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    Oliver Twist
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    Oliver Twist
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    Oliver Twist
    Ebook123 pages57 minutes

    Oliver Twist

    By Charles Dickens and Neil Bartlett

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    ‘It is a solemn thing to hear, in a darkened room, the voice of a child…’

    Using Charles Dickens’ original words, a handful of tunes stolen from the vivid world of Victorian music-hall, and a chameleon ensemble of thirteen actors, Neil Bartlett’s powerful version of Oliver Twist brings the dark underbelly of nineteenth-century London back to bold theatrical life. The unforgettable characters – Fagin, Nancy, Bill Sikes, and the Artful Dodger – inhabit a world filled with images of danger and fear, innocence and hope; a world seen through the eyes of an astonished child. This version was first performed at the Lyric Hammersmith in 2004.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOberon Books
    Release dateJun 26, 2012
    ISBN9781849435963
    Author

    Charles Dickens

    Charles Dickens (1812-1870) is the most popular and, many believe, the greatest English author. He wrote many classic novels, including David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, and A Christmas Carol. Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities are available from Brilliance Audio.

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    Reviews for Oliver Twist

    3.5/5

    22 ratings87 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Written in 1837, during Dickens' astronomical rise to success, Oliver Twist is his third major work, second novel, and the negative counterpart to its exact contemporary, The Pickwick Papers. One could argue it's still the work that has had the greatest impact on the public psyche: Dodger, Fagin, Nancy, and Bill loom large in the collective cultural consciousness, don't they? Who can forget Oliver asking for more, or the climactic tightrope walk? In truth, this is not a brilliant work. Only Fagin has any sparks of internal life, and he's an unfortunate anti-Semitic caricature common to the era. Oliver Twist, carrying the torch from some of Dickens' sentimental Sketches is a rather lifeless little twig. What works in the story is the vividness of "low" culture, and Dickens' already fierce moral stance on the inhumanity of much of 19th century English culture. Certainly a worthwhile read, but possibly the least of Dickens' "Big Fifteen". The relatively straightforward Twist will give way to the diffuse, picaresque Nicholas Nickleby, and then the real Dickens will be formed.
    • 3/5
      Language was awesome. The story was not connected enough and the point that the author intended to place, that morality in not class dependent was not fulfilled.
    • 5/5
      "There are two types of people in this world: Those who like Neil Diamond, and those who don't."

      The same applies to Charles Dickens. I like him!
    • 3/5
      Much better than all the other Dickens I have read so far (David Copperfield, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities), partly because I remember having seen the most part of the film which was released some time ago, and the vague recollection I had of the scenes probably helped me to nourrish my imagination. Oliver Twist comes first, then, utterly Dickensian in its dark atmosphere. To someone whishing to read their first Dickens, no doubt this would be my recommendation.
    • 3/5
      This took a while to read. It's the first Dickens I have read all the way to the end! I enjoyed it, although my enjoyment was slightly spoiled by the fact that I already knew the story (or I thought I did) and that I kept comparing the book to the famous film, which is quite different! My next Dickens will be a story unknown to me...
    • 5/5
      A classic.
      A tragedy.
      A horror.
      A love story.
      A fairytale.
      'Oliver Twist' is the bleakest and brightest of tales. Charles Dickens weaves all of the elements for a gripping story into his book. What I love most, however, is Mr. Dickens' ability to paint a world, a character, a situation, a single sentiment with nothing but words. It was a treat and an education reading this book. The characters are vivid. They are awful and delightful. Throughout the reading are included words of wisdom--quotes which I paused to highlight. I will reread them time and again. I highly recommend this book to all story lovers. It is a masterpiece.
    • 5/5
      In 9th grade I read "Great Expectations." From that experience, I decided I had no interest in Charles Dickens and, despite my love of reading, never gave any of his books a chance. What a mistake! I LOVE Oliver Twist and have thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I can't wait to read more of his works, and learn more about Dickens.
    • 5/5
      When reading this book I found that it was quite a good read. It had humor, was descriptive, and entertaining. It was interesting because it had many characters of many backgrounds coming together in some way or another. When it came to describing simple things such as the morning air, Charles Dickens showed to describe in a detailed manner that was not boring. One could also find themselves cheering along Oliver to get out of harms way and everyone else who was trying to help him. There was a lot of treachery unkindness and dishonesty around Oliver as he was growing up but in the end he finally finds the family he needed while other characters don't have the same happy ending. All in all I think that I would choose to read it again sometime in the future...it was that good!
    • 5/5
      Nobody can write about abused orphans like Charles Dickens. Oliver Twist, a baby born in a workhouse to a mysterious woman is raised in the system. His kind and loving nature make him a vulnerable target for a group of children thieves led by the character Dickens calls "The Jew," Fagin. They have their own little family of lost boys who serve Fagin, who in turn is somewhat subservient to a very evil man, Bill Sykes. Oliver ends up in kind hands for a short time, and then once again falls prey to the villainous men who want to use him up. I'm a great fan of the musical Oliver!, and that musical stayed pretty on track with the story and the nature of the characters, although there are great chunks of plot left out of the musical as well as some key players, but the musical story wasn't diminished in my eyes. I still love it and I found Oliver Twist to be fascinating. The 19th century time period and Dickens's use of language really made this a great read.
    • 1/5
      seemed really predictable, hackneyed, lacking dimension. Oddly, the movie is so much better.
    • 4/5
      This was the first book I read over the summer and I enjoyed reading this book. This book was more than a tale; it addressed and criticized the social injustice during the 19th century. This book portrayed how injustice our society was by introducing the character Oliver Twist. He was one of the victims of society as he faced social injustice just because he was an orphan and he was poor. He was often looked down by rich people and he was mistreated by his looks and backgrounds.
    • 4/5
      The first Dickens' I've "read" and I'll be back for more. Dickens is masterful at painting a picture of the time and his dialogue and narration is fully of biting social satire. It's great to check out the audio version. Dickens' novel was originally serialized (and one might assume, often read out loud from the paper) and thus, it translates well into audio format.
    • 4/5
      [Oliver Twist] is the story of an orphan boy who is sent to several workshouses and finally ends up in the home of a benevolent widow and her female companion. The plot and ending of the story are very predictable. Compared to Dickens' [Bleak House] and [A Tale of Two Cities], [Oliver Twist] leaves much to be desired.
    • 4/5
      I read it fairly quickly, major plus. I don’t know that I have an actual opinion. It was plodding and predictable…character point of view jumped around. It was a typical Dickens novel. I do however always on some level appreciate his way with words and that I can always predict how his story will play out. They never bore me…but they never completely pull me in. It’s an odd thing. I don’t know how to describe it. But, in the end, Dickens was considered one of the best…and I think I can understand that. So yes, read a Dickens novel. It’s a rite of passage. This marks my second. Have to admit I adored Great Expectations more…
    • 4/5
      Like an awful lot of people I have seen the film version of this story numerous times and even the stage version once as well but had never got around to actually reading the original. To mark Dicken's 200 birthday I felt that it was time to put things right just to see how much of the story had been altered.Dicken's was obviously a great wordsmith and this could be seen in his depiction of the conditions in the workhouse which were so vivid it was frightening but in truth I found this portion a little dull and just wanted to race through this part to get to when Oliver goes to London and meets Fagin and the gang. For it is there that the story really begins for me. Can a sweet natured boy who has had a very rough upbringing, where he was shown little affection and no little brutality, remain honest and upstanding or would he turn out a wrong 'un like the rest of them. A question of nurture or nature.The book holds some great characters who are given such a three dimensional feel by the great writing ( anyone who can get away with a character called Master Bates must be good). I did feel a little uncomfortable with Fagin constantly refered to as the Jew, although I realise that it is hard to expect the same standards of today 150+ years ago.On the whole I really enjoyed the book although it could be argued that this was not one of Dicken's best and am glad that I finally got around to reading it. Some parts I found a little slow but once it really got going I felt that the story raced along nicely. If I could have given it 4.5 stars I would have but finally came down on the side of a 4 but in the end as far as Dicken's himself is involved 'Can I have some more?'
    • 4/5
      Moments in this made me cry.
    • 4/5
      I admit that I've been avoiding Dickens for quite a while now. My experience with him, aside from a few illustrated, abridged children's versions, consists of two encounters: A Christmas Carol (easy and short) and Hard Times (not that easy, not as short, although shorter than most of his books). I was quite disinterested in subjecting myself to more Dickens after Hard Times - so much so that Oliver Twist was my first tentative foray into his works since 1990. Whether I've just grown up, or grown more patient, or read more 19th century novels since those days, I was pleasantly surprised to find that reading Oliver Twist was not the torturous experience I was convinced it would be.There's no point in discussing the plot, since everyone knows it. But I found Oliver himself kind of annoyingly limp and high-strung. I guess that's to be expected when you're doing a classic good vs. evil setup. Evil is just always much more interesting than good. But a surprising amount of the book doesn't really involve Oliver all that much, except as a pawn everyone else is trying to do something with. Some of the turns in the plot, I didn't see coming (no, I've never seen a movie/musical version), so that was kind of fun. Also, I enjoyed the amount of snide social commentary that Dickens worked in. The worst part was probably my frustration that after everything was over, there was still a "wrapping up" chapter to go, but I suppose that's pretty standard with this sort of book. I'll be less hesitant approaching the next Dickens book, although I wouldn't call myself an enthusiast either.Recommended for: Dickens-o-phobes, fans of melodrama and mustache-twirling.Quote: "He had a decided propensity for bullying: derived no inconsiderable pleasure from the exercise of petty cruelty; and, consequently, was (it is needless to say) a coward. This is by no means a disparagement to his character; for many official personages, who are held in high respect and admiration, are the victims of similar infirmities. The remark is made, indeed, rather in his favour than otherwise, and with a view of impressing the reader with a just sense of his qualifications for office."
    • 5/5
      Beautiful, flowing language
    • 4/5
      It’s hard not to think of Dickens himself while reading this book, and the horrors he went through as a child. He was the 2nd of 8 children and his father and most of the rest of his family were sent away to debtor’s prison; Charles was then forced into childhood labor pasting labels on shoe polish under very strenuous conditions. While he often is criticized for characters which are not three-dimensional and for constantly referring to the villain Fagan as “the Jew”, Oliver Twist is a memorable story and a classic.Quotes:On poor children:“Wrapped in the blanket which had hitherto formed his only covering, he might have been the child of a nobleman or a beggar; it would have been hard for the haughtiest stranger to have assigned him his proper station in society. But now that he was enveloped in the old calico robes which had grown yellow in the same service, he was badged and ticketed, and fell into his place at once – a parish child – the orphan of a workhouse – the humble, half-starved drudge – to be cuffed and buffeted through the world – despised by all, and pitied by none.Oliver cried lustily. If he had known that he was an orphan, left to the tender mercies of the churchwardens and overseers, perhaps he would have cried the louder.”On good and evil in men:“Such is the influence which the condition of our own thoughts exercises, even over the appearance of external objects. Men who look on nature and their fellow men, and cry that all is dark and gloomy, are in the right; but the somber colors are reflections from their own jaundiced eyes and hearts. The real hues are delicate, and need a clearer vision.”
    • 5/5
      Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress is another classic by that master of storytelling, Charles Dickens. First published in 1838, the novel is a strong protest against the cruel conditions then facing the indigent in England. Dickens is furious at the abuses of the workhouse system but he never loses control of his clipped, unrelenting sarcasm, even when speaking of daily bureaucratic villainies. He knows just how far to take it. And what is so amazing about Dickens' genius is that his invective never overtakes the story; the story is never just an excuse for the protest. Social reform is a big ingredient of Dickens' work, but his work doesn't reduce to that. Please note there are some spoilers in this review.The storyline of Oliver Twist is very well known. Oliver, born of an unwed mother in a workhouse, suffers a deprived childhood under the tender care of parish officials (it is here that he is punished for famously asking, "Please, sir, I want some more"). At age nine Oliver is apprenticed to a coffin-maker, but is eventually driven from that harsh home. Oliver makes his way to London, where he is picked up by the Artful Dodger, one of a small gang of criminals. This gang is led by Fagin, an elderly Jew who trains the band in the art of theft and picking pockets. But Fagin has a special reason for making Oliver a thief. There is some mystery surrounding Oliver's birth, but how can it be discovered? What is the real history of his nameless mother, and why would anyone still care?What strikes me principally about Oliver Twist is its gritty feel. Dickens doesn't hesitate in his other books to show poverty and suffering, but this story goes beyond that and portrays the individuals who people the seamy side of London in all their foulness and degradation. And yet at the same time, innocent Oliver provides the moral center of the novel. Often his innocence is taken advantage of and his naive youth manipulated, but the message is clear: moral virtue will always be rewarded in the end. This has been likened to a fairy tale, in which the good always triumph and the wicked are always punished.I suppose it is also like a fairy tale in the sense that our hero Oliver possesses such high principles and firm moral character when all his life has been spent among other wretched children under selfish, calloused overseers. No one is naturally that good. I also found it difficult to appreciate Dickens' angelic female, Rose Maylie. Sometimes the descriptions of Rose are too flowery to bear. Perhaps Dickens overdid it just a bit to refresh himself after writing all his realistic gritty villains?But Dickens makes up for these weaknesses with several brilliant characters, most notably Nancy, the fallen woman who is almost redeemed. Her struggle with the inexplicable desire to stay in her wretched life is probably the truest thing Dickens ever wrote. Nancy can envision a different life should she accept the help of Oliver's friends, but something in her clings instead to her old life. She returns to the scenes of her degradation, loyal even to the fiends who dragged her there — and dies for it. It is utterly tragic, and the worst of it is that she could have been different if Fagin and others had not set out to corrupt her. Little acts of selfishness can change another person's life forever.I imagine there are essays discussing Dickens' anti-Semitism as depicted in Fagin, the foul crook who is more often than not referred to as "the Jew." It can't be denied that Fagin is a singularly distasteful character, with a stereotypical love of lucre, but I think there is a little more to it. First, the unlovely descriptions of Fagin are not that different from the descriptions of Dickens' many other villains. And somehow Dickens makes me pity Fagin, despite all his crimes. The chapter near the end that deals with Fagin's trial and state of mind after being sentenced to death is a masterpiece of psychological scrutiny, entirely believable and, in its way, heart wringing. I think Dickens pities Fagin too, not for his Jewishness but for the dreadful sneaking life he has lived and the horror of his death.Certain moments stand out, crystalline in their emotional clarity. I think of Mr. Brownlow and Mr. Grimwig sitting across from one another with the watch between them, measuring Oliver's character. Or Nancy telling Rose through tears that "if there was more like you, there would be fewer like me." Or Sikes grinding his chair up against the wall, to keep the specter of his guilt from hovering at his back. Other moments are brilliant in their humor, like Mr. Grimwig threatening to eat his head and Mr. Giles telling of his daring exploits. There is just so much here. I listened to this on audiobook read by Nadia May, and I understand why her work is so acclaimed. She has a warm voice and accent that wear well over the course of a long book like this. I could tell she was enjoying performing the story just as much as I was enjoying the performance. Her voice graces this story and I will certainly be looking for more audiobooks read by her.All of this, this grand drama made up of petty cruelties, of small thefts and dramatic murders, of the uneven love between degraded man and degraded woman, of innocence, poverty, crime, desperation — all of this is Dickens' arena and he performs it like no one else. Oliver Twist reminds me why we still read classic literature today.
    • 4/5
      A while back, I decided that I really ought to read some more Dickens. So last year I picked up Great Expectations, which had a good enough story, but which kept reminding me far too much of a friend's comment that he never liked Dickens because it was too obvious they were paying him by the word. But while Oliver Twist might also be legitimately accused of wordiness, in this case that struck me as more charming than tedious, and overall I found it a much more engaging read.The plot has enough interesting elements, certainly. There's crime and punishment, kindness and cruelty, long-held secrets, and sudden reversals of fortune. Also huge honking coincidences, but at least Dickens introduces them gradually enough to give you time to shore up your suspension of disbelief. Oliver himself, though, really isn't much of a character. He's someone to whom things happen, not one who makes things happen, and his only defining traits are innocence, piteousness, and a vague, generic sort of sweetness. But this isn't necessarily a problem; he seems to me to be filling the role of a slightly sentimentalized everychild, and on that level he works well enough.But what really makes this worth reading isn't the characters or the plot. It's the surprising little moments of human insight, the wonderfully sly and dark satiric humor, and the sharply pointed social commentary. And, unfortunately, while there may be no more workhouses in England, the attitudes towards the poor that Dickens targets here are still too familiar and relevant even now. It's brilliant writing, and if it occasionally brings a little bit of mawkishness or melodrama along with it, I find that entirely forgivable.Somewhat less forgivable, though, is the portrayal of Fagin as an unpleasantly stereotypical villainous Jew. Interestingly enough, despite everything about this book that I already knew through cultural osmosis, I had never even realized that he was Jewish. Dickens, however, never lets you forget it for an instant. Every other sentence, he's referred to as "the Jew." My impression is that, for whatever it's worth, at least this is more thoughtless stereotyping than active maliciousness. A brief bit of research on the internet reveals that Dickens, having had the offensiveness of this pointed out to him, later revised the last fifteen chapters or so to tone it down. Which is something, I guess, but I don't know that it helps all that much. And it really is very unfortunate, both for the obvious reasons and because without the uncomfortable overtones of anti-Semitism, Fagin really could have been quite an entertainingly smarmy character. And he actually does get some surprisingly poignant moments at the end.
    • 3/5
      The overall ideas of Oliver Twist are intriguing, but the antisemitism and sometimes overlong style made it a slog to get through at some points. Also, most of these people are either terrible or not focused on enough.
    • 4/5
      Frankly, I thought Oliver Twist would be a bit of a chore, but instead I really looked forward to it each night (I chose to read most of the book following the original serialization breaks marked in my edition). The story is melodramatic and sentimental, and the coincidences in the plot are extremely far-fetched, but it’s a fun ride and an interesting exposure of social welfare and the criminal justice system of the time.

      It’s admittedly difficult to read Dickens’ characterization of Fagin (“the Jew”) today, but there were other “bad” characters who were exceptionally drawn, such as the Bumbles or Bill Sikes, and other characters I would have liked to see more of, such as Mr. Grimwig or Jack Dawkins (who disappears unceremoniously from the narrative at a certain point). The portrayal of the relationship between Nancy and Bill Sikes is particularly strong and sadly relevant even today.
    • 5/5
      Outside of a failed attempt at the Pickwick Papers a decade or so ago, I believe this is the first Dickens I have read as an adult. Is that possible? I should be sent to the workhouse myself for that.
    • 2/5
      It may be sacrilege to say so, but this is really not that great a novel. The bits we are most familiar with from screen adaptations make it seem better than it is, but there are lots of rather dull, rambling parts that almost made me lose interest altogether. Plus the fact that Oliver himself is such a bland cipher that I found it hard to feel much sympathy for him.Actually, it's probably an interesting example of an author yet to develop his true writing skills (Dickens was only 25 when he wrote this).
    • 5/5
      With the exception of A Christmas Carol, which I read every year, I have never read any Dickens, so I was determined that 2013 was definitely the year I would read at least one! I decided to start with Oliver Twist as I was familiar with the fundamental story. I was quite concerned about the ‘wordiness’ of Dickens but I soon relaxed into the writing (which was actually easy to follow, despite my worries!) and I really, really enjoyed it.

      I think most people are familiar with the basic story of Oliver - the young orphan, born illegitimately and sent to live in the workhouse - who runs away and gets in with Fagin’s gang - but there is so much more to the story than this. And of course, Dickens creates characters that come alive, and paints a vivid picture of London life.

      I did find it hard to read Dickens’ constant referrals of Fagin as ‘the Jew’. I know that this language was more acceptable when Dickens was writing than it is now, and is in a similar vein to the way I feel about reading the word ‘nigger’ in texts like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – it definitely shouldn’t be censored or changed – but I think most readers would find it hard to stomach the same being written today. I was rather surprised at Fagin’s characterisation – of course, in the film Oliver! he’s portrayed as a loveable rogue! I knew from the Roman Polanski version that the book would be much darker than Lionel Bart’s version – and of course the musical was never going to be true to the book, but Fagin’s depiction just didn’t sit well with me, despite, as I’ve said, me understanding that it was ‘of its time’. However, it didn’t spoil my enjoyment of this wonderful book and Oliver Twist has definitely whet my appetite for more Dickens!
    • 5/5
      I wasn't sure to expect when I ordered this book. I've heard great reviews, but sometimes when I get around to reading the book, it just doesn't live up to the hype. Not so in this case. I sincerely enjoyed this tale of the young, innocent Oliver Twist and his story of misfortune. While the novel was darker and more violent than I'd at first anticipated, the language flows like poetry. I loved the roller coaster ride Dickens takes us on as Oliver searches to escape the evils forced upon him, only to be pulled back in. The build to the climax of the story was expertly formulated and executed.Oliver Twist is a classic in the true sense of the word. If you've not had the pleasure of reading this novel, don't delay. Order it today.
    • 3/5
      Not my favorite Dickens novel, but still worth reading.
    • 4/5
      As much as I loved watching the movie, I loved the book just as much. Reading this book is almost like getting to sit on Oliver's shoulder and watch over him as he goes through each journey. Unparalleled, I've never read a book like this before.
    • 4/5
      Die Geschichte des Waisen Oliver, der im Armenhaus zur Welt kommt und seine Kindheit verbringt, schon vor seinem 10. Lebensjahr auf eigenen Füßen stehen muss, in die Hände einer Diebesbande gerät und viele Abenteuer besteht, bevor seine Herkunft geklärt wird und er sein Erbe antreten kann, um das sein Halbbruder ihn betrügen wollte.Erstaunllich, dass dieser Roman von Charles Dickens allgemein bekannter ist und sich größerer Beliebtheit erfreut als "David Copperfield". Für mich ist die Geschichte von Oliver Twist an vielen Stellen langatmig (vor allem auch in der Darstellung des Zusammenlebens der Diebesbande) und hat zu viele Wendungen, bis sie gegen Ende doch noch spannend wird und in ein sehr konstruiertes Happy End mündet. Erschwerend kommt hinzu, dass mir die Lesung von Andreas Dietrich überhaupt nicht gefallen hat. Der gewollt ironische Tonfall mag zumindest teilweise zum Inhalt passen, nervte mich aber schon nach ein paar Minuten und machte es mir sehr schwer, die Lesung ganz durchzuhalten.