For a novel written in 1749, Tom Jones was ahead of its time and quite risque. There was much of this novel I enjoyed. Learning a bit of how people lived in 1749, the references to George Fredrich Handel (who was Fielding's contemporary), and the many laugh out loud one liners.
Some of the situations that Tom Jones gets himself into were entertaining, and I thought the book moved pretty quickly until around the last quarter. This could have also just been from me getting impatient to finish, but Fielding sometimes likes to lecture at you through his characters which slows things down. But by the last 20 pages, a lot of things came together and the plot picked up again.
There were some questionable ideas discussed (mostly about women) that a more modern audience would be appalled by. But considering this was written in 1749, it makes a sense. Instead of getting offended, I found it an interesting study of that time and how people thought. Despite these more chauvinistic views, Fielding seems to actually respect many of the women characters, especially Sophia his main leading lady (based on his own wife).
This is not a novel for everybody, the older English (not archaic, but still old enough to slow you down a bit) and the 800 pages is enough to scare some people. But if you are a lover of classic literature, enjoy reading books written in the past, and want to read a book that is considered one of the best British books ever written then this is for you! Find out why when Tom Jones was published, people were shocked by its content and convinced that some earthquakes that ocurred were because of Tom Jones.