One of Charles Dickens's most popular novels, Oliver Twist is the story of a young orphan who dares to say, "Please, sir, I want some more." After escaping from the dark and dismal workhouse where he was born, Oliver finds himself on the mean streets of Victorian-era London and is unwittingly recruited into a scabrous gang of scheming urchins. In this band of petty thieves, Oliver encounters the extraordinary and vibrant characters who have captured audiences' imaginations for more than 150 years: the loathsome Fagin, the beautiful and tragic Nancy, the crafty Artful Dodger, and the terrifying Bill Sikes, perhaps one of the greatest villains of all time.
Rife with Dickens's disturbing descriptions of street life, the novel is buoyed by the purity of the orphan Oliver. Though he is treated with cruelty and surrounded by coarseness for most of his life, his pious innocence leads him at last to salvation—and the shocking discovery of his true identity.
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"Reading this makes you appreciate how gifted Dickens was as a writer who both entertained and dramatised while he also informed. Many of the characters are classic caricatures of real people, exaggerated for effects that, no doubt, his vast public came to expect (and demand?) from Dickens. and many of the big scenes (Dickens is a very melo-dramatic writer) are masterpieces of the fictional art.Dickens is arguably the first modern novelist, whose work was read in mansion and midden! Be warned; this work takes stamina to read. If you're usual fare is chick-lit or trashy thrillers, this will be too much for you,methinks!"
— Andrew (4 out of 5 stars)
Narrator Simon Vance raises a banner that announces a once-in-a-lifetime performance that exquisitely matches narrator and text. Vance has a mellifluous English voice, an engaging tone, and marvelous diction.
— AudioFile" This book had great influence on my childhood. I must have read it 5 times. From the beginning to the very end, this book lures you in. If you want to read a book which makes you wonder what will come up next, this book definitely suits you. "
— Derin, 2/11/2014" Dickens does a great job of criticizing the injustices of the time; specifically here, the treatment of the poor and disenfranchised. Oliver is such a sweet and innocent boy and it's perfectly infuriating the way he is mistreated by those above him. Dickens also has a surprising wry wit that had me laughing in parts. But I thought the first half of the story was much stronger than the second. I found Oliver's descent to the depths of despair to be the most engaging. It goes from bad to worse for the poor kid which provokes quite an emotional response! Of course, things get better for our hero, and by this point the novel lost some its edge and it felt like Dickens was just tying up loose ends in order to finish the story. It fizzled out for me. A great introduction to Charles Dickens though. Recommended! "
— Joseph, 2/9/2014" it was way too sad =( "
— Ss, 2/4/2014" Wow! I am glad I read this book. "
— Joyce, 1/19/2014" first read in 6th grade- 1975- getting ready to put on the musical at Westridge "
— Jossalyn, 1/18/2014" There are just too many reviews out there for me to add anything of value. Personally I like just about everything Dickens wrote. I would read this book again. "
— S., 1/13/2014" Great story. A bit long. "
— Jeff, 1/10/2014" Fantastic. Ironic, funny and fast paced. Loved it. "
— Ronda, 1/7/2014" I'm not native English, but reading Oliver Twist in english version is easy digest to me. Well, When Oliver Twist ask for more food in workhouse, that the same way I feel when reading this book. I can't stop for more and more reading. The plot is not boring, nice story, happy ending. "
— Hendra, 1/7/2014" Carrying on with my plan to read one Dickens novel a year, in the summer. I only had to read about 3-4 pages to remember why I love Dickens as much as I do! "
— Aaron, 1/6/2014" Aw. This book was so sad, what with Oliver being such a tiny tike and all kinds of awful things happening to everybody. It's quite the picture of poverty in 19th century London. I found the whole story compelling and the characters often simultaneously delightful and horrific. Worth the read. "
— Julia, 1/5/2014" Story drags quite a lot in some parts but none the less is a awesome book. "
— Taylor, 12/31/2013" Brilliant characters for all but Oliver himself. Despite being the title character, he's more of a vehicle to move the rest of the far more interesting characters along. "
— Keon, 12/28/2013" to be honest, i love Charles Dickens and despise this book. "
— 'Sylvie', 12/28/2013" I liked this one as much as Great Expectations and Nicholas Nickelby. Read them on a summer off from high school when I had nothing to do and decided to grab something from my Dad's bookshelves. "
— JM, 12/24/2013" If I was British and it was the 1800s I may have given this 3 stars. Not my cup of tea. "
— Branka, 12/3/2013" The story becomes a little bogged down towards the middle. However, it picked up nicely as I approached the climax of the story. I loved how Dickens brought all the characters into play for the finale..I can't wait to read a second Dickens novel. "
— David, 11/29/2013" Dickens is just not my style... I had to read this book for a college class and honestly didn't finish it. Why? I found his writing style somewhat heavy and I am not a native English speaker. So I gave up on you, dear Mr. Dickens. Hope you can forgive me for not admiring you that much. "
— SteinFussel, 11/28/2013" I loved it! I like Charles Dickens, so this book was an instant like for me. "
— Abby, 11/27/2013" This is the first Dickens I ever read. I remember reading it as a senior in High School for an English lit class. Unlike most in the class, I really enjoyed it! "
— Frank, 11/19/2013" This story is about an orphan boy, Oliver, who runs away from the workhouse so he can be taken in by a group of bad people also known as thieves. It was not a book that made me not put it down I read it for an english lesson in school. I thought the movie was better. "
— Labibah, 11/10/2013" not as painful as i expected and very nearly pleasant. "
— Heather, 11/4/2013" I read this many years ago...classic Dickens "
— Jan, 8/26/2013" if u didn't read the story you should & if you didn't see the 60's movie version you must(exactly 1968) "
— Nesma, 4/22/2013" A classic, not to be missed. "
— Anna, 2/7/2013" I just loved reading this. The language was beautiful. The descriptions were wonderful. I havn't read Dickens since high school - and I think this is a great oversight by me. Can't wait to read more!! "
— Bachinthedark, 12/3/2012" This is a great story. I usually don't like these kind of sad stories about poor children who are unfortunate, but the historical context is really good. Books that have historical references or are situated in a certain time period tend to be interesting and grab our attention. "
— Daniel, 9/28/2012" I loved the book as much as i loved the movie ! great story. "
— Zahia, 7/29/2012" Dickens is a brilliant writer and I am very much looking forward to reading more of his books for my class. "
— Tigerlily, 2/19/2012" Early Dickens worth reading if you only are familiar with the musical. The anti-semitism turns me off. "
— Don, 2/10/2012" Really liked it! But the cold reality was kinda hard to get through (the death...s...) and what happened afterward. The romance was brillaint! I could really tell why Rose said what she did. I love Oliver Twist! "
— Monique, 1/5/2012" I thought this was an okay book. It was hard to follow at times because the language was older. This book tells the story of an orphaned boy who struggles to find his place in this world. "
— Bailey, 11/22/2011" Do not delay in exposing your children to Dickens. "
— Bob, 10/8/2011" Yay! I liked this better than the lame musical. "
— Claire, 9/17/2011" Amazing story about an orphan boy who has to survive England at its worst. "
— Paula, 8/9/2011" amazinn book . i cant stop reading i finished it in 5 hours "
— Dina, 7/31/2011" After reading this again, I related so differently to the book. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I was rooting for Oliver. I sill cringe at the anti semitic components. Overall definitely worth rereading. "
— Ousa, 7/22/2011" Still funny after all these years. I'm becoming a Dickens fan. It's amazing what you'll like when you're not forced to read it! "
— Charlotte, 6/24/2011" This book is really great.You should read this book and Charles Dickens other books too. "
— Tamara, 6/24/2011" This was my first book!It's about an orphan lad who roams from place to place and comes across various adventures on his journey! "
— Princess, 6/22/2011" It was so cool because Oliver Twist liked Fagin but then he realized that he was bad. "
— Ruthie, 6/13/2011" i love this book..when i first read it i was about 14 years-old..*_*<br/> "
— Annaborana, 6/10/2011" Buku satu ini dicetak dg singkat, jelas, dan cukup padat. :) "
— Opie, 6/8/2011" The thing was fabulous and I enjoyed reading it "
— Behnum, 6/8/2011" Muy interesante lectura. Altamente recomendable "
— Rafael, 4/13/2011" Some Dickens is better than others. This is not one of those. But still, even so-so Dickens is better than most other books. "
— Lynne, 3/15/2011" Charles Dickens is one of the finest authors from England. Read these books in school. Timeless classics "
— Nivas, 2/18/2010" Charles Dickens is one of the finest authors from England. Read these books in school. Timeless classics "
— Nivas, 2/18/2010" I read David Copperfield and found it delightful. I had no idea I would like it so much. I'm taking a break from Mr. Dickens but can't wait to read some of his other stuff. "
— Melinda, 3/7/2009" I read David Copperfield and found it delightful. I had no idea I would like it so much. I'm taking a break from Mr. Dickens but can't wait to read some of his other stuff. "
— Melinda, 3/7/2009" Though I didn't read this exact version, I have read these all unabridged and these are probably my top five favorite Dickens works. "
— Tyrene, 8/21/2008" Though I didn't read this exact version, I have read these all unabridged and these are probably my top five favorite Dickens works. "
— Tyrene, 8/21/2008" This was my first post-high school Dickens and it is incredible! - That guy could write - Highly recommend<br/> "
— Mike, 2/19/2008" This was my first post-high school Dickens and it is incredible! - That guy could write - Highly recommend<br/> "
— Mike, 2/19/2008Charles Dickens (1812–1870) was born in Landport, Portsmouth, England, the second of eight children in a family continually plagued by debt. A legacy brought release from the nightmare of debtors’ prison and child labor and afforded him a few years of formal schooling. He worked as an attorney’s clerk and newspaper reporter until his early writings brought him the amazing success that was to be his for the remainder of his life. He was the most popular English novelist of the Victorian era, and he remains popular, responsible for some of English literature’s most iconic characters.
Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is an award-winning actor and narrator. He has earned more than fifty Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration thirteen times. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over almost thirty years, beginning when he was a radio newsreader for the BBC in London. He is also an actor who has appeared on both stage and television.