature Tom, Huck and Jim. ( )

Before I encountered this in my favorite grimy thrift shop, I had no idea that Twain had written other Sawyer books. I was puzzled that I hadn't ever heard of this continuation.

After reading it, its obscurity becomes much more understandable.

After Tom, Huck, and Jim return from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, they are kidnapped by an inventor with a giant flying balloon. And they end up flying across the Sahara Desert. Nothing of note really happens beyond the kidnapping. Most of the book is just the trio peering over the side of their airborne basket and commenting on the exciting sand beneath them. And then the book just ends by trailing off...

In short, it doesn't have the pleasure of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer or the importance of Huckleberry Finn. It exists simply as an embarrassing footnote. ( )

This was surprisingly good. Mark Twain manages to keep the writing, tone, explorative sense, and wonder from the first two books of the series and continues it here. Everything found there still resides here and is fresh to boot. I recommend this for any who like his classics, or those interested in American literature.

4 stars! ( )

Det är en trevlig liten äventyrsbok. Denna har dock samma problem som den förra, men möjligen i en ännu större skala. ( )

Did you guys know that there are four books in the Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn saga? Well, five, if you count the unfinished story….

I think that most people have read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn here in the States, because it’s a pretty common required reading in high school English. Pop culture (and Disney World) itself made me well aware of Tom Sawyer and his fence-painting, treasure-seeking shenanigans. But I wasn’t aware of Tom Sawyer Abroad or the fourth book, Tom Sawyer, Detective, until earlier this year, and as a general fan of Mark Twain, I was in.

Tom Sawyer Abroad brings the trio back together again after The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Driven with interest to see a marvellous travelling balloon, the three find themselves essentially kidnapped as they’re the last ones off the craft, and whisked away into the skies. The balloon is easy enough to handle for the ever-adventurous Tom and after a few mishaps, they sit back and enjoy the skies.

Atmospherically, I really liked this book and I think it stands up well against the travelling sense of Huckleberry Finn, and the general feel of a lazy adventure. Tom, Huck, and Jim end up flying over the Sahara Desert and learning to enjoy it. There’s a lot of philosophical conversation/argument between Tom and Jim. Now, in the hands of many authors it would be easy for this to become supremely racist and given the time when this book was written, my shields were up. However, as usually… Mark Twain was pretty tasteful, especially for the climate of his era. And I mean this both toward Jim as well as to the Muslims they see in caravans from above.

The conversation does turn a bit theological, keeping in line with the character Twain created in Jim. What I did appreciate is that if one was keeping score, the disagreements between the characters left them all pretty even. There was no “Tom is smarter” even though Tom obviously thinks he’s smarter… but come now… that’s just Tom Sawyer. He thinks he’s smarter than everyone. The theological conversation is not preachy in the least – Twain’s skepticism on the topic is pretty well known – but it’s something to be aware of and having a bit of a religious background and knowing what Jim was talking about certainly helped when it came to their flight over Egypt.

Fortunately, what I like about Twain is his writing style and thought provoking conversations. If you’re looking for a strong action plot, you’re not going to find it here. Honestly, I never felt there was a strong action plot in Huckleberry Finn, so the way that Tom Sawyer Abroad rambled came as no surprise to me? The directionlessness can be frustrating for those looking for most of a story and less of a diversion, so that’s something worth mentioning.

Honestly, I thought this was pretty enjoyable. It was a good distration, and the audiobook narrator was honestly fantastic! This isn’t one of Twain’s strongest pieces, but it’s not a waste of time either and if you enjoy the trio, Tom Sawyer Abroad is worth either a read or a listen. ( )