Customer Reviews

Oliver Twist

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

"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.

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.

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.

Starting with Oliver's premature birth to a dying mother looked on by a gin-swilling nurse in a parish workhouse, Dickens tone is extremely satirical. Though his meanings are clear, his craftsmanship with the English language is in rare form in the beginning of Oliver Twist. The "distinguished and enlightened gentlemen" who's reform policies for the workhouse are raked over the coals in glowing language represent an unusual type of Dickens character for me. Usually even Dicken's villains are multi-faceted characters whose motives we understand though disapprove of. Here, the Directors of the parish who eventually pay to get rid of Oliver, are difficult to conceive of. The hardships of the workhouse inmates, more especially what seems like intentional starvation, seem hard to believe though as I read this book, the death of a foster child in New Jersey from starvation brought to light many things going on in twenty-first century reality which had seemed implausible in this nineteenth century novel. The satirical language is often humorous though the subject matter is not and makes the account more palatable. The first of the book is spent in this way which seems really to be more of Dicken's social commentary than pure story line.

In true Dickens style, each of the characters Oliver meets throughout the story are part of a larger, more elaborate plot line that the story is ever trying to unfold. After being apprenticed to the coffinmaker Mr. Sowerberry, he is taunted by the charity boy - Noah Claypole - until he makes a break for London. Accidentally falling into the clutches of local fence Fagin whose aim it is to turn him to a life of crime, Oliver struggles to break free with the help of various good hearted people he befriends along the way despite his situation. It is only through their help who believe in him against all odds that we find that Fagin's attempts to make Oliver into a thief or at least believe that he has broken the law is not entirely the result of chance. As a shadowy figure going by the name of Monks attempts to remove proofs of Oliver's origins, it is up to his new friends to piece together the puzzle of Oliver's life and help him to break free once and for all from the poverty of his existence.

Until Oliver's friends get involved, I wasn't entirely grabbed by the story line but I don't know if that was from my inability to connect with the workhouse characters or my familiarity with the early part of the story. Once they got involved and I was into a part of the story I knew nothing about, I did really get into it. Like A Tale of Two Cities, I would say that this one starts a little slow but takes off towards the middle. Unlike that novel, however, its lacks the profound nobility, with some characters having little value except as a vehicle in the commentary (like Mr. Bumble). The Tale of Two Cities was not an out and out social commentary (it was hidden well within the folds of the pages) but I would have to say that Twist is. It is a good story, well worth reading, but its lasting value is not in the character of the orphan Oliver - it is in the passion of the author against the wrongs of the then welfare system. It seems more to me to be a moralism: a tale to remind us of ourselves and to guard against the mistakes of the past and to ensure the lives of the vulnerable in the future.

I found it to be a well-drawn book; the storyline and the characters involved were very entertaining, particularly the story between Fagin and his charges. Although sometimes it tended to extend the text longer than needed and the constant switching between scenes made it hard to follow. But I do acknowledge that this may be due to my lack of patience and comprehension and may attempt reading it again in the latter of my years.

The creative novel Oliver Twist, written by Charles Dickens in 1838, defines a classic of all times. This intense story reflects a young boy's life in London with no family or place to go. Oliver's mother dies while giving birth to her son in the beginning of the book. Oliver's father remains unknown. Throughout the book the reader sees constant struggles. Oliver is befriended by Fagin and his company. Fagin, along with the Artful Dodger, invite Oliver to stay with them and become a thief. During one of Oliver's pick pocketing adventures; he is caught by Mr. Brownlow. Instead of reprimanding the young lad, Mr. Brownlow decides to raise him. Oliver desperately searches for the answer to his past while trying to stay alive on the streets of London. Ironically, Mr. Brownlow is Oliver's grandfather. A dominate theme of Oliver Twist examines the importance of family. Oliver's early years taught him to fend for himself and he suffers from never experiencing a loving and nurturing childhood. The setting of the book plays a powerful role as the story unfolds. Dickens describes the setting of London and all the places that Oliver stays very descriptively. "The street was very narrow and muddy, and the air was impregnated with filthy odor. The walls and ceiling of the room were perfectly black with age and dirt..." (page. 56). Dickens explains the facilities that were available to poor Oliver and makes them sound unbearable. He does an excellent job making the setting come alive and allows the reader to plight. I would recommend all readers at some point in life to delve into this classic. I found Oliver Twist very moving and towards the end hoping only the best for poor Oliver.

The creative novel Oliver Twist, written by Charles Dickens in 1838, defines a classic of all times. This intense story reflects a young boy's life in London with no family or place to go. The novel begins with Oliver's mother dying, while giving birth to her son and the father remains unknown. Throughout the novel we learn about Oliver's struggles on living on his own. The young boy is befriended on the way and taken in my Fagin. Fagin along with the Artful Dodger invite Oliver to stay with them and become one of them, a thief. While going on one of the adventures of pick pocketing Oliver is caught by Mr.Brownlow who instead of reprimanding the young lad, decides to rise him. Throughout the book Oliver searches for the answers to his past while trying to stay alive on the streets of London. Miraculously, Oliver's family lay right under his nose the whole time. The theme of Oliver Twist examines the importance of a family. Oliver plays a forsaken child, abandoned by all-parental support and thrown into the cruel world at a very young age to live on his own. Oliver's early years taught him to fend for himself and he suffers from never experiencing a loving and nurturing childhood. The tone throughout the novel focused on abandonment and how to live and survive on your own. The setting of the book plays a powerful part as the story unfolded. Dickens describes the setting of London and all the places that Oliver stays very descriptively. "The street was very narrow and muddy, and the air was impregnated with filthy order. The walls and ceiling of the room were perfectly black with age and dirt..." (page. 56). Dickens explains the facilities that were available to poor Oliver, and makes them sound unbearable. He does an excellent job making the setting come alive and feel the characters thoughts. I would recommend this novel because I found it very moving and towards the end you are only hoping for the best for poor Oliver.

This book kept me mesmerized and I could not for the life of me put it down. I'm only a college freshmen and instead of going out to parties and events, I was in my room reading this wonderful book. It was after reading this book that I made a list of 50 books that I wanted to read before I graduated. Dickens told a powerful tale of an innocent orphan's journey through life. There were so many aspects of the book that in order for me to write a longer summary of this book, I would have to tell everything that happened in the book. There were so many surprises and twists, and although I wanted to get to the end of the book, I kept hoping, in denial, that Dickens had written other installments to this tale. However, I was satisfied to know that Dickens had gone a step farther in this story than most authors by telling what happened to each of the characters at the end of the tale. This tale was so interesting that as I read more and more of it, I felt that I had in some way become an extra character in the story; an invisible omnipotent 3rd person from whose view Dickens was writing- maybe as one Rose's servants, or that of her aunt's. I recommend everyone to read this book. It seemed to be much more than a book, and although some of my peers may see it as outdated, the events in the book are still happeneing, only in a slightly different way. This book definitely can teach people the way humans are supposed to be treated and exactly how far a human heart can be extended toward another human in need, regardless of their past. My heart went out to Oliver, and I felt he was a real person that I had to sek out and give a big hug to. Maybe it was reading this book that prompted me to join a club at my college that crochets, knit, and quilt things to donate to children in need. I am so grateful that I happened to read this book. It definitely helped me to enjoy all that I have, and to help others enjoy the human experience as well.

This book surprised me, not by the quality of its writing, which one can expect from Charles Dickens, but by the violent, lusty primal quality of the story. This is no dry musty tome, but a vital novel that arouses both passion and intellect. A literal page turner, I found myself having more than one sleepless night when I just couldn't put it down.

Inside are some of the major characters in the realm of fiction; Fagin and his gang of child thieves, including the Artful Dodger. Nancy, the proverbial hooker with a heart of gold. Master Charles Bates (was this a pun even then?) Bad Bill Sikes, who shows the darker edge to all of this dangerous fun, and the innocent, pure Oliver Twist, who is the very definition of nature over nurture.

A great book, and one that I am glad to have finally read.

People think classics are stuffy and boring...Oliver Twist is anything but. I thought Oliver Twist was not a very interesting character: he is annoying in his naivete, the only memorable quote of his is "please sir, I want some more". Oliver Twist serves mainly as a pawn to be used by the much more interesting "bad guys" in the book, Fagin and Oliver's brother, and others. When reading the book, I identified with the feelings of many of the "bad guys".
The book is spruced up with the characteristic brand of Dicken's humor and subplots, and has a happy ending for our poor, orphaned, Oliver Twist.