Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
Another Dickens down, and yet again, I really enjoyed it! Though this is a sad story of Oliver bouncing from house to house, sickbed to sickbed, and dealing with fevers for what seems like the entire book, it all comes around in the end, which was nice and satisfying. I do love a happy ending. Out of the three Dickens stories that I've read thus far, this one is my least favourite, though by no means does that make it bad! I just felt that it moved quite a bit slower than the other two (Two Cities and Great Expectations), and the ending didn't totally blow my mind the way that the other two did. Now, don't get me wrong, there were some twists that I totally didn't expect, and a lot more death than I anticipated as well, unusually, but it just didn't have the ending that put my jaw on the floor like Two Cities and Great Expectations did. Plus Oliver was absent for a lot of it, which I KNOW Dickens acknowledged within this book, but that doesn't make it a favourite detail of mine.
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this book and am glad that I finally got around to it! My only knowledge of the Oliver Twist story was the "please, sir, I want some more" line and 'Oliver and Company' from Disney, so I went in really blind, but I enjoyed myself a lot! Definitely a must-read for lovers of classics.
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this book and am glad that I finally got around to it! My only knowledge of the Oliver Twist story was the "please, sir, I want some more" line and 'Oliver and Company' from Disney, so I went in really blind, but I enjoyed myself a lot! Definitely a must-read for lovers of classics.
This was a Father's Day present from my lovely daughter, Emily. Oliver Twist has taken its place near the very top of my all time favorite books. It is a relatively fast-paced adventure story containing all the elements of great fiction. Unlike other Dicken's novels, this book is more adventurous and requires less mental digestion, although it is still chock-full of indictments of society in general and the bureaucracy that deals with poor folk specifically.
Born an orphan, into the dregs of society, Oliver doesn't seem to stand a chance in his impoverished state. At every stage of his life, society, and the incompetent and uncaring people put in charge of him seem overwhelming. He eventually escapes his drudgery and finds his way to London, but falls into the hands of the sinister arch villain, Fagin. Events unfold that force him into a life of thuggery that goes completely against his nature. Oliver is the pure-hearted protagonist and Fagin is the devil incarnate.
The underlying current of the story is a criticism of England's ability to take care of the poor and down-trodden. The people who are placed in charge of tending to the unfortunate class actually do more to keep them down, practicing the latest social instruments upon them. At times, the criticism comes out in a burst from the author directly to the reader, but in most cases Dickens embeds the ideas thoroughly into the story, so it does not come across as pretentious. I recommend Oliver Twist to readers of all ages. It is a literary classic, one I wish I would have read before and one I will definitely read again. Thanks Em.
Born an orphan, into the dregs of society, Oliver doesn't seem to stand a chance in his impoverished state. At every stage of his life, society, and the incompetent and uncaring people put in charge of him seem overwhelming. He eventually escapes his drudgery and finds his way to London, but falls into the hands of the sinister arch villain, Fagin. Events unfold that force him into a life of thuggery that goes completely against his nature. Oliver is the pure-hearted protagonist and Fagin is the devil incarnate.
The underlying current of the story is a criticism of England's ability to take care of the poor and down-trodden. The people who are placed in charge of tending to the unfortunate class actually do more to keep them down, practicing the latest social instruments upon them. At times, the criticism comes out in a burst from the author directly to the reader, but in most cases Dickens embeds the ideas thoroughly into the story, so it does not come across as pretentious. I recommend Oliver Twist to readers of all ages. It is a literary classic, one I wish I would have read before and one I will definitely read again. Thanks Em.
Just meh. Some bits I got really into, a lot was incredibly dull.
I like Dickens; A Tale of Two Cities being one of my favorite novels. However, I do not like this book. It is a bit overdone. I couldn't find it in me to like the over caricatured depiction of Oliver or Rose. Ugh! Can anyone really be that simpering and pathetic? Some of the criminals had more depth to them than the heroes of the story. Definitely not on my list to read again.
This was a very good story! And I especially liked the ending! I honestly didn’t think things could ever get better for Oliver! His early life had me so down for the weekend!
[Reviewed as part of The Illustrated Book Club]
This is Dickens' second novel, first published in serial form over 2 years. Later Dickens, from the bits I've read, may come across as more polished and sophisticated, but all the typical ingredients are here: the genius for characterisation, the biting social satire, and - unfortunately - the sometimes mawkish sentimentality that he seems to have shared with his fellow Victorians (I'm reminded of Oscar Wilde's typically ruthless observation that “One must have a heart of stone to read the death of little Nell without laughing”).
Some of the social observation and banter now seem either dated or impenetrable to a modern reader (q.v. the Dodger, Fagin and Master Bates (!)), but I'm sure they were spot on for a contemporary one. Taken as social commentary, the heartlessness of the parish workhouse system is laid bare mercilessly: the pompous hypocrisy of Mr Bumble the Beadle and the parish board members; the mercenary Mrs Corney, starving her charges into an early grave. I doubt there was much exaggeration needed on Dickens' part, and any sentimentality is far outweighed by such keen eyed dissection of human faults and prejudices embedded in the system. It's great stuff.
The other downside concerns the charge of anti-semitism. Dickens, it seems, was no anti-semite - or at least he vehemently denied it, merely arguing that it was a common fact of the street that most criminals of Fagin's class were Jews. However, Fagin is not the only Jewish character in the novel, and it seems fair to say that Dickens does little to dispel harmful racist stereotypes, and much (if inadvertently) to promote them. But then maybe the fact that Fagin remains one of his most popular and well-known characters - a lovable and charming rogue - is something that should argue in his favour (though possibly this is more due to Ron Moody's portrayal than his depiction in the novel). Let readers make up their own mind.
Gareth Southwell is a philosopher, writer and illustrator.
This is Dickens' second novel, first published in serial form over 2 years. Later Dickens, from the bits I've read, may come across as more polished and sophisticated, but all the typical ingredients are here: the genius for characterisation, the biting social satire, and - unfortunately - the sometimes mawkish sentimentality that he seems to have shared with his fellow Victorians (I'm reminded of Oscar Wilde's typically ruthless observation that “One must have a heart of stone to read the death of little Nell without laughing”).
Some of the social observation and banter now seem either dated or impenetrable to a modern reader (q.v. the Dodger, Fagin and Master Bates (!)), but I'm sure they were spot on for a contemporary one. Taken as social commentary, the heartlessness of the parish workhouse system is laid bare mercilessly: the pompous hypocrisy of Mr Bumble the Beadle and the parish board members; the mercenary Mrs Corney, starving her charges into an early grave. I doubt there was much exaggeration needed on Dickens' part, and any sentimentality is far outweighed by such keen eyed dissection of human faults and prejudices embedded in the system. It's great stuff.
The other downside concerns the charge of anti-semitism. Dickens, it seems, was no anti-semite - or at least he vehemently denied it, merely arguing that it was a common fact of the street that most criminals of Fagin's class were Jews. However, Fagin is not the only Jewish character in the novel, and it seems fair to say that Dickens does little to dispel harmful racist stereotypes, and much (if inadvertently) to promote them. But then maybe the fact that Fagin remains one of his most popular and well-known characters - a lovable and charming rogue - is something that should argue in his favour (though possibly this is more due to Ron Moody's portrayal than his depiction in the novel). Let readers make up their own mind.
Gareth Southwell is a philosopher, writer and illustrator.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Not one of Dickens' better novels, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.