- Mass Market Paperback: 496 pages
- Publisher: Tor Classics; Complete and Unabridged edition (Aug 15 1998)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0812580036
- ISBN-13: 978-0812580037
- Product Dimensions: 17.1 x 10.7 x 3.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 227 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #358,776 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Library Journal
Oliver Twist was Dickens's second novel and one of his darkest, dealing with burglary, kidnapping, child abuse, prostitution, and murder. Alongside this gallery of horrors are the corrupt and incompetent institutions of 19th-century England set up to address social problems and instead making them worse. The author's moral indignation drives the creation of some of his most memorably grotesque characters: squirming, vile Fagin; brutal Bill Sykes; the brooding, sickly Monks; and Bumble, the pompous and incorrigibly dense beadle. Clearly, a reading of this work must carry the author's passionate narrative voice while being flexible and broad enough to define the wide range of character voices suggested by the text. John Wells's capable but bland reading only suggests the rich possibilities of the material. Restraint and Dickens simply don't go together. The abridgment deftly and seamlessly manages to deliver all major characters and plot lines, but there are many superior audiobook versions of this material, both abridged and unabridged. Not recommended.
-John Owen, Advanced Micro Devices, Sunnyvale, CA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
-John Owen, Advanced Micro Devices, Sunnyvale, CA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"The image of little Oliver Twist victimised by poverty, almost seduced by the specious excitement of crime, and then offered the possibility of a lucrative career in authorship is always compelling."
—Guardian
"We leave him most reluctantly, and so will every reader who has any capacity to see and feel whatsoever is most loveable, hateful, or laughable, in the character of the everyday life about him."
—Examiner
"He deals truly with human nature, which never can degrade; he takes up everything, good, bad, or indifferent, which he works up into a rich alluvial deposit. He is natural, and that never can be ridiculous."
—Quarterly Review --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
—Guardian
"We leave him most reluctantly, and so will every reader who has any capacity to see and feel whatsoever is most loveable, hateful, or laughable, in the character of the everyday life about him."
—Examiner
"He deals truly with human nature, which never can degrade; he takes up everything, good, bad, or indifferent, which he works up into a rich alluvial deposit. He is natural, and that never can be ridiculous."
—Quarterly Review --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
Among other public buildings in a certain town which for many reasons it will be prudent to refrain from mentioning, and to which I will assign no fictitious name, it boasts of one which is common to most towns, great or small, to wit, a workhouse; and in this workhouse was born, on a day and date which I need not take upon myself to repeat, inasmuch as it can be of no possible consequence to the reader, in this stage of the business at all events, the item of mortality whose name is prefixed to the head of this chapter. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt
Among other public buildings in a certain town which for many reasons it will be prudent to refrain from mentioning, and to which I will assign no fictitious name, it boasts of one which is common to most towns, great or small, to wit, a workhouse; and in this workhouse was born, on a day and date which I need not take upon myself to repeat, inasmuch as it can be of no possible consequence to the reader, in this stage of the business at all events, the item of mortality whose name is prefixed to the head of this chapter. Read the first page
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Concordance
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Pleasant Rediscovery,
By
This review is from: Oliver Twist (Mass Market Paperback)
"Oliver Twist" was assigned reading for my sophomore English class in 1967, and did not finish it until today. To this high school student, it seemed too depressing to hold my interest, even under compulsion. When I recently started this again in preparation for watching "Oliver" at the Muny I was presently surprised. I now understand why this is a classic and maintains a loyal following. The story held my interest in what would happen next. I could see the traits of the characters and the development of the plot while progressing through the story. I am glad I rediscovered "Oliver Twist". Whether you are interested in classical literature or just a good story, it is a good choice.
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Surprising Delight,
By K. Ko (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Penguin Classics Oliver Twist (Paperback)
For one whose impression of classics was quite ruined by other less intriguing books I found Oliver Twist to be a surprising delight. Written by Charles Dickens in the 19th century this book portrays the harshness of the lives of the poor in London during the same time it was written. This book enraptures the reader with plot and language (despite the odd paragraphs here and there) and offers a multitude of fascinating characters.Dickens writes of an orphan boy, Oliver Twist, who runs away from the workhouse and unknowingly joins a group of robbers and pickpockets. The plot that would have been original when it was first published is now quite commonplace. But the language and memorable characters are enough to draw you deep into the story and make the book a page turner. The unforgettable characters that Dickens has created seem real enough to be someone who had actually lived. The characters are far from appearing fictional; all aspects of their personalities and appearance could be someone who one could pass in the streets (excluding their 19th century attire). Each character seems to have distinct words and phrases that one would associate with them, for instance Mr. Grimwig constantly says ¡§I¡ll eat my head¡ and at times he¡ll add in another head for which he will ¡§eat¡ along with his own. The characters in Oliver Twist are hard to not remember, for there will always be some character that comes to mind when you think of something or the other (like heads). Despite all this, the book does have its flaws. A novel that would have taken me less than a week to read has now taken me three. Although Oliver Twist may keep you hooked there are parts of a book which may make you put down the book and fail to pick it up for a few days. I find some intervals where Oliver is not present to be dull and somewhat lacking in fresh content. Although such chapters are somewhat a rarity they were enough to make me lose interest in the book itself for a couple chapters. Oliver Twist, flawed as it is, is still a brilliant piece of work worth the time to read. One should not miss out on the opportunity to meet the memorable characters which come straight from the streets of 19th century London and make Oliver Twist such a novel worth reading.
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Language is Easier to Understand,
By A Customer
This review is from: Oliver Twist (Mass Market Paperback)
The meandering plots of most Dickens novels leave me cold most of the time, but I found this book easier to understand and enjoy. I'm glad I finally pulled the book off the shelf and read it.
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