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Becky: The Life and Loves of Becky Thatcher
Becky Thatcher wants to set the record straight. She was never the weeping ninny Mark Twain made her out to be in his famous novel. She knew Samuel Clemens before he was “Mark Twain,” when he was a wide-eyed dreamer who never could get his facts straight. Yes, she was Tom’s childhood sweetheart, but the true story of their love, and the dark secret that tore it apart, never made it into Twain’s novel. Now married to Tom’s cousin Sid Hopkins, Becky has children of her own to protect while the men of Missouri are off fighting their “un-Civil” War. But when tragedy strikes at home, Becky embarks on a phenomenal quest to find her husband and save her family---a life journey that takes her from the Mississippi River’s steamboats to Ozark rebel camps, from Nevada’s silver mines to the gilded streets of San Francisco. Time and again, stubborn but levelheaded Becky must reconcile her independent spirit and thirst for adventure with the era’s narrow notions of marriage and motherhood. As she seeks to find a compromise between fulfillment and security, she also grapples with ghosts of her past. Can she forgive herself, or be forgiven, for the lies she’s told to the men she’s loved? Will she ever forget the maddening, sweet-talking, irresponsible Tom Sawyer, the boy who stole her heart as a little girl? And when she is old, and Huck and Tom and Twain only memories, whose shadow will still lie beside her?
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
About the author
Lenore Hart
14 books21 followersLenore Hart is the author of the novels Waterwoman, Ordinary Springs, The Treasure of Savage Island, Becky: The Life and Loves of Becky Thatcher, and The Raven's Bride. A B&N Discover book author and Shirley Jackson Award finalist, she's also series editor of The Night Bazaar Speculative fiction anthologies. Hart is fiction faculty at the Ossabaw Island Writers Retreat in Savannah. She lives in a somewhat haunted house on the Eastern Shore of Virginia with novelist David Poyer and some very entitled cats and peahens.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
September 2, 2008
This book could have easily been called The Adventures of Becky Thatcher. I know I loved it, because I didn't want it to end. The ending was just as it should be, although because I would have wanted something more concrete, it was a little ambiguous. Hart cleverly interweaves the past and present fluidly as Becky looks back on her life, but not the one Mark Twain had created in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Sam Clemens is intertwined throughout the novel, coming into and out of Becky's life, as well as favorites Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, Judge Thatcher, Sid Hopkins among others. The language is colloquial, but Becky has a way with words. Refering to the Tom Sawyer/Injun Joe/cave incident, "Unless I had indeed killed him myself, with a word. Just as he'd one killed another man with the absence of one" so eloquently connects Becky and Tom, and their rocky relationship. Becky shows us that there is indeed two sides and truths to every event and "else we were long past that childish time," it sure was fun going back to it.
On a more personal note, this just describes my husband so well that I had to read it to him: "I believe it's partly that shiny new gear, all the fancy, special gadgets they covet and treasure, that gets men into such scrapes."
On a more personal note, this just describes my husband so well that I had to read it to him: "I believe it's partly that shiny new gear, all the fancy, special gadgets they covet and treasure, that gets men into such scrapes."
February 17, 2019
I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I might. The book seems to try to be too many things without succeeding at becoming any of them. If you come to it looking for romance (as the subtitle would indicate it contains), you’ll be disappointed, as that aspect is dull. If you come to it to enjoy the history, you’ll probably be annoyed by all the personal stuff in between. If you’re a big Tom Sawyer fan, you’ll likely be mad at how the author changed the characters up, and even if you haven’t read the book in a long time, you can easily pick out the moments the author inserted ties to it, which, I have to admit, is a device that gets under my skin. Overall, there’s a flatness to the story that made it difficult to finish, even when it should have been exciting. I wanted to root for a strong female lead, but I couldn’t seem to care about this one at all.
All that being said, there’s nothing outright wrong with the book, and it has its moments. It just wasn’t to my taste.
All that being said, there’s nothing outright wrong with the book, and it has its moments. It just wasn’t to my taste.
May 25, 2012
So I'm not usually a fan of books that take characters from other people's novels and give them a life of their own. Or rewritten novels. I need to own up and read one of them, but I hate the entire concept of the "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" type books. I just want to stab the authors with forks.
But this one wasn't too bad. Let's be honest and say it wasn't great literature, but it was pretty entertaining. In this book, Becky Thatcher of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" fame, tries to set the record straight and help people understand the real story behind Mark Twain's twisted half truths. Personally, I liked this Becky. I didn't even remember her that much from the book, because all I can really recall is her clutching her hands and going, "Oh Tom!" all the time. This was a nice change. This Becky was gutsy. She had brains, beauty, and willpower. What she wanted, she eventually got. I enjoyed that.
The plotline wasn't too bad, but there was this very heavy-handed allusion to this tired old scandal that was patently obvious from the get-go, but Ms. Hart really thought we hadn't gotten it mid-book. It was like she was sitting next to me going, "Know what I mean? Know what I mean? Wink wink, nudge nudge." Yes, thank you. We got it.
All in all, this book was enjoyable. I recommend it for summer fluff reading, particularly if you have a cabin or a beach or simply a pool at your disposal. Then, maybe, reread Tom Sawyer and see what all the fuss was about.
But this one wasn't too bad. Let's be honest and say it wasn't great literature, but it was pretty entertaining. In this book, Becky Thatcher of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" fame, tries to set the record straight and help people understand the real story behind Mark Twain's twisted half truths. Personally, I liked this Becky. I didn't even remember her that much from the book, because all I can really recall is her clutching her hands and going, "Oh Tom!" all the time. This was a nice change. This Becky was gutsy. She had brains, beauty, and willpower. What she wanted, she eventually got. I enjoyed that.
The plotline wasn't too bad, but there was this very heavy-handed allusion to this tired old scandal that was patently obvious from the get-go, but Ms. Hart really thought we hadn't gotten it mid-book. It was like she was sitting next to me going, "Know what I mean? Know what I mean? Wink wink, nudge nudge." Yes, thank you. We got it.
All in all, this book was enjoyable. I recommend it for summer fluff reading, particularly if you have a cabin or a beach or simply a pool at your disposal. Then, maybe, reread Tom Sawyer and see what all the fuss was about.
January 25, 2009
Historical Fiction? Check. Characters based on great literature? Check. Plucky heroine? Check. Feminist leanings? Check. Star crossed lovers? Check. The story told by the "real" Becky Thatcher had pretty much everything I could ask for in a novel.
May 10, 2010
I liked this book. The only downfall was that it was hard to figure out how much time had passed.
November 12, 2016
I'm torn. I loved the first half of the book but I like to think these characters stayed forever young. Even though it is quite reasonable for them to grow up. So torn.
May 21, 2020
The perfect sequel to Mark Twain’s, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. It’s been ages since I last read The Life and Loves of Becky Thatcher but I still remember the bitter sweet ending as vividly as if I just read it yesterday. It’s a worthwhile read for any Tom Sawyer fan. It was such a good book, the kind of story that stays with you forever.
September 15, 2017
At first glance this book just reeks of book club smarm. Seriously, just look at that cover.
But it's actually really good. No smarm, I promise. Well maybe just a little, but it's well worth it.
But it's actually really good. No smarm, I promise. Well maybe just a little, but it's well worth it.
April 13, 2020
I liked this book and all the tie-ins to Tom Sawyer.
April 25, 2020
I enjoyed this book and the author’s creative twist on the characters of Becky, Huck, and Tom and their life as adults.
July 21, 2015
Becky: The Life and Loves of Becky Thatcher has an interesting premise. Tom Sawyer’s childhood sweetheart setting the record straight? Yes, please! Tell me all about the “real” people from Mark Twain’s literary adventures! Show me who Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, and Becky Thatcher grew up to become! Let me see Becky's life “then” and “now” and watch as she tries to reconcile who she used to be with who she is today!
I got all of these things in Becky, but they turned out to be significantly less satisfying than I had anticipated. There were two reasons for this. The first is that I was bored out of my mind. The second is that I didn’t like a single one of the characters.
Becky just didn’t hold my interest. Scenes that should have been riveting – stagecoach robberies, Civil War battles, mining accidents – were somehow lifeless and dull. Becky is so practical and matter-of-fact about all of the events in the book that I couldn’t muster up any excitement or fear or joy for anything that happened. It doesn’t help that any real action in the book is suffocated by too many historical details and descriptions. I’m usually very interested in historical fiction, but in Becky the minutiae killed me. While I did learn a lot about the Civil War, especially that the motivations and loyalties were a lot more complex than I’d realized when studying the war in school, I quickly got lost in all the names, dates, and politics. Hard-core history buffs will likely enjoy the nitty-gritty details in the book, but they were too much for me.
My biggest complaint about Hart’s book is that I had a hard time connecting with the characters, specifically Becky and Tom. Characters don’t necessarily need to be likable for a book to be a success, but I do feel a reader should be able to sympathize with them at least a little bit. That wasn’t the case here at all. I couldn’t stand how selfish Tom and Becky both are and couldn't summon any empathy for either of them. Nor could I fathom what Becky found so appealing about Tom. He's supposed to be bursting with charm and charisma and an adventurous spirit, but all I could see was his immaturity and asshole-ness.
And Becky…don’t even get me started. I couldn’t stand her. She’s determined and brave, yes, but that’s because she’s looking out for priority number one - herself. I get that she goes to great lengths to rescue her husband in the middle of a war, but it seemed to me that she tries to get Sid back not because she wants to keep him safe, but because she doesn't want to be inconvenienced by not having her protector and helpmeet there. If she really loved or cared about Sid at all, she wouldn’t have cheated on him with Tom, end of story. This made it impossible for me to respect her, and even if she hadn't been a cheater, her hard pragmatism and gruffness would have kept me at arm's length.
I’m being hard on Becky, but I was so looking forward to this being a different kind of book. Again, hard-core fans of historical fiction will probably take to this story much more than I did, but it was decidedly not for me.
This review can also be found on my blog, Angela's Library.
I got all of these things in Becky, but they turned out to be significantly less satisfying than I had anticipated. There were two reasons for this. The first is that I was bored out of my mind. The second is that I didn’t like a single one of the characters.
Becky just didn’t hold my interest. Scenes that should have been riveting – stagecoach robberies, Civil War battles, mining accidents – were somehow lifeless and dull. Becky is so practical and matter-of-fact about all of the events in the book that I couldn’t muster up any excitement or fear or joy for anything that happened. It doesn’t help that any real action in the book is suffocated by too many historical details and descriptions. I’m usually very interested in historical fiction, but in Becky the minutiae killed me. While I did learn a lot about the Civil War, especially that the motivations and loyalties were a lot more complex than I’d realized when studying the war in school, I quickly got lost in all the names, dates, and politics. Hard-core history buffs will likely enjoy the nitty-gritty details in the book, but they were too much for me.
My biggest complaint about Hart’s book is that I had a hard time connecting with the characters, specifically Becky and Tom. Characters don’t necessarily need to be likable for a book to be a success, but I do feel a reader should be able to sympathize with them at least a little bit. That wasn’t the case here at all. I couldn’t stand how selfish Tom and Becky both are and couldn't summon any empathy for either of them. Nor could I fathom what Becky found so appealing about Tom. He's supposed to be bursting with charm and charisma and an adventurous spirit, but all I could see was his immaturity and asshole-ness.
And Becky…don’t even get me started. I couldn’t stand her. She’s determined and brave, yes, but that’s because she’s looking out for priority number one - herself. I get that she goes to great lengths to rescue her husband in the middle of a war, but it seemed to me that she tries to get Sid back not because she wants to keep him safe, but because she doesn't want to be inconvenienced by not having her protector and helpmeet there. If she really loved or cared about Sid at all, she wouldn’t have cheated on him with Tom, end of story. This made it impossible for me to respect her, and even if she hadn't been a cheater, her hard pragmatism and gruffness would have kept me at arm's length.
I’m being hard on Becky, but I was so looking forward to this being a different kind of book. Again, hard-core fans of historical fiction will probably take to this story much more than I did, but it was decidedly not for me.
This review can also be found on my blog, Angela's Library.
August 11, 2014
AS other reviewers have said, we've had a flood of books offering alternative points of view on classics. Some of them are fun "fan fiction", but Lenore Hart's BECKY is not of this genre. What sets her book apart is the very high quality of the prose. The descriptions, the experiences, the vivid physical and emotional details of Becky's life...running partly parallel to Twain's story, but then veering off into her own tale...make this a literary novel in its own right.
The time and place--Civil War-era Missouri--are relatively little known in American literature, but set a scene where so many of our paradoxes engage--town and wilderness, peace and war, piety and hypocrisy, slavery and freedom, male and female, black and white...those are contests that American culture is still working through. As Mark Twain, knew, hard-charging stories with dramatic, headstrong characters let Americans feel these themes as well as think them. BECKY lets us do the same, revisiting Twain's home ground, but also moving further west (...as Samuel Clemens himself did, in fact) to see what lay ahead for our country, and for us. And, in this case, for Becky---who is a much more complex and rewarding character than Twain allowed for.
So, a good story...you will want to keep reading to follow Becky's mysteries and adventures....but much more, thanks to the excellent writing and sophisticated (but not heavy-handed) management of serious themes.
The time and place--Civil War-era Missouri--are relatively little known in American literature, but set a scene where so many of our paradoxes engage--town and wilderness, peace and war, piety and hypocrisy, slavery and freedom, male and female, black and white...those are contests that American culture is still working through. As Mark Twain, knew, hard-charging stories with dramatic, headstrong characters let Americans feel these themes as well as think them. BECKY lets us do the same, revisiting Twain's home ground, but also moving further west (...as Samuel Clemens himself did, in fact) to see what lay ahead for our country, and for us. And, in this case, for Becky---who is a much more complex and rewarding character than Twain allowed for.
So, a good story...you will want to keep reading to follow Becky's mysteries and adventures....but much more, thanks to the excellent writing and sophisticated (but not heavy-handed) management of serious themes.
June 9, 2009
Ever since the brilliant Wide Saragasso Sea, people have been writing novels about the other characters in famous books. I think the worst one is where Tiny Tim gets enmeshed with a London brothel - although the Jane Austen mysteries are pretty sad as well.
I thought we might have plumbed the depths when Sherlock Holmes got himself hooked up with a 15-year-old Jewish girl who was his intellectual equal. (No, honest.)
But in this novel, Becky marries Sid, Tom's cousin, and gets into the Civil War. Dysfunction meets imagination running in the wrong direction. Blech.
There's a famous song that gets song at folkie nights in Britain about what happened to Enid Blyton's Five - the kids who run about in perfect clothing having seaside adventures. One is in rehab, one got pregnant and dropped out of school, etc. etc. It's funny at 2 a.m. when you're with a bunch of performers who've had too much to drink and are letting their hair down in naked competition with one another.
It's not funny in a novel.
But I like the way Lenore Hart writes, and while this novel has huge holes in its plot and its execution, her style is pleasant. I'm going to try something by her that isn't attached to a revisionist history of why Tom Sawyer was really a b#$%^@& misogynist. Yeah, we KNEW that, babe. Most male writers specialize in them. Lady of the Flies, anyone?
I thought we might have plumbed the depths when Sherlock Holmes got himself hooked up with a 15-year-old Jewish girl who was his intellectual equal. (No, honest.)
But in this novel, Becky marries Sid, Tom's cousin, and gets into the Civil War. Dysfunction meets imagination running in the wrong direction. Blech.
There's a famous song that gets song at folkie nights in Britain about what happened to Enid Blyton's Five - the kids who run about in perfect clothing having seaside adventures. One is in rehab, one got pregnant and dropped out of school, etc. etc. It's funny at 2 a.m. when you're with a bunch of performers who've had too much to drink and are letting their hair down in naked competition with one another.
It's not funny in a novel.
But I like the way Lenore Hart writes, and while this novel has huge holes in its plot and its execution, her style is pleasant. I'm going to try something by her that isn't attached to a revisionist history of why Tom Sawyer was really a b#$%^@& misogynist. Yeah, we KNEW that, babe. Most male writers specialize in them. Lady of the Flies, anyone?
December 26, 2010
Cute story, and overall, I think I might have liked it better if I remembered more about reading Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, as in the 1st half of the book, there are some "flashbacks" where Becky tells stories from the Mark Twain books from her point of view. In this book, Tom, Huck, Becky, Sid, etc are all grown up and it's during the Civil War. The main character is Tom's childhood sweetheart, Becky, who's actually married to Tom's cousin Sid and living in Aunt Polly's house (where Tom grew up)...which overall, seemed a little weird to me.
Even though Becky is married to Sid, there's a rather bizarre love triangle between them and Tom, as Becky never really fell out of love with him and he still shows up in Hannibal once in a while.
I guess I'd describe this book as kind of a mix between a continuation of Tom Sawyer and Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman...not that Becky's a doctor, but it's a little similar as she starts out as a judge's daughter, living in a Missouri. But then ends up dressing up as a male soldier in the Civil War, then traveling with her family to the silver mines of Nevada, and then finally ends up as a widow in San Francisco, getting a job as a journalist.
Even though Becky is married to Sid, there's a rather bizarre love triangle between them and Tom, as Becky never really fell out of love with him and he still shows up in Hannibal once in a while.
I guess I'd describe this book as kind of a mix between a continuation of Tom Sawyer and Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman...not that Becky's a doctor, but it's a little similar as she starts out as a judge's daughter, living in a Missouri. But then ends up dressing up as a male soldier in the Civil War, then traveling with her family to the silver mines of Nevada, and then finally ends up as a widow in San Francisco, getting a job as a journalist.
March 29, 2014
It's hard to take a character out of literature and construct "their" thoughts because everyone already has their version of them in their heads. If I had thought more, I would have picked a different book following God Knows because that was Heller's interpretation of King David and this is Hart's interpretation of Becky Thatcher. Sadly, both books were disappointing. I would have been better off re-reading Tom Sawyer.
I didn't like Hart's version of Becky at all. She was trying so hard to be one of the boys I didn't any female traits at all. I guess Hart tried to portray that Becky was in love with Tom, but she sure didn't act like it--that would have been too girly.
The plot reads like the perils of Pauline--let's see, what damage can happen to Becky? Throw in death, and wars, and illnesses, and keep repeating. I didn't understand why she went after Sid, and the rest of the book went downhill from there.
For whatever reason Hart uses "segar" to mean "cigar". She also foreshadows so much that nothing is really a surprise when it happens.
I didn't like Hart's version of Becky at all. She was trying so hard to be one of the boys I didn't any female traits at all. I guess Hart tried to portray that Becky was in love with Tom, but she sure didn't act like it--that would have been too girly.
The plot reads like the perils of Pauline--let's see, what damage can happen to Becky? Throw in death, and wars, and illnesses, and keep repeating. I didn't understand why she went after Sid, and the rest of the book went downhill from there.
For whatever reason Hart uses "segar" to mean "cigar". She also foreshadows so much that nothing is really a surprise when it happens.
August 14, 2008
Becky Thatcher stops to take stock of her life and set some of the record straight when she hears an old childhood playmate, little Sammy Clemens, has passed away. Becky always sort of took offense at being painted as such a girl, when she was a tomboy, busy keeping up with Tom, Joe, Huck and the like. Yep, the names were changed to protect the kind folks of Hannibal, but everyone knew who Twain was writing about. Hart moves the story through the familiar Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn timeframe, as well as some of Tom, Huck, Becky and others young adult lives in MO during the Civil War years. Becky seems to have taken lessons from Clemens in the storytelling department, as her life from the days of Tom Sawyer to the war involved everything from rescuing her husband from a roving band of army men, to helping move the family West to escape the end of the Civil War and its aftermath. Adventure abounds whether Becky's lost in the cave with Tom, or setting up housekeeping in a silver mining town in Nevada.
August 24, 2011
This is a very creative and original concept to take a beloved heroine of classic literature and revisit her as an adult. In this case, it's Becky Thatcher made famous by Mark Twain in the books about their fellow townsmen: Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. Becky and Tom in the book are puppy love sweethearts and in this book we find out how the bonds of childhood still bind despite others.
I found it hard to read this because to me the narration is choppy zig-zagging back and forth between time periods. There isn't much that's carefree or sweet as we are transported to the Civil War Era and beyond. Lenore Hart's descriptions of life on and off the battlefields are graphic and disturbing. There are tragedies also from diseases long since conquered.
However, through it all Becky Thatcher perseveres and becomes a woman who wants more out of life than decent women of that era believed they could have or achieve. She's definitely a feminist by the time the book ends which seems fitting for a lovely tomboy from Mark Twain's home town.
I found it hard to read this because to me the narration is choppy zig-zagging back and forth between time periods. There isn't much that's carefree or sweet as we are transported to the Civil War Era and beyond. Lenore Hart's descriptions of life on and off the battlefields are graphic and disturbing. There are tragedies also from diseases long since conquered.
However, through it all Becky Thatcher perseveres and becomes a woman who wants more out of life than decent women of that era believed they could have or achieve. She's definitely a feminist by the time the book ends which seems fitting for a lovely tomboy from Mark Twain's home town.
January 8, 2016
Becky: The Life and Loves of Becky Thatcher written by Lenore Hart is about the mysterious secret's that didn't make it into Mark Twain's novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Becky is now married to Sid, Tom's cousin. After beginning a family with two kids, Sid signs up to join the Union army. As Becky has a hard time coping with Sid leaving her and her children for war they lose their youngest child. When you think things couldn't get any worse Becky receives a unexplainable letter from Sid. Becky is curious, angry, and upset deciding to set off on a journey to find her husband, along side Huck Finn. Only to be joined with Tom her childhood crush, Tom Sawyer. She faces many hardships and falls back in love with the same immature Tom as a child. Overall I felt Lenore Hart didn't really put emotions into the characters. I found it hard to connect with Becky nor understand her love and compassion for Tom. It was also difficult to understand the plot line and historical facts, descriptions.
September 15, 2012
"You might ask, after so many decades, who cares what really happened back then? Maybe only me. I knew each and every one of the folks in those books. And though Sam's stories had the ring of truth, it's what he left out that's important...
I was never that pale, limp, blond-curled girl child from a sentimental chromo. I was tough as any boy and I kept my own secrets."
So begins this creative novel from Lenore Hart. It is the "real" story of Becky Thatcher and the other Twain characters. It is part historical fiction, part sequel, part feminist literature. It is clear that Ms. Hart spent much time on the historical research of the Civil War as well as spending a lot of time with Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. It was such an enjoyable twist to a beloved heroine.
I felt the writing style had some weaknesses, but overall, this was an enjoyable read!
I was never that pale, limp, blond-curled girl child from a sentimental chromo. I was tough as any boy and I kept my own secrets."
So begins this creative novel from Lenore Hart. It is the "real" story of Becky Thatcher and the other Twain characters. It is part historical fiction, part sequel, part feminist literature. It is clear that Ms. Hart spent much time on the historical research of the Civil War as well as spending a lot of time with Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. It was such an enjoyable twist to a beloved heroine.
I felt the writing style had some weaknesses, but overall, this was an enjoyable read!
April 24, 2013
In an interesting take on Twain's characters, Hart takes Becky Thatcher's point of view and turns the tides. She gives Becky power and strength and a suffragette attitude in a man's world. If you're looking for the sweetness of Twain's world, do not look here. Hart's novel is grimy and bloody and full of tragedy which is probably much closer to the real world of the civil-war south and gold mining rush of the west than Twain's saccharine expositions. Chock full of well-researched details, this story feels epic in a novel-sized cover. At times, I sighed and wondered how many more trials this character would endure and I have to admit that I did not appreciate the return of Tom Sawyer but, in the end, I was quite satisfied. Definitely worth the time.
January 14, 2015
Lenore Hart's novel is a well-researched and utterly creative spin-off of a well-known classic. It tells a story of a woman that has never been told and develops characters into the adults readers had never seen them become. Becky is perfect for anyone who loves American history because it ingeniously intertwines infamous persons and events with the lives of its fictional characters, bringing them to life in a new and relatable way. Even if a reader is not a history buff, Becky will keep the pages turning with its romance, tragedy, humor, and adventure. This book is most well suited to a teenage girl audience because it displays an imperfect heroine who has lost and loved, but fights her way through the ever-changing world around her.
June 12, 2008
I always sort of wondered what Becky ended up doing, and this book takes a shot at it. Though I really liked it and had a hard time putting it down, I couldn't totally believe that Becky could get away with being such a hellion. Parts of it just aren't quite as believable as I'd like (the whole meeting Jesse James thing and also that Becky can just run around the country pretending to be a man and not have too much trouble with it). If not for the difficulty I had in accepting some of Becky's adventures, I would have given the book five stars. I'll at least check out more from this author.
March 17, 2008
A feminist adult re-telling of Mark Twain's childhood classic. Very readable, but I didn't always believe Becky's "tough" posturing, and her interactions with some of the famous folk of the day seemed a little too coincidental (her stagecoach is actually robbed by a young Jesse James). However, the Civil War detail is good, and I enjoyed learning more about Missouri's role in the war between the states. A perfectly fine, somewhat clean (sex is only alluded to, but some of the battle scenes are quite bloody) historical romance, but nothing exceptional.
July 25, 2011
I was hoping to enjoy this one more than I did. I always loved Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer, and I generally enjoy fan fiction, but this one missed the mark for me. I guess I was expecting a more whimsical tale, something along the lines of the original story. It kept my interest enough that I read it through, but I got bogged down in parts, and I didn't like her portrayal of Sam Clemens or Tom.
I am glad I finally read this (it's been on my must-read list for years!), but it won't make my 'favorites' list, as I was almost certain that it would.
I am glad I finally read this (it's been on my must-read list for years!), but it won't make my 'favorites' list, as I was almost certain that it would.
July 28, 2009
I loved this book. Though, I was very skeptical before reading it ... the idea of an author using another author's characters and moving on with them was a bit offing to me. But she is such a magnificent writer and made every character sympathetic to the reader. AND Mark Twain did give future writers permission to write about Tom Sawyer and friends as adults. Also some very interesting Civil War info included in this fictional historical novel. It was a very good book and I highly recommend it.
February 15, 2008
I loved this book! I found myself never wanting to put it down. I don't really remember Tom Sawyer very much but you don't even need to have read the book to enjoy this one, the writer explains a lot of the background of the characters from that book. Its a great love, adventure novel. When I came to the end of this book I was disappointed, not at the ending itself just because it was the end of the book. The characters are very likable and the writer is very creative and descriptive.
June 15, 2008
Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn paint a picture of Becky in past books as a young girl dancing thru the meadow and acting sweet. Lenore Hart shows another side. Becky lives a rough life, meets several "famous" individuals. Recommend this anyone interested in obtaining the other side of Mark Twain's Becky.
November 19, 2008
This book was fine. I didn't love it though. It was a really neat idea, but Becky was not my favorite character. Everything seemed to fall into place too often and parts seemed really rushed or things were brought up that didn't end up leading to anything. The writing itself wasn't special, but it was a good story.
August 20, 2014
I loved this book. It is the "true" story behind Mark Twain's "Tom Sawyer". It is the story that wasn't told. According to this book Becky was the weeping ninny that Mark Twain made her out to be. It was a fun read and since it covered the Civil War, it slightly reminded me of reading "Scarlett" written many years after "Gone With The Wind". The other side of the story that was never told.
Want to read
January 5, 2009Just saw this on Jessica's list. There aren't many literary Beckys, so I'm intrigued! "Becky Thatcher wants to set the record straight. She was never the weeping ninny Mark Twain made her out to be in his famous novel 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'." --jacket flap
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