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iamamosasorus's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Read as a child
stells_zero's review against another edition
3.0
Oliver & Company is better, but then that is a hard one to beat. Oliver & Company is better than a lot of things.
sebasschin's review against another edition
2.0
Only reason I finished this book is cause I had nothing else to do. So I guess better than nothing
katwolfereads's review against another edition
3.0
3/5⭐️
This is my ninth book read by Charles Dickens, and much like his other books, his storytelling, character development and plot devices are genius. His satirical representation of the 1834 Poor laws and the overall mistreatment of Victorian children makes you feel transported to his time.
That being said, I found this book extremely difficult to read. Dickens is always a product of his time when he writes. His books are rife with misogyny. The level of antisemitism in this story is horrendous, and as a Jewish person, it was very hard to read. I find it disturbing that this book has been labeled “a classic” but no one talks about the blatant antisemitism. Fagin’s character is referred only by name three times in the novel; the rest he’s referred to as “the villianous Jew” or “the wrinkled Jew.” Do not recommend.
This is my ninth book read by Charles Dickens, and much like his other books, his storytelling, character development and plot devices are genius. His satirical representation of the 1834 Poor laws and the overall mistreatment of Victorian children makes you feel transported to his time.
That being said, I found this book extremely difficult to read. Dickens is always a product of his time when he writes. His books are rife with misogyny. The level of antisemitism in this story is horrendous, and as a Jewish person, it was very hard to read. I find it disturbing that this book has been labeled “a classic” but no one talks about the blatant antisemitism. Fagin’s character is referred only by name three times in the novel; the rest he’s referred to as “the villianous Jew” or “the wrinkled Jew.” Do not recommend.
necropants's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent book! I love the characters; they feel so real to me and tend to remind of people I know. And, believe it or not, this book made me laugh, which is not usually something I can do with older classics.It really pulls you in somehow...
In short, it was a pleasant surprise!
In short, it was a pleasant surprise!
darcey_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was one of the three books I wrote my English undergrad dissertation on (other two being Agnes Grey and Silas Marner), however, I took so long to actually finish reading it that I had not only already submitted my finished dissertation, it had also been marked before I even got to the end of the book.
ravenn15's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
3.0
There was no need to do the dog like that
remjunior's review against another edition
3.0
Well Oliver, it was fun. Mostly. I loved A Tale of Two Cities, hated Great Expectations, and sort-of-liked Oliver Twist. I understand the point of the novel, and there were some parts that were so exquisitely written as to make me wonder where the beautiful writing of the English language has gone, but most of it was kind of....meh. Oliver was naive, honest, and good in the beginning of the novel and he was naive, honest, and good at the end of the novel.
I just don't think these types of books appeal to modern day readers as much as they did 150 years ago. There is a lot of beauty in the horrid scenes that are depicted by Dickens in this novel, but it just wasn't that much fun for me. That isn't to say that I don't understand why others love this novel or that there aren't great things about it.
I just thought it was okay, especially when compared with some of his later novels where he became a bit more serious.
I just don't think these types of books appeal to modern day readers as much as they did 150 years ago. There is a lot of beauty in the horrid scenes that are depicted by Dickens in this novel, but it just wasn't that much fun for me. That isn't to say that I don't understand why others love this novel or that there aren't great things about it.
I just thought it was okay, especially when compared with some of his later novels where he became a bit more serious.
robergeginette's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0