Reviews

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

ckeithjohnson's review against another edition

5.0

What a book. There is some insensitivity and quite a bit of outright sterotyping, which apparently Dickens was called out for even in his own times, and he based Fagin on a real-life person, but the constant use of the sobriquet and the pretty insidious use of stereotypes is obviously wrong, and Dickens himself apparently excised the term and stereotypes altogether in his final performances of the novel. But overall the story is a nice yarn about a young man with a bad lot. Dickens has a wonderful way with his language, and as his stories unfold I find myself intrigued, harrowed, and encouraged.

the_bookwormhole_'s review against another edition

adventurous sad medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Blood, Mental illness, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Child abuse, and Gore

meggriffin88's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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.

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

dezdamona's review against another edition

2.0

It was a good book.

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.

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.