Russell Mark Olson's Reviews > Tom Sawyer Abroad

I'm not completely sure about the legitimacy of the purported rivalry between Twain and Jules Verne, but this book certainly seems to point to one. I couldn't help but picture Verne as the pilot of the air-ship and the ridiculing townsfolk of St. Petersberg as the embodiment of Twain's disdain. The writing is superb and revisiting Tom, Huck, and Jim was (cliche) like visiting with old friends. Unfortunately, once Tom has dispatched with the air-shipman, the story meanders and deviates from plot-form. Fortunately, Twain is such an excellent story teller that the anecdotal format which the text assumes continued to keep my full attention for the remainder of the book. It reminded me of Roughing It in the way in which each passage hints at a moral proverb, but one that is embarrassed to the point of humility. All in all, great book, great Twain.