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    Oliver Twist
    Oliver Twist
    Oliver Twist
    Audiobook16 hours

    Oliver Twist

    Written by Charles Dickens

    Narrated by Simon Vance

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    One of Charles Dickens's most popular novels, Oliver Twist is the story of a young orphan who dares to say, "Please, sir, I want some more." After escaping from the dark and dismal workhouse where he was born, Oliver finds himself on the mean streets of Victorian-era London and is unwittingly recruited into a scabrous gang of scheming urchins. In this band of petty thieves, Oliver encounters the extraordinary and vibrant characters who have captured audiences' imaginations for more than 150 years: the loathsome Fagin, the beautiful and tragic Nancy, the crafty Artful Dodger, and the terrifying Bill Sikes, perhaps one of the greatest villains of all time.



    Rife with Dickens's disturbing descriptions of street life, the novel is buoyed by the purity of the orphan Oliver. Though he is treated with cruelty and surrounded by coarseness for most of his life, his pious innocence leads him at last to salvation—and the shocking discovery of his true identity.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJul 7, 2008
    ISBN9781400176953
    Author

    Charles Dickens

    Charles Dickens nació en Portsmouth en 1812, segundo de los ocho hijos de un funcionario de la Marina. A los doce años, encarcelado el padre por deudas, tuvo que ponerse a trabajar en una fábrica de betún. Su educación fue irregular: aprendió por su cuenta taquigrafía, trabajó en el bufete de un abogado y finalmente fue corresponsal parlamentario de The Morning Chronicle. Sus artículos, luego recogidos en Bosquejos de Boz (1836-1837), tuvieron un gran éxito y, con la aparición en esos mismos años de los Papeles póstumos del club Pickwick, Dickens se convirtió en un auténtico fenómeno editorial. Novelas como Oliver Twist (1837), Nicholas Nickleby (1838-1839) o (1841) alcanzaron una enorme popularidad, así como algunas crónicas de viajes, como Estampas de Italia (1846; ALBA CLÁSICA núm. LVII). Con Dombey e hijo (1846-1848) inicia su época de madurez novelística, de la que son buenos ejemplos David Copperfield (1849-1850), su primera novela en primera persona, y su favorita, en la que elaboró algunos episodios autobiográficos, Casa desolada (1852-1853), La pequeña Dorrit (1855-1857), Historia de dos ciudades (1859; ALBA PRIMEROS CLÁSICOS núm. 5) y Grandes esperanzas (1860-1861; ALBA CLÁSICA MAIOR núm. I). Dickens murió en Londres en 1870.

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    Reviews for Oliver Twist

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    130 ratings95 reviews

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    • 4/5
      It’s a story that make everyone think about Oliver, like a brave man. He escaped from the workhouse, have a rich family that he never knew, a brother try to harm him, his mother die in workhouse, he never ‘ ew he had a family, a father or even a brother. He been with the thief, but he was benn help by a kind young and old lady at the house where he try to steal things. The thief never forgive him, they try to catch him back, they think he one of them for ever. But he met nice people who willing to help him out those thief.This is amazing story, poor Oliver
    • 4/5
      free audiobook from audiobooksync.com - Little orphan Oliver Twist gets shuffled around from workhouse to abusive apprenticeship to bad people to good people back to bad people then to different good people, etc. etc.While definitely not the best of Dickens' work, Oliver Twist gets much more enjoyable once the reader comes to terms with the fact that Oliver himself is the second stupidest, most uninteresting character ever written (after Bella Swan. Actually, Oliver and Bella have a lot in common. Quick, someone write an essay about that!). All of the other now-iconic characters are interesting and well-developed and spend the entire plot doing an elaborate dance of unlikely coincidences around their weepy, bland core. (The Oliver/Bella essay is practically writing itself!). Thankfully Oliver himself barely shows up at all in the second half of the book. Definitely recommended if you like socially-conscious stories of the early 1800s, particularly the audiobook as Simon Vance is excellent.
    • 5/5
      First time all of the way through, although I have done portions of the book before. As with other recent Dicken's reading, Colledge's God and Charles Dickens was very helpful in putting this into context.The most interesting thing about Oliver Twist is that it works so well without any great character development. The good are good, the bad are bad, and there are very few who do not fall into one of these two categories. The good get rewarded, the bad (finally) get what they deserve. It very much is a morality tale - using the definition of a morality tale as one that exhibits the conflict between good and evil while offering moral lessons. And it excels in this category.This e-book was originally released in serial format, to match how the book was originally released. That gave me a greater appreciation of how the book was originally experienced.
    • 4/5
      There were certain points in the story where I found it hard to follow what was going on. I found the ending especially confusing. But other than that, I enjoyed the story. I plan on watching a couple movie renditions to see if I can better understand what was going on.
    • 5/5
      I received this book from the Junior Deluxe Editions Book Club at about age 7, but wasn't able or willing to read it till I was 10 or 11. It's a while since I've read it, and having seen Oliver! a couple of times since, it's always a little hard to recall that first reading. The scenes where Oliver is a professional mourner for a funeral home always stuck in my mind. I should read it again some day. I should note that I do have the fancy Franklin Library edition too, but the Junior Deluxe is one I can't bear to part with unless someday a grandchild will want it.
    • 3/5
      It's hard not to like Dickens. He creates these eccentric supporting characters that are quirky, bizarre and totally lovable. But unlike so many of his masterpieces, Oliver Twist lacks a complex hero or main character. The book begins with Oliver's birth in a poor work house. His mother dies in child birth and his father is unknown. Oliver grows up under horrible conditions forced to work and is poorly fed - and yes, that famous line that we all remember from the Broadway musical and movie, 'Please, sir, I want some more' is a line from the book! After some failed apprenticeships, Oliver escapes to London and is taken in by a group of children pick pockets, trained by Fagin. As the book progresses, Oliver gains many allies among both his band of thieves as well as some wealthy families, who coincidentally are related to Oliver's unfortunate mother. What I found lacking in this Dickens' novel is that Oliver, although a sweet and innocent child, doesn't really grow and develop the heroic personality of some of Dickens other main characters - David Copperfield, Pip from Great Expectations, or my favorite, Esther from Bleak House. Definitely Oliver Twist is still a book worth reading, but I didn't find it as strong as some of his other works.

      I listened to the audio version performed by John Lee who has a deep soothing British voice. His skill at accents from the cockney dregs of London to the upper class was very well done.
    • 4/5
      [Oliver Twist] is the story of an orphan boy who is sent to several workshouses and finally ends up in the home of a benevolent widow and her female companion. The plot and ending of the story are very predictable. Compared to Dickens' [Bleak House] and [A Tale of Two Cities], [Oliver Twist] leaves much to be desired.
    • 3/5
      Overheersend: humoristische en vooral sarcastische stijl. Sterke zwartwit-tekening van de karakters. Oliver is uiteraard de held, maar eerder schaapachtig; alleen in het begin aanzet tot eigen karakter, daarna drijft hij mee en evolueert zijn karakter niet (is grote zwakte van de roman)Uiteraard is er een sociale achtergrond: de achterbuurten van Londen, de schandalige Poor?s Law, de hypocrisie van de kerkelijken. Lichtelijk melodramatisch, vooral op het einde nogal melig.
    • 4/5
      I read it fairly quickly, major plus. I don’t know that I have an actual opinion. It was plodding and predictable…character point of view jumped around. It was a typical Dickens novel. I do however always on some level appreciate his way with words and that I can always predict how his story will play out. They never bore me…but they never completely pull me in. It’s an odd thing. I don’t know how to describe it. But, in the end, Dickens was considered one of the best…and I think I can understand that. So yes, read a Dickens novel. It’s a rite of passage. This marks my second. Have to admit I adored Great Expectations more…
    • 5/5
      "There are two types of people in this world: Those who like Neil Diamond, and those who don't."

      The same applies to Charles Dickens. I like him!
    • 4/5
      It’s hard not to think of Dickens himself while reading this book, and the horrors he went through as a child. He was the 2nd of 8 children and his father and most of the rest of his family were sent away to debtor’s prison; Charles was then forced into childhood labor pasting labels on shoe polish under very strenuous conditions. While he often is criticized for characters which are not three-dimensional and for constantly referring to the villain Fagan as “the Jew”, Oliver Twist is a memorable story and a classic.Quotes:On poor children:“Wrapped in the blanket which had hitherto formed his only covering, he might have been the child of a nobleman or a beggar; it would have been hard for the haughtiest stranger to have assigned him his proper station in society. But now that he was enveloped in the old calico robes which had grown yellow in the same service, he was badged and ticketed, and fell into his place at once – a parish child – the orphan of a workhouse – the humble, half-starved drudge – to be cuffed and buffeted through the world – despised by all, and pitied by none.Oliver cried lustily. If he had known that he was an orphan, left to the tender mercies of the churchwardens and overseers, perhaps he would have cried the louder.”On good and evil in men:“Such is the influence which the condition of our own thoughts exercises, even over the appearance of external objects. Men who look on nature and their fellow men, and cry that all is dark and gloomy, are in the right; but the somber colors are reflections from their own jaundiced eyes and hearts. The real hues are delicate, and need a clearer vision.”
    • 4/5
      Six-word review: Deservedly classic tale of orphan's survival.Extended review:Despite its verbosity, sentimentality, and exaggerated characterizations, how can you not love this book? Like a dog at your feet, it's there to be loved. What else are you going to do with it?It also turns out to be much more satirical than I ever realized. Social commentary, yes, expected; but satire? I didn't know. For example:Mr. Bumble...had a decided propensity for bullying: derived no inconsiderable pleasure from the exercise of petty cruelty; and, consequently, was (it is needless to say) a coward. This is by no means a disparagement to his character; for many official personages, who are held in high respect and admiration, are the victims of similar infirmities. The remark is made, indeed, rather in his favour than otherwise, and with a view of impressing the reader with a just sense of his qualifications for office.Dickens misses no opportunity to underscore the social ills of his time and place and to distribute ample helpings of blame freely up and down the social scale. He also holds us captive with a story that keeps us reading and soaking up his message.So here they all are, the characters we know so well in so many incarnations, embedded as they are in the cultures of the English-speaking world and probably well beyond: the ever-so-good good guys: tender, mistreated Oliver; kindly, open-hearted Mr. Brownlow; sweet, sweet Rose, so impossibly angelic that it's a wonder she doesn't suffocate of her own virtue; and poor brave, doomed Nancy, without whom nothing could have turned out right; and the bad guys, not one of whom is without at least some small spark of sympathetic humanity to argue for redemption: sadistic Mr. Bumble; cocky Artful Dodger; unregenerate, duplicitous Fagin; mysterious, menacing Monks; and cruel, brutal Bill Sikes, a monster who comes to a fitting end that yet inspires horror.Of the rambling story with its odd, protracted word-count-stretching digressions and amazing coincidences I have no comment to add to the immense body of commentary on the literature of Dickens: but to say that the story is brightest in single scenes and episodes, with the long arc serving mainly to string those together. It's in those vignettes that the brilliance of Dickens' characterization is displayed, and that, indeed, is why we fall in love.
    • 5/5
      The preface to my edition was helpful in many respects, pointing out that Oliver is intentionally a passive hero, intended to represent goodness surviving however surrounded by evil. That threatens to make Oliver rather a boring character, but for me he generated a lot of pathos. As Dickens writes at one point, "what could one poor child do?" The characters of most interest of course are the novel's infamous villains, the Artful Dodger and Fagin especially, who make distinct impressions with their descriptions, dialogue and actions.The constant identification of Fagin as a Jew I was forewarned about and it did make me uncomfortable, although I read sufficiently into the background of this novel that I was able to make a peace with Dickens' use of it. I also abided the infamous truckload of coincidences directing the plot. What I didn't expect - and appreciated - was the narrative tone, filled with (arch? caustic? sarcastic?) commentary on the goings-on. This novel has humour to rival that of The Pickwick Papers, but it's decidedly darker in tone and aimed at social commentary. I'm amused by the foreshadowing of personality through character naming - although, "Mr. Fang" sounds like a Chinese villain from a James Bond thriller, not a white police magistrate in 19th century London.Where I disagree with the preface analysis is its statement that Oliver's tidy ending bespeaks a lack of imagination about how to end his story more realistically, as though Dickens shied away from addressing the truth about the lives of kids on the streets. I think we only need to look at Nancy, the Dodger, Oliver's friends he left behind, and a host of other characters to see where this life typically led. If Oliver is spared, it's to spare the readers (and not to lose their following; there will be opportunities to explore tragedy later, once he has them firmly in hand.) Dickens did perform a great service by introducing realistic lower classes to literature instead of romanticizing or avoiding them.Dickens is difficult to get into at first and always a slow read for me, but never because he is boring; only because what he writes is so rich that I don't want to overlook a word of detail. Pickwick was hilarious and Oliver Twist has pulled my heartstrings, Nicholas Nickleby I read some years ago and liked its theatricality. Happily there's still many more novels to read.
    • 4/5
      Not one of Dicken's stronger novels in my opinion. The ending is pat. However its a pleasant enough light read despite the poverty portrayed.
    • 5/5
      Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress is another classic by that master of storytelling, Charles Dickens. First published in 1838, the novel is a strong protest against the cruel conditions then facing the indigent in England. Dickens is furious at the abuses of the workhouse system but he never loses control of his clipped, unrelenting sarcasm, even when speaking of daily bureaucratic villainies. He knows just how far to take it. And what is so amazing about Dickens' genius is that his invective never overtakes the story; the story is never just an excuse for the protest. Social reform is a big ingredient of Dickens' work, but his work doesn't reduce to that. Please note there are some spoilers in this review.The storyline of Oliver Twist is very well known. Oliver, born of an unwed mother in a workhouse, suffers a deprived childhood under the tender care of parish officials (it is here that he is punished for famously asking, "Please, sir, I want some more"). At age nine Oliver is apprenticed to a coffin-maker, but is eventually driven from that harsh home. Oliver makes his way to London, where he is picked up by the Artful Dodger, one of a small gang of criminals. This gang is led by Fagin, an elderly Jew who trains the band in the art of theft and picking pockets. But Fagin has a special reason for making Oliver a thief. There is some mystery surrounding Oliver's birth, but how can it be discovered? What is the real history of his nameless mother, and why would anyone still care?What strikes me principally about Oliver Twist is its gritty feel. Dickens doesn't hesitate in his other books to show poverty and suffering, but this story goes beyond that and portrays the individuals who people the seamy side of London in all their foulness and degradation. And yet at the same time, innocent Oliver provides the moral center of the novel. Often his innocence is taken advantage of and his naive youth manipulated, but the message is clear: moral virtue will always be rewarded in the end. This has been likened to a fairy tale, in which the good always triumph and the wicked are always punished.I suppose it is also like a fairy tale in the sense that our hero Oliver possesses such high principles and firm moral character when all his life has been spent among other wretched children under selfish, calloused overseers. No one is naturally that good. I also found it difficult to appreciate Dickens' angelic female, Rose Maylie. Sometimes the descriptions of Rose are too flowery to bear. Perhaps Dickens overdid it just a bit to refresh himself after writing all his realistic gritty villains?But Dickens makes up for these weaknesses with several brilliant characters, most notably Nancy, the fallen woman who is almost redeemed. Her struggle with the inexplicable desire to stay in her wretched life is probably the truest thing Dickens ever wrote. Nancy can envision a different life should she accept the help of Oliver's friends, but something in her clings instead to her old life. She returns to the scenes of her degradation, loyal even to the fiends who dragged her there — and dies for it. It is utterly tragic, and the worst of it is that she could have been different if Fagin and others had not set out to corrupt her. Little acts of selfishness can change another person's life forever.I imagine there are essays discussing Dickens' anti-Semitism as depicted in Fagin, the foul crook who is more often than not referred to as "the Jew." It can't be denied that Fagin is a singularly distasteful character, with a stereotypical love of lucre, but I think there is a little more to it. First, the unlovely descriptions of Fagin are not that different from the descriptions of Dickens' many other villains. And somehow Dickens makes me pity Fagin, despite all his crimes. The chapter near the end that deals with Fagin's trial and state of mind after being sentenced to death is a masterpiece of psychological scrutiny, entirely believable and, in its way, heart wringing. I think Dickens pities Fagin too, not for his Jewishness but for the dreadful sneaking life he has lived and the horror of his death.Certain moments stand out, crystalline in their emotional clarity. I think of Mr. Brownlow and Mr. Grimwig sitting across from one another with the watch between them, measuring Oliver's character. Or Nancy telling Rose through tears that "if there was more like you, there would be fewer like me." Or Sikes grinding his chair up against the wall, to keep the specter of his guilt from hovering at his back. Other moments are brilliant in their humor, like Mr. Grimwig threatening to eat his head and Mr. Giles telling of his daring exploits. There is just so much here. I listened to this on audiobook read by Nadia May, and I understand why her work is so acclaimed. She has a warm voice and accent that wear well over the course of a long book like this. I could tell she was enjoying performing the story just as much as I was enjoying the performance. Her voice graces this story and I will certainly be looking for more audiobooks read by her.All of this, this grand drama made up of petty cruelties, of small thefts and dramatic murders, of the uneven love between degraded man and degraded woman, of innocence, poverty, crime, desperation — all of this is Dickens' arena and he performs it like no one else. Oliver Twist reminds me why we still read classic literature today.
    • 5/5
      Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens was published 175 years ago in 1838 and there's no doubt it's an enduring classic. Most people know Oliver Twist is an orphan and of course his well-known request for "more".I don't know why it's taken so long for me to read Oliver Twist, perhaps because I didn't really enjoy Great Expectations. Having said that, I fell in love with Oliver Twist and am now a true Dickens fan.Rather than share some of the plot (which most people know one way or another), allow me to share some of my favourite quotes/excerpts.On considering sending young Oliver to sea on page 20: "the probability being, that the skipper would flog him to death, in a playful mood, someday after dinner, or would knock his brains out with an iron bar, both pastimes being, as is pretty generally known, very favourite and common recreations among gentlemen of that class."Page 52, regarding Oliver's drowsy state: "There is a drowsy state, between sleeping and waking, when you dream more in five minutes with your eyes half open, and yourself half conscious of everything that is passing around you, than you would in five nights with your eyes fast closed, and your senses wrapped in perfect unconsciousness. At such times, a mortal knows just enough of what his mind is doing, to form some glimmering conception of its might powers, its bounding from earth and spurning time and space, when freed from the restraint of its corporeal associate."Page 176, this had me laughing for ages: "Unembellished by any violence of gesticulation, this might have seemed no very high compliment to the lady's charms; but, as Mr Bumble accompanied the threat with many warlike gestures, she was much touched with this proof of his devotion, and protested, with great admiration, that he was indeed a dove."I could go on, but I hope that's enough to influence you to give Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens a try if you haven't before. The language was such a delight, I couldn't do it justice by reading it at my normal pace, and really had to slow right down to savour his words and his writing.I savoured being amongst the pages and recommend Oliver Twist to all who appreciate the English language.
    • 4/5
      Martin Jarvis is the best reader of Dickens I have come across. I resently downloaded "A Tale of Two Cities," think I'd read before only to find I hadn't. I had gotten it for free from audible.com. I got a copy of it, but like Jarvis's reading of it so much that I found myself following along with the book. I can't listen to books I've not read. When I saw the unabridged version of Oliver Twist was available read by Mr. Jarvis, I immediately downloaded it and am very much enjoy Oliver's journey once again brought to vivid life by Martin Jarvis. I think this would easily keep kids of all ages entertained as well as adults.
    • 5/5
      I am hard pressed to think of what you find in later Dickens that you don't find in this, his first complete novel. That is not to say a lot isn't much better (the imagery of London, the complexity of the characters, and the even more sprawling multiple plots come to mind) -- and that some of the worst of this novel (of which the absurd and unnecessary coincidence of Rose Maylie being related to Oliver is just about the worst). But Dickens already had the combination of comic, tragic, melodramatic, moralizing, satirical, and several other ingredients that he successfully mined in different proportions in all his future books. Although none of them top the stark brutality of Oliver Twist, and especially Fagin and Sikes.
    • 5/5
      This is really not a story for children. I don't remember the body count to be so high when I read it as a boy in the abridged, edited, illustrated version. This must be one of Dicken's goriest novels, and I'm positive that he doesn't kill characters off for the sake of making it a blockbuster. The story paints a picture of an orphan who escapes from his apprenticeship and is unfortunately mixed up in bad company. The narrative is amazingly gripping. When I was young, I, not knowing any better, rooted for Oliver but now, I'm for the underdogs: the Satanic Jew, Fagins the master-thief; the Artful Dodger, Jack Dawkins the pickpocket; and Nancy, a proud but kind prostitute. I love Dickens and this must be one of my favorites of his.
    • 5/5
      Writing: 5.0; Theme: 5.0; Content: 4.5; Language: 4.5; Overall: 5.0; This was a wonderful volume that shares the rough, yet heart-warming story of Oliver Twist. Oliver travels through life battling the evils of this world while growing up in the poor conditions of a street youth. This story resembles the process that many Christians go through. As Christians, like Oliver, we are persecuted in this life, but in the end those who were the persecuted will one day receive glorious rewards if they live their lives pleasing to Christ. Great tome! Highly recommend. ***March 5, 2019*** (read with Jonathan)
    • 4/5
      [Oliver Twist] is the story of an orphan boy who is sent to several workshouses and finally ends up in the home of a benevolent widow and her female companion. The plot and ending of the story are very predictable. Compared to Dickens' [Bleak House] and [A Tale of Two Cities], [Oliver Twist] leaves much to be desired.
    • 4/5
      Difficult to review a book that's already imprinted itself on the general consciousness, either via the musical or via word of mouth, or just knowing.....What struck me about this book, as opposed to the image I had in my mind before reading it, was the extent of the violence perpetrated partway through. The recent BBC TV show aimed at selecting a 'Nancy' to appear in the West End musical seemed a long long way removed from the reality of the book.Otherwise, some fine Dickensian characterisation, a little humour thrown in occasionally, and some predictable incidences of mistaken identity and staggering coincidence.Glad I read it, if only to appreciate the true version.
    • 4/5
      A bit more brutal than the version presented in the musical ``Oliver’’ and in children’s versions, and a damn sight funnier than I would have imagined in grade school.
    • 4/5
      I first read this after seeing the 1960's film musical. Loved it then. When I reread it as an adult, I was a little less more impartial. But I still enjoyed the imagery, the characters and the commentary on society.
    • 1/5
      seemed really predictable, hackneyed, lacking dimension. Oddly, the movie is so much better.
    • 4/5
      'Oliver Twist' is the first book on my personal "Books that have been on my shelf for way to long" reading challenge for 2011.I've always viewed Charles Dickens with some trepidation having once seen his picture in the dictionary next to the definition of "verbose". The only other Dickens book I've read is 'A Christmas Carol' which starts out with the sentence "Marley was dead." Okay, that's short and to the point but then he went on for three pages explaining exactly how dead he was. I get it, Chuck. He's dead already. That said, I was very pleasantly surprised by Oliver Twist. I hated the blatant anti-semitism in Dickens' treatment of Fagin and gagged on his saccharine sweet portrayal of Oliver but I really enjoyed reading what is, its core, a witty and biting social satire. I'd also really like to know if Dickens' constant referring to on of Fagin's minions as 'Master Bates' was his subtle way of telling us this character was really a wanker.
    • 5/5
      Still one of my favorite books. I loved rereading it. I read it the first time in Jr. High. The power of the words is even greater today.
    • 3/5
      The story follows the progress of the orphaned Oliver Twist, as he is taken from the orphanage to the workhouse and then to an undertaker as an apprentice. Cruelly taunted by another jealous apprentice, he is beaten for lashing out, after which he runs away to London on foot—a distance of 70 miles which he covers in one week. Upon arrival he meets the Artful Dodger who offers Oliver some food and a place to sleep and brings him to an old Jewish man called Fagins. The old man and his gang of pickpockets teach Oliver how to steal gentlemen's handkerchiefs. Through a series of events, Oliver is taken in by a rich and kind gentleman who sees that Oliver is a sincere and gentle soul and decides to give the boy a home and offer him an education. But Fagins arranges to have Oliver brought back to him, and along with his brutal accomplice Bill Sikes, the orphan is forced to continue in a life of crime. Many many trials and tribulations and heartbreak ensue, and eventually, with a good dose of luck and serendipity all's well that ends well. I very much enjoyed the ironic tone of Dickens as he describes the conditions of the poor who were subject to the New Poor Law at the time, which in fact did little to help them and in many ways made their lives even more miserable. This novel is a powerful social commentary as is well known, and it's easy to see where Dickens' sympathies lie. The lengthy narrative of this story which was originally published in monthly instalments is best enjoyed in small doses and I found that trying to listen to too many chapters at once kept me from enjoying the excellent quality of the writing and quickly became tedious. With the exception of Nancy, a young prostitute and Bill Sikes' girlfriend who decided to do all she could to help young Oliver—and came to a very brutal end for that reason—most of the characters were shown as being either all good or all bad.This was especially problematic for me in the portrayal of Fagan—usually referred to as 'The Jew'—who was depicted as a reprehensible, cruel and grotesque creature throughout; a real caricature of the miserly Jew at his absolute worst. When he was accused of anti-semitism, Dickens asserted that he had simply meant to depict a specific kind of criminal, who at that time just so happened to usually be a Jewish man, and apparently tried to remedy to that by referring to him mostly as the less offensive 'Fagan' in the last chapters of the serial. But even though allowing for the fact that the novel was written at a time when prejudices were openly aired, it was hard for me to bear and took away from my general enjoyment of the story, to which I would have otherwise given a higher rating.
    • 4/5
      Like an awful lot of people I have seen the film version of this story numerous times and even the stage version once as well but had never got around to actually reading the original. To mark Dicken's 200 birthday I felt that it was time to put things right just to see how much of the story had been altered.Dicken's was obviously a great wordsmith and this could be seen in his depiction of the conditions in the workhouse which were so vivid it was frightening but in truth I found this portion a little dull and just wanted to race through this part to get to when Oliver goes to London and meets Fagin and the gang. For it is there that the story really begins for me. Can a sweet natured boy who has had a very rough upbringing, where he was shown little affection and no little brutality, remain honest and upstanding or would he turn out a wrong 'un like the rest of them. A question of nurture or nature.The book holds some great characters who are given such a three dimensional feel by the great writing ( anyone who can get away with a character called Master Bates must be good). I did feel a little uncomfortable with Fagin constantly refered to as the Jew, although I realise that it is hard to expect the same standards of today 150+ years ago.On the whole I really enjoyed the book although it could be argued that this was not one of Dicken's best and am glad that I finally got around to reading it. Some parts I found a little slow but once it really got going I felt that the story raced along nicely. If I could have given it 4.5 stars I would have but finally came down on the side of a 4 but in the end as far as Dicken's himself is involved 'Can I have some more?'
    • 4/5
      Finally getting to the end of these rambling Victorian sagas, it's easy to be infuriated at the ludicrous revelations and disclosures, legacies and dying wishes that tie it all benevolently up, that subdue all the vitality and humour of the characters with the saccharine promise of a bland and safe future. Because the rogues and oddities usually do make for the best scenes. But whatever the quibbles, Dickens' heartiness and sentiment wins us over. The dull worthiness and small role of the title character, Oliver, is another surprise; you could forget he's in it at times. But there's always enough that us going on: eccentric characters, evocative descriptions, memorable set-pieces. And of course the rousing versions in song and stage that come after:  "We've taken to you so strong..."