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    Oliver Twist
    Oliver Twist
    Oliver Twist
    Ebook609 pages15 hours

    Oliver Twist

    By Charles Dickens

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    About this ebook

    Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens is one of the most adapted of Dickens' novels. Oliver Twist tells the story of an orphan, Oliver, who endures a miserable existence in a poor house. He escapes and flees to London where he joins a gang of pick pockets.
    This Xist Classics edition has been professionally formatted for e-readers with a linked table of contents. This eBook also contains a bonus book club leadership guide and discussion questions. We hope you’ll share this book with your friends, neighbors and colleagues and can’t wait to hear what you have to say about it.

    Xist Publishing is a digital-first publisher. Xist Publishing creates books for the touchscreen generation and is dedicated to helping everyone develop a lifetime love of reading, no matter what form it takes



    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherXist Publishing
    Release dateMar 20, 2015
    ISBN9781623958848
    Author

    Charles Dickens

    Charles Dickens (1812-1870) war ein berühmter englischer Romancier und Sozialkritiker, der weithin als einer der größten Schriftsteller des viktorianischen Zeitalters angesehen wird. Geboren in Portsmouth, England, hatte Dickens eine schwierige Kindheit, die von finanziellen Schwierigkeiten geprägt war, die später einen großen Teil seines Werkes beeinflussten. Dickens wurde mit seinen Fortsetzungsromanen berühmt und war bekannt für seine Fähigkeit, Humor, scharfe soziale Beobachtungen und zutiefst menschliche Charaktere miteinander zu verbinden. Heute wird Dickens nicht nur für seine fesselnden Erzählungen gefeiert, sondern auch für seinen nachhaltigen Einfluss auf Literatur und Gesellschaft.

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    Reviews for Oliver Twist

    4/5

    3,771 ratings94 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Great classic.
    • 5/5
      Writing: 5.0; Theme: 5.0; Content: 4.5; Language: 4.5; Overall: 5.0; This was a wonderful volume that shares the rough, yet heart-warming story of Oliver Twist. Oliver travels through life battling the evils of this world while growing up in the poor conditions of a street youth. This story resembles the process that many Christians go through. As Christians, like Oliver, we are persecuted in this life, but in the end those who were the persecuted will one day receive glorious rewards if they live their lives pleasing to Christ. Great tome! Highly recommend. ***March 5, 2019*** (read with Jonathan)
    • 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.
    • 1/5
      First of all, Oliver Twist is a hateful book. Dickens has created in Fagin an embodiment of bigotry; a leering, black-nailed, money-grubbing Jew who's nearly always referred to as The Jew, as though Dickens wasn't sure we'd get it.* Fagin is the most memorable character in Oliver Twist, and he's inexcusable. I've read me some Victorian novels; I'm familiar with the casual anti-Semitism that's nearly unavoidable in them; I understand the context of the time. Dickens is well beyond that context. For his time, he was a hater. This is a hate crime of a book.

      * To clarify my context: I'm an atheist, so I think all religions are equally imaginary, and I think prejudice against any religion is equally distasteful.

      Second, Oliver Twist is a shitty book. His second, following the comedic Pickwick Papers, it shows Dickens reaching for new territory: exposing the hopelessness and injustice of destitute life in London. But it's maudlin, obvious, predictable, lame. Oliver is such a simpering bitch that it's impossible to give a shit about him. Bad people want to use him; good people want to pamper him; readers are bored. Dickens will write great books, but not yet.

      To be fair, not that I want to be, in the last chapters of Oliver Twist, he's figured it out. Nancy and Sikes suddenly take over the book, although I doubt Dickens knew they would, in a denouement of terrific power; and Fagin's last scene is equally powerful. But it's way too little, way too late.

      It's Banned Book Week as I write this, and I don't think Oliver Twist should be banned. I think people need to know that the most loved British writer since Shakespeare wrote this. I wouldn't assign it in a class, because it sucks, but I would make sure my students understand that Dickens is responsible for it.

      It's a shitty little book. It makes me think less of Dickens. I wish he'd known better.
    • 4/5
      There were certain points in the story where I found it hard to follow what was going on. I found the ending especially confusing. But other than that, I enjoyed the story. I plan on watching a couple movie renditions to see if I can better understand what was going on.
    • 5/5
      I heard it said somewhere once that a first novel is always the author's most personal. Not so with Dickens, who had to let his thoughts churn over the concept behind "Oliver Twist" while experimenting with the earlier "Sketches by Boz" and "Pickwick Papers." It can definitely be said, though, that "Oliver Twist" is the first novel that Dickens gets right. Instead of feeling like you're reading chapters in isolation that stretch the story for the sake of getting paid for additional instalments, everything fits together beautifully. The plot is by turns tragic, comical, philosophical, romantic, and suspenseful. Dickens manages to follow different characters on their own particular arcs rather than just presenting everything through Oliver's point of view, but there are very few sections that feel like they are dragging the reader away from the main story. The message reflects the developing sensibilities of the new Victorian era while addressing concerns about poverty, morality, and charity that remain relevant to this day. In spite of its time period, however, it shows progressive tendencies, most notably in the excellent characterisation of Nancy, a vast improvement over all the simpering and fainting women of "Pickwick Papers." And while the story is very likely familiar from a number of different adaptations, I found that the author was still able to pull me out of the cynicism of saying "yes, I know what's going to happen" and to surprise me, both in terms of plot details and style. This is a book that stands in conversation with the author's later works and with the other great works of literature that take on the moral questions of their time. It has, as Calvino said, never finished saying what it has to say.
    • 2/5
      I am not a big fan of Dickens, and Oliver Twist did nothing to persuade me. After the first third, the story began winding here and there (it was a serial after all), and I just lost the plot, especially as more and more characters were introduced.
    • 1/5
      If this had been my first Dickens novel, I never would have read another. The protagonist, for the most part, is acted upon instead of acting. His great heroic moment takes place when he runs away from home and walks 70 miles to London (a moment he remembers in great excitement at the end of the book). But for the remainder of the story, he merely suffers, miserably and passively, as he is humiliated, degraded, hunted, starved, sickened, and beaten. As a reader it is too much to bear, because Oliver has no way to fight back. If he only had an internal monologue that kept him strong, mentally, that might have been enough to maintain my empathy; but when he is just a simple, blank slate of a suffering child, his misery does not make a satisfactory read. Even in the chapters of the happy ending, he sits passively as adults explain his (convoluted) history. Fair disclosure. I did not manage to finish the book. I got up to the point where Oliver has to relinquish his clean, new suit of clothes for the rags he had thought were gone forever; and I just couldn't bear his suffering anymore and had to stop. I read the rest of the plot on wikipedia; and then read the last few chapters, to decide whether the ending was brilliant enough to justify trudging through the novel. When I discovered, instead, that the ending was just long passages of exposition regarding missing members of Oliver's family, I felt satisfied with the decision not to continue. Normally, I don't post a review when I haven't finished the book; but this time I decided to go ahead just to encourage anyone who agrees with me about this book not to give up on Dickens altogether: I can recommend Hard Times and Great Expectations, and will give the remainder of the oeuvre a try.Side note: Perhaps if I had read this with my eyeballs, instead of by audiobook, I would have been able to finish it; since I could have read it very quickly. But by audiobook, you are forced to completely digest each sentence.
    • 5/5
      I received this book from the Junior Deluxe Editions Book Club at about age 7, but wasn't able or willing to read it till I was 10 or 11. It's a while since I've read it, and having seen Oliver! a couple of times since, it's always a little hard to recall that first reading. The scenes where Oliver is a professional mourner for a funeral home always stuck in my mind. I should read it again some day. I should note that I do have the fancy Franklin Library edition too, but the Junior Deluxe is one I can't bear to part with unless someday a grandchild will want it.
    • 3/5
      Agree that it's not Dicken's best. Social criticism and sarcasm but it feels a bit too sloppy and naïf. Plus you get bored about the whole oh so poor little child saga, even if put against the industrial revolution's harsh realities.
    • 3/5
      It's hard not to like Dickens. He creates these eccentric supporting characters that are quirky, bizarre and totally lovable. But unlike so many of his masterpieces, Oliver Twist lacks a complex hero or main character. The book begins with Oliver's birth in a poor work house. His mother dies in child birth and his father is unknown. Oliver grows up under horrible conditions forced to work and is poorly fed - and yes, that famous line that we all remember from the Broadway musical and movie, 'Please, sir, I want some more' is a line from the book! After some failed apprenticeships, Oliver escapes to London and is taken in by a group of children pick pockets, trained by Fagin. As the book progresses, Oliver gains many allies among both his band of thieves as well as some wealthy families, who coincidentally are related to Oliver's unfortunate mother. What I found lacking in this Dickens' novel is that Oliver, although a sweet and innocent child, doesn't really grow and develop the heroic personality of some of Dickens other main characters - David Copperfield, Pip from Great Expectations, or my favorite, Esther from Bleak House. Definitely Oliver Twist is still a book worth reading, but I didn't find it as strong as some of his other works.

      I listened to the audio version performed by John Lee who has a deep soothing British voice. His skill at accents from the cockney dregs of London to the upper class was very well done.
    • 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
      Not one of Dicken's stronger novels in my opinion. The ending is pat. However its a pleasant enough light read despite the poverty portrayed.
    • 2/5
      Dear FSM! What a hard read this was -- and I didn't even read it, I listened to it on audiobook during my commute. I've seen several movie adaptations of this book - NONE of them capture the dark, depressing rone that this book sets. Read it if you're looking for a challenge.

      Audiobook.
    • 3/5
      I admit, my opinion is colored by being dragged thru this book very unwillingly while in High School.
    • 3/5
      A bit longer than it needed to be, but still has some interesting moments. Fagin is a hilariously offensive caricature, and most of the other characters are only the latter.
    • 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.
    • 4/5
      I always loved Oliver Twist the most of the Dickens books I've read. He seemed to come to life in my head the most of all Dickens' characters.
    • 4/5
      I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable book...until the end. The deus ex machina wrecked it for me. Oliver may as well have turned out to be the long lost prince of England or something. It just seems very roughly thrown together in the end.
    • 4/5
      Surprisingly readable. Good satire, good humor, good story. Nice, though forced, surprises
    • 4/5
      Moments in this made me cry.
    • 5/5
      Beautiful, flowing language
    • 4/5
      Finally getting to the end of these rambling Victorian sagas, it's easy to be infuriated at the ludicrous revelations and disclosures, legacies and dying wishes that tie it all benevolently up, that subdue all the vitality and humour of the characters with the saccharine promise of a bland and safe future. Because the rogues and oddities usually do make for the best scenes. But whatever the quibbles, Dickens' heartiness and sentiment wins us over. The dull worthiness and small role of the title character, Oliver, is another surprise; you could forget he's in it at times. But there's always enough that us going on: eccentric characters, evocative descriptions, memorable set-pieces. And of course the rousing versions in song and stage that come after:  "We've taken to you so strong..."
    • 4/5
      Having developed an aversion to Dickens having been forced to read Great Expectations at school, I was pleasantly surprised by how good this book is. Some of Dickens' characters are hilarious and he describes their idiosyncrasies beautifully!
    • 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
      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...
    • 4/5
      Undeniably a classic, but I found this to be a bit overblown, oversimplistic, and outdated. Only certain characters were 3-dimensional (Nancy) while the majority represented pure good (Oliver) or pure evil (Fagin). Nevertheless, this is still a page-turner and a marvelous character study.
    • 4/5
      Martin Jarvis is the best reader of Dickens I have come across. I resently downloaded "A Tale of Two Cities," think I'd read before only to find I hadn't. I had gotten it for free from audible.com. I got a copy of it, but like Jarvis's reading of it so much that I found myself following along with the book. I can't listen to books I've not read. When I saw the unabridged version of Oliver Twist was available read by Mr. Jarvis, I immediately downloaded it and am very much enjoy Oliver's journey once again brought to vivid life by Martin Jarvis. I think this would easily keep kids of all ages entertained as well as adults.
    • 5/5
      This is really not a story for children. I don't remember the body count to be so high when I read it as a boy in the abridged, edited, illustrated version. This must be one of Dicken's goriest novels, and I'm positive that he doesn't kill characters off for the sake of making it a blockbuster. The story paints a picture of an orphan who escapes from his apprenticeship and is unfortunately mixed up in bad company. The narrative is amazingly gripping. When I was young, I, not knowing any better, rooted for Oliver but now, I'm for the underdogs: the Satanic Jew, Fagins the master-thief; the Artful Dodger, Jack Dawkins the pickpocket; and Nancy, a proud but kind prostitute. I love Dickens and this must be one of my favorites of his.
    • 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.

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    Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens

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