Tom Sawyer, Angela's Ashes

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Of the many great American writers, Mark Twain seems to stand out as one of the most recognizable and one of the great names of American-American writing. And by American-American writing I mean that not only is he from America and his stories take place in America, but they seem to really involve American things and talk and themes and places. So, I knew that on my list of things to read I needed to read some Mark Twain.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is small. It almost passes itself off as a children's book. It's about boys and their numerous run-ins with adults and the adventures they're off having. For some reason I found it hard to get through the book. I'm not sure why. The stories were interesting, the descriptions weren't bad. The boys were believable and fun. So I'm not quite sure what it was. But, I did finish it. I think I will have to read another Twain book before I really decide on whether I like him or not.

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
Now here's a book that was big, yet felt really short. I finished it in a week because I couldn't get enough of it. McCourt's upbringing is almost so unbelievable that you have to keep reading to find out what's next. I think I might have some sort of attraction to reading books about sad and poor upbringings because I had neither of those while growing up.

McCourt's writing, though, is what makes the story worth reading. While he tells us about all of the things that happened to him and his family, the way he phrases thoughts and dialog seems very natural. Somehow he has remembered what it was like to be such a small child and to feel the loneliness or the confusion. McCourt's presentation of what it was actually like to grow up in these surroundings is what makes the book. The stories are good and catch the reader, but the writing makes the reader stay.