Tom Jones isn't a bad guy, but boys just want to have fun. Nearly two and a half centuries after its publication, the adventures of the rambunctiou...
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Mar 13, 2008
Keely
rated it: 
Who reads this and laughs not at all may be forgiven only as a simpleton, and does not comprehend.
Who reads this and laughs but a little is too dour and prideful to be of much use, and only laughs when he cannot help it.
Who reads this and laughs a score is the wretched false-wit, and only laughs when it suits his crowd.
Who reads and laughs but once a chapter has a mirthful soul, if no great love for words.
Who reads and laughs at every page shall be More...
Who reads this and laughs but a little is too dour and prideful to be of much use, and only laughs when he cannot help it.
Who reads this and laughs a score is the wretched false-wit, and only laughs when it suits his crowd.
Who reads and laughs but once a chapter has a mirthful soul, if no great love for words.
Who reads and laughs at every page shall be More...
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Jan 24, 2011
Kate
rated it: 
If a crazed literature professor ever holds a gun to your head and threatens to pull the trigger if you don’t read one of two interminable, gazillion-page satirical British novels (that would be Vanity Fair of the 19th Century or Tom Jones of the 18th Century), I recommend you choose Tom Jones. Tom Jones is more original (some say it’s the first modern novel), ‘way funnier than VF, and even has a few naughty bits to make you giggle—though tame by modern standards. To read Vanity Fair, you need
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Feb 22, 2011
Alex
rated it:
900 pages later, I can confirm what my friend Wales told me: this book has nothing to do with the Tom Jones who asked, "What's new, pussycat?"
Instead, it's a massive blow-up of a classic Shakespeare comedy that exactly follows the classic structure: our likable heroes are introduced; a series of miscommunications and devious acts by rivals conspire to rend them apart; you know how act V goes in these things, and you'll see it coming here as soon as you realize this book is a More...
Instead, it's a massive blow-up of a classic Shakespeare comedy that exactly follows the classic structure: our likable heroes are introduced; a series of miscommunications and devious acts by rivals conspire to rend them apart; you know how act V goes in these things, and you'll see it coming here as soon as you realize this book is a More...
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Sep 11, 2011
DC
rated it:
Review in few words:
A brilliant (genius!) book. I think what placed this book above a number of others (in my eyes, at least) are not only the poignant essays at the beginning of each book/chapter, but also the keenness and delicacy in the narration that Henry Fielding uses to take me, the reader, into the topsy-turvy life of the most unfortunate (?) Tom Jones.
Other details I enjoyed/noticed about the book:
- Tom Jones is a simple, handsome, seemingly perfect young fellow More...
A brilliant (genius!) book. I think what placed this book above a number of others (in my eyes, at least) are not only the poignant essays at the beginning of each book/chapter, but also the keenness and delicacy in the narration that Henry Fielding uses to take me, the reader, into the topsy-turvy life of the most unfortunate (?) Tom Jones.
Other details I enjoyed/noticed about the book:
- Tom Jones is a simple, handsome, seemingly perfect young fellow More...
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Nov 27, 2011
Justin
rated it:
So, I give this five stars, but, you know, not every five star book should be read by every person. If you have great patience, and are willing to admit that your tastes have been formed by the nineteenth century novel and then by certain aspects of modern literature; if you're willing to test your (my) assumption that novels are best when they're realistic or modernist; if you don't mind a bit of slap and tickle... then you should read this. If you want to judge a book based on whether its char
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Jul 10, 2008
Rebecca
rated it: 
Destestable. Just tedium punctuated with banalities. The hero's a guilded void. And the heroine is praised for never attempting opinions or wit. *aspires*
Fielding belittles other writers whilst citing critics as worse than murderers.
*shakes fist at hypocrisy*
Plus, it's supposed to be socially subversive but the hero is revealed as an heir.
My copy only escaped the cleansing flames cos I'd been indoctrinated with carbon footprint consciousness.
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Fielding belittles other writers whilst citing critics as worse than murderers.
*shakes fist at hypocrisy*
Plus, it's supposed to be socially subversive but the hero is revealed as an heir.
My copy only escaped the cleansing flames cos I'd been indoctrinated with carbon footprint consciousness.
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Dec 31, 2011
Nab
rated it: 
I'd venture to say that your enjoyment of this novel will have a lot to do with what your expectations are of novels in general and against what other works you are comparing Tom Jones. A lot of people are going to compare this to other novels of its time and place, and ignore the fact that, as I've said in past reviews, this is simply not a great time for British literature. This book, considered one of if not the best of its time in English language fiction and still regarded very highly, is e
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Dec 16, 2011
Neil
rated it:
This great novel begins as it means to continue, in a grand, yet conversational, style so characteristic of the 18th century.
I warmed to the fine style quite quickly yet Fieldings digressions (though not his prefatory chapters) started to drag towards the middle of the book, which, compounded by my impression that he is not a great writer on 'the road', where that part of the book is set, meant that the book sagged a little towards the middle and i abandoned it for some weeks before ta More...
I warmed to the fine style quite quickly yet Fieldings digressions (though not his prefatory chapters) started to drag towards the middle of the book, which, compounded by my impression that he is not a great writer on 'the road', where that part of the book is set, meant that the book sagged a little towards the middle and i abandoned it for some weeks before ta More...
Dec 14, 2011
Steven
rated it:
One of the earliest--and probably still the greatest of English novels, Tom Jones is still a delight to read and savor after 250 years. Richardson's film, which captures the world of 1750 England with extraordinary fidelity, is still a must--and one of the greatest movies of all time, by the way. But the book itself! I read it first in a lit class in my pre-med undergrad days--and I was astounded! Astounded that this fellow Fielding was chatting with me wittily and poignantly through the centuri
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Nov 01, 2011
Courtney
rated it:
This was one of those thousand page books I had three days to read before moving on to the next masterpiece when I was an undergraduate English major. I remembered almost nothing about it, except for scraps from my professor's lecture, when my hunt for copyright-free classics for my e-book reader led me here. It was the first English-language novel, as we define them today, or one of the first, my professor told us. I'm pretty sure I also read a John Irving book once in which a main character ta
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Sep 02, 2011
Vanessa
rated it:
I've seen a lot of people telling writers to build a platform. I disagree. What they should be building is a personality.
Writing experts drone on about an author's voice. They're not wrong. But your voice is just a means to express your personality.
Misled by writers of genius like T.S. Eliot and Flaubert, some authorities stress revision. They force you to focus on smoothness of style. They want you to rewrite everything until your personality completely disappears.
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Writing experts drone on about an author's voice. They're not wrong. But your voice is just a means to express your personality.
Misled by writers of genius like T.S. Eliot and Flaubert, some authorities stress revision. They force you to focus on smoothness of style. They want you to rewrite everything until your personality completely disappears.
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Aug 07, 2011
Matt
rated it: 
I got very little actual pleasure out of reading this book, which was kind of a surprise and disappointment to me, because usually, when I get around to reading the classics, I find them to be a hoot, and easy to understand their long term appeal. And I guess the second part of that axiom is true: Fielding is, I'm convinced, a serious thinker about novels, and he gives you a lot to work over. Really, he makes someone like Richardson look like a child, and the complexity of this book, just on the
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Apr 03, 2011
Katie
rated it:
Tom Jones is hands down the dumbest book ever written. Before reading this dreck, I had thought Pamela had that title on lockdown, but I was mistaken. I still think Pamela is horrible (all 500 pages can be summarized in two sentences: Master attempted to sexually assault me in the gazebo, o most wretched PAMELA. Master proposed marriage to unworthy PAMELA, o virtuous Master and most blesséd PAMELA.) but Tom Jones is longer - almost 1300 pages of pain - and stupid. Really, really stupid. Stu
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Aug 11, 2009
Michele
rated it:
Great romp, but it left me wanting moral resolution. Farce is fine, but I guess I'm just more partial to Dickens' method of weighing the scales of justice more carefully. I felt unsatisfied that 2 characters who colluded in planning a rape, walk off scot free. Indeed, the Lord actually takes a heroic turn in the end. Although he tried to rape Sophia, he helps free an imprisoned Tom at the end and it's as if he's paid his dues.
It's not as if I'd expect either the characters or plo More...
It's not as if I'd expect either the characters or plo More...
Jul 30, 2009
Ayfer
rated it:
This is a romantic story and there is a little bit mystery. Thomas Allworthy finds a baby boy in his bed and decides to raise him as his own son. He names him Tom Jones. Tom gets bigger and becomes an attractive man. He and the next-door neighbor’s daughter, Sophia, fall in love. However, her father does not accept this love because Tom does not come from a noble family. Her family wants her to get married to Blifil who is the nephew of Altworthy. Blifil does not like Tom and makes plans to pu
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Feb 09, 2010
Jana
rated it:
** Note: I listened to this on audio in my kitchen and car, which is a different experience than reading, just fyi.
Henry Fielding's Tom Jones is one of those classics that I've heard mentioned by never before read. Written in the 18th century, it has stood the test of time and even been made into a movie several times. So, I was eager to read (listen) to it.
Does anyone want to explain the allure? It is about the life of Tom Jones, an illegimate orphan raised by the More...
Henry Fielding's Tom Jones is one of those classics that I've heard mentioned by never before read. Written in the 18th century, it has stood the test of time and even been made into a movie several times. So, I was eager to read (listen) to it.
Does anyone want to explain the allure? It is about the life of Tom Jones, an illegimate orphan raised by the More...
Oct 08, 2009
Steve
rated it:
HEADLINE: The dirty parts in Tom Jones.
One of the very first novels is still one of the very best. This one has it all. A quite human and utterly charming hero. A heroine whom I myself have loved more truly than any woman of flesh and blood. And great villains! Great villains, the preëminent of which is the despicable Mr. Blifil.
Boy meets girl. Boy gets girl. Boy loses girl. Boy regains girl in a fashion sufficient to the songs of angels. This plot has never been ex More...
One of the very first novels is still one of the very best. This one has it all. A quite human and utterly charming hero. A heroine whom I myself have loved more truly than any woman of flesh and blood. And great villains! Great villains, the preëminent of which is the despicable Mr. Blifil.
Boy meets girl. Boy gets girl. Boy loses girl. Boy regains girl in a fashion sufficient to the songs of angels. This plot has never been ex More...
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Mar 17, 2010
D.M.
rated it:
Oof! This took me almost exactly 5 months to read (about a chapter a night, just before bed), so it felt a bit tiresome. That makes me glad it's over, but I'm even more glad I read it, because it really was an excellent book! For being about 300 years old, it was surprisingly readable and just as surprisingly funny. An overall enjoyable read, and one I'd recommend, particularly to Dickens readers.
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Mar 10, 2011
Corrisande
rated it:
I can't say I have ever been made read a piece of 'literature' that I found more stupid or unnecessary. While this might sound like coming from someone who doesn't like literature as such, let me assure you I do, and that I read a lot, but this one just is particularly detestable for me, full of the voice of an annoying, self-absorbed author, characters that are too dumb even to laugh about them, a protagonist that is constantly presented as the 'good guy' no matter what he does while any woman
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Jan 01, 2012
Steve
rated it:
First, let me say that I don't think I would have made it through the hectic holiday retail season if I hadn't started and ended each day with this unfailingly good natured book.
Second, by chance, I read 'Tom Jones' immediately after finishing Rousseau's 'First Discourse' which turns out to be the perfect introduction to Fielding's novel.
Read together, Rousseau's critique of Enlightenment society easily amplifies Fielding's comic/philosophical send up of manners and the d More...
Second, by chance, I read 'Tom Jones' immediately after finishing Rousseau's 'First Discourse' which turns out to be the perfect introduction to Fielding's novel.
Read together, Rousseau's critique of Enlightenment society easily amplifies Fielding's comic/philosophical send up of manners and the d More...
Dec 02, 2011
Andrea
rated it:
This book is hilarious. Fielding wrote it as a satire of his contemporaries, who were writing sappy morality plays full of classism, elitism and sexism. He can't write more than a few pages without taking pot shots at his rivals, literary critics, and the establishment in general. (There is a reason why the King of England kept shutting Fielding's playhouse down...) I would argue that Fielding was one of the first feminists, given his portrayal of intelligent female characters who are consta
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May 21, 2011
Megan
rated it:
This book, for something that's almost 1000 pages, is a breeze! It does drag in the middle a bit, but the first 400 pages and the last 300 seemed half as long. For something written in the 1740s, there's sure a lot that happens. And it is FUNNY! Fielding is observantly wry and sarcastic about himself, his story, and society. Sarcasm, of course, is my forte, but I think it is a sort of humor that can stand the test of time. That is, Fielding isn't too referential, topical, or situational th
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Apr 24, 2011
It's not easy to say this book deserves one or three stars: it's just too old for it. It's value resides in that it's one of the earliest novels in the English language and the genre itself was just finding its footing.
The storyline itself is really funny and interesting but I found the style too removed of what I usually like: there's lots of telling and too little showing.
I believe that, for modern readers, this book is interesting for it's meta value: the short essays Fie More...
The storyline itself is really funny and interesting but I found the style too removed of what I usually like: there's lots of telling and too little showing.
I believe that, for modern readers, this book is interesting for it's meta value: the short essays Fie More...
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Dec 06, 2009
Ellen
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Oct 09, 2011
Lisa
rated it:
My mistake! I tried to start a classics book club, had a few interested individuals, then asked them to read Tom Jones. Every single one dropped off. What is worse is that even if someone read it with me we really would have nothing to discuss. Sure it was entertaining and there certainly is a zinger toward the end but if you want to delve into a near 1000 page book pick something else. I will say that this is a great candidate for a screenplay. Most off the characters are underdeveloped, there
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Aug 05, 2011
Henry Fielding’s Tom Jones is long and hard. This is appropriate considering how many women Tom manages to bed down in this 18th century tome. Tom Jones, a bastard (literally) adopted by a kindly country gentleman pines for his true love, Sophia. Through various misunderstanding and hijinks, Tom boinks his way through the countryside while somehow maintaining his inner decency and, oddly enough, a certain moral fidelity to Sophia.
Perhaps largely due to this novel being 260 years old, the lang More...
Perhaps largely due to this novel being 260 years old, the lang More...
Mar 30, 2011
Genia
rated it:
Tom Jones is considered the first novel. I can certainly see where it would be so, because in many ways it still has the hallmarks of a text that was not written with the flow of a story in mind.
It's interesting, entertaining, and in many ways quite sly, but it also manages to be rambly, lengthy, unnecessarily verbose - and coming from yours truly, with my own penchant for being verbose and high tolerance for purple prose and book length, this is not a compliment - and in dire need o More...
It's interesting, entertaining, and in many ways quite sly, but it also manages to be rambly, lengthy, unnecessarily verbose - and coming from yours truly, with my own penchant for being verbose and high tolerance for purple prose and book length, this is not a compliment - and in dire need o More...
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Sep 29, 2010
Carsten
rated it:
This book has a solid place in the history of literature. I was entertained but not very engaged emotionally in the fate of the characters - and one should be when it is so long and epic a tale.
It is a very clever plot with some nice surprises in the end - but also absurd with its many coincidences - it reads more like a farce or satire - and feels like a stage play (reminded me of some of the stories by Chaucer). Fielding comments and elaborates on the story and the characters all More...
It is a very clever plot with some nice surprises in the end - but also absurd with its many coincidences - it reads more like a farce or satire - and feels like a stage play (reminded me of some of the stories by Chaucer). Fielding comments and elaborates on the story and the characters all More...
Oct 27, 2010
Fevvers
rated it:
I'm usually a trooper when it comes to finishing a novel once I've started it, even if I don't really like it (an inevitable outcome of studying English Literature at uni)... but I didn't engage with this novel very well. It pains me to admit it, but I skipped parts. I just didn't care about Tom - I was much more interested in Sophia. I found the ending infuriating and far too neat and tidy; I would have loved to see the wilful Sophia display some independence and authority. Yes I know, novels a
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Oct 26, 2009
Jrobertus
rated it:
Published in 1749, Tom Jones is among the earliest true English novels. It is also one of the best ever. It is fast paced, wry...no hilarious, and socially insightful. It is also a tense adventure and a wonderful romance. There you are! ALL the elements of a great story. It follows the fortunes of a foundling, named Tom Jones, who despite some weaknesses centering on gambling and women, is a good hearted lad. When he is forced to make his way in a cruel world we are very anxious for him,
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