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mel1n's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
daja57's review against another edition
3.0
I think this is one of the weakest of Dickens's novel. My fundamental problem was that I was unable to believe that a lad brought up as an orphan in a workhouse would have been such a nice little boy. Dickens thought that because Oliver is of 'gentle' birth his 'innate nobility' would shine through the grime of his upbringing. I disagree.
Of course it is peopled with some wonderfully eccentric caricatures but that doesn't make it a novel.
Of course it is peopled with some wonderfully eccentric caricatures but that doesn't make it a novel.
roo_rachel's review against another edition
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
greta_macionyte's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 ⭐️ A classic.
I liked it more than I expected but not as much as I wanted to.
I liked it more than I expected but not as much as I wanted to.
hlmyabd's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bhnmt61's review against another edition
3.0
Poor orphaned Oliver battles the forces of evil and maintains his pure soul in this tale of the underside of London. It has all the classic elements of a Dickens novel- a sweet blameless young girl, a last minute reveal of an orphan’s gentle birth, wily villains who are happy to take advantage of those in dire circumstances. It also has the brave “soiled flower” Nancy and the plucky Artful Dodger, who should have appeared a lot more often if you ask me. It has all of Dickens’ usual themes, but somehow lacks the lovable heart of David Copperfield or Great Expectations. I would give it four stars except for the rampant anti-Semitism. I’m glad to finally check this one off my Dickens life list, but if you’re only going to read one Dickens novel, there are better choices.
outcolder's review against another edition
4.0
Like most people who read this, I thought the "good" guys were boring, but Dickens spends most of the book with the far more fun bad guys so its okay. My favorite bit was when Monks is cursing Oliver, saying things like "Death! Grind him to ashes! Rot his bones!" and "Black death upon your heart, you imp!" Which is pretty much how I felt about Oliver, too, whining around, never losing faith in heaven, always pure and innocent. It occurred to me that contemporary writers working with a similar plot and characters would probably just leave most of the good guys out of it, and make the bad guys more sympathetic. We'd be rooting for Monks, Sykes and Fagin the way people cheered for the anti-heroes of Breaking Bad. So then it's like, Dickens laid the groundwork for that, because he made his villains so much fun to read about.
Also, okay, Dickens was like 26 when he wrote this, but really, there's no excuse for the antisemitism. I mean, Fagin can be ugly, even incredibly ugly, he can be terribly evil, he can be traitorous and cowardly... but would a bit of back story have ruined everything? Was it necessary to call him "the Jew" the whole time? There are like, two other Jews in the whole book. A rag dealer who tips Fagin off where Oliver is when he first gets away and at the end there are some "venerable men of his own persuasion" who pray in the cell with him. Is that even a thing? It sounds to me like Dickens transposed some Christiany thing to do on to these "venerable men," but I guess it's better than if he'd left that line out. I get enough antisemitism in real life and on the Internet, do I really need to confront myself with it in novels? And then I need the mental self-defense so I don't internalize it...
Still and all I really enjoyed this. With the exception of Oliver and his real friends, all the characters are lively and will bounce around in my brain for the rest of my life. I also loved the settings, where Dickens uses his journalistic reportage chops to paint London. Occasionally Dickens cuts through the whole thing with a buzz saw of sarcasm that I also loved.
This edition came with an essay by Graham Greene that stank. Just sayin'.
Also, okay, Dickens was like 26 when he wrote this, but really, there's no excuse for the antisemitism. I mean, Fagin can be ugly, even incredibly ugly, he can be terribly evil, he can be traitorous and cowardly... but would a bit of back story have ruined everything? Was it necessary to call him "the Jew" the whole time? There are like, two other Jews in the whole book. A rag dealer who tips Fagin off where Oliver is when he first gets away and at the end there are some "venerable men of his own persuasion" who pray in the cell with him. Is that even a thing? It sounds to me like Dickens transposed some Christiany thing to do on to these "venerable men," but I guess it's better than if he'd left that line out. I get enough antisemitism in real life and on the Internet, do I really need to confront myself with it in novels? And then I need the mental self-defense so I don't internalize it...
Still and all I really enjoyed this. With the exception of Oliver and his real friends, all the characters are lively and will bounce around in my brain for the rest of my life. I also loved the settings, where Dickens uses his journalistic reportage chops to paint London. Occasionally Dickens cuts through the whole thing with a buzz saw of sarcasm that I also loved.
This edition came with an essay by Graham Greene that stank. Just sayin'.
debosmitathereader's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0