Reviews

Sam Mendes Presents Oliver Twist by Sam Mendes, Marty Ross

deb15's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

fblair's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

mis_chievous's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

3.0

bibbidibobbidibookworm's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a delightful spin on a classic tale. 

The soundscape of this audiobook definitely transports you to a whole new world. London becomes a place that you can literally picture inside your head as you follow young Oliver Twist on his journey, meeting characters such as the Artful Dodger, Fagin, Nancy and Bill Sykes. This beloved tale of family, love and self-discovery continues to grab hearts even all these years later.

My only complaint is that I feel as if part of the original story was fleshed out a little too well. The connection between Oliver and Rose is not nearly as well established as I would like, as there was no mention of the fact that she is actually his maternal aunt in the original story. It seems a shame to omit this, given that she is his only living family.

Overall, the story brings back fond memories of being introduced to pieces of classic literature as a child, and is a fantastic introduction to the work of Charles Dickens for the younger ones looking to give classic works a try.

becca_bookwyrm's review against another edition

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

4.0

isoseismic7's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was a good introduction to the story of Oliver Twist though at times I found it difficult to follow exactly what was happening.

teneke's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

ellie_cripps's review against another edition

3.0

An interesting and well performed adaptation, though so much has been cut it felt rather on the short side. It's a miserable story, but it lingers through creative (and usually musical) retelling, so I'm happy people are still doing it!

lucyy_bxo's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

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

3.5

I enjoyed this audiobook as another cinematic one, although not quite as much as 1984. The cast and acting were good and, although I knew the story, certain lines and delivery added something new and made me consider whether to read more of Dickens’ work

cri5u's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5