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grahamsoper 's review for:
Oliver Twist
by Charles Dickens
Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
Most people are familiar with the story of Oliver Twist, one of Dicken’s best known tales. It features the little orphan boy, Oliver, born in a workhouse and sold into an apprenticeship with an undertaker. He escapes from the hypocritical beadle, Mr Bumble, ends up in London and meets The Artful Dodger. As a result of this new association, Oliver becomes a member of a gang of young pickpockets under the leadership of an elderly criminal mastermind, called Fagin.
The book chronicles Oliver's struggles as a child, the mistreatment he receives from a society of scoundrels in a dog-eat-dog world. It is an illustration of the horrific image of 19th century London slums, where disease and poverty are everywhere and where shady crime circles infect every aspect of life.
This is 19th century England! The Industrial Revolution is in full flow. Fortunes are being made (and lost) and the population is growing. Oliver Twist was born under difficult circumstances - not untypical of the time. His unmarried mother dies in childbirth and his father is absent without leave.
This was Charles Dicken’s second novel, published in 1838, one year after his very successful debut with Pickwick Papers. It was the first novel in English that focused entirely on a child as the main character. On its release, the public reception was wary and uncertain, as most people didn’t recognise its portrayal of English workhouse conditions. Many were shocked at the now famous (one might say infamous) scene where the hungry children draw lots and the loser must ask for a second portion of gruel. Upon being asked, the well-fed, hypocritical workhouse owners brand Oliver a troublemaker and set out to make him suffer, even more than before.
But in spite of its grim storyline, the book does (eventually) offer hope that kindness too can lurk in society’s murky corners. On several occasions, Oliver finds himself on the receiving end of love and his story eventually reaches a more respectable conclusion.
I really enjoyed it and will certainly be recommending my children read it too.
Most people are familiar with the story of Oliver Twist, one of Dicken’s best known tales. It features the little orphan boy, Oliver, born in a workhouse and sold into an apprenticeship with an undertaker. He escapes from the hypocritical beadle, Mr Bumble, ends up in London and meets The Artful Dodger. As a result of this new association, Oliver becomes a member of a gang of young pickpockets under the leadership of an elderly criminal mastermind, called Fagin.
The book chronicles Oliver's struggles as a child, the mistreatment he receives from a society of scoundrels in a dog-eat-dog world. It is an illustration of the horrific image of 19th century London slums, where disease and poverty are everywhere and where shady crime circles infect every aspect of life.
This is 19th century England! The Industrial Revolution is in full flow. Fortunes are being made (and lost) and the population is growing. Oliver Twist was born under difficult circumstances - not untypical of the time. His unmarried mother dies in childbirth and his father is absent without leave.
This was Charles Dicken’s second novel, published in 1838, one year after his very successful debut with Pickwick Papers. It was the first novel in English that focused entirely on a child as the main character. On its release, the public reception was wary and uncertain, as most people didn’t recognise its portrayal of English workhouse conditions. Many were shocked at the now famous (one might say infamous) scene where the hungry children draw lots and the loser must ask for a second portion of gruel. Upon being asked, the well-fed, hypocritical workhouse owners brand Oliver a troublemaker and set out to make him suffer, even more than before.
But in spite of its grim storyline, the book does (eventually) offer hope that kindness too can lurk in society’s murky corners. On several occasions, Oliver finds himself on the receiving end of love and his story eventually reaches a more respectable conclusion.
I really enjoyed it and will certainly be recommending my children read it too.