A review by charlote_1347
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

3.0

The plot was convoluted in places but I stuck with it. I lost interest during some scenes, especially when Dickens started spouting moral anecdotes and attempted to drown me in descriptive language. His tone, in places, reminded me of Victor Hugo's 'essays' in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and just the thought almost sent me off to sleep. I expected an element of long-windedness from the book though, since authors were paid by the page when Dickens was writing and he would have had to earn his bread and butter somehow so I didn't go in completely unprepared. It bothered me, however, to discover that the plot varies enormously from the film adaption's. Dickens introduced me to a whole bevy of characters I wasn't expecting, most of whom I have grown fond of. The main conclusion I have drawn upon reading this novel is that while one of my favourite films attempts to mimic it, serious omissions are made and this left me feeling like I was reading a completely new novel. It didn't detract from my love of the film but it did make me appreciate that a book almost always includes more detail.