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Oliver Twist Book Review: Charles Dickens

Oliver Twist is a book written by the massively talented Charles Dickens back in the late 1830s and still remains one of the most famous books till date. With the Phrase “Oliver Twist” becoming a metaphor to describe someone who shows lack of disrespect or is someone who requests more than what was given to them. The book focuses on an orphan who went through a lot of hardship following his mother’s death at childbirth and the mysterious absence of his father. He is forced to go through a lot of challenges and has lots of experience that a boy of his age, personality, and character shouldn’t have to go through. In the end, after everything he faces, the main character (Oliver Twist) ultimately finds light at the end of tunnel and lives the rest of his life as a happy and well taken care of lad. Let’s dive into my book review of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and go on the rough and almost unbearable journey through life with Young Oliver.

You might also enjoy this list of 35 Oliver Twist quotes about poverty, crime, love and friendship.

Part 1: The Beginning

Young Oliver Twist was brought into the world, and is immediately touched down on earth, lady luck took one look at him and wished him hardship and suffering. His father disappeared under mysterious circumstances and his mother died after giving birth to him thus making him an orphan at birth and forced to be raised with fellow orphans in an orphanage.

At the age of nine, Oliver was taken to a workhouse where he toiled for hours with little food. Although it didn’t take long before he was sent off to go work for Mr Sowerberry, an undertaker. He then built up the courage to request for more food than originally given with the famous words, “Please sir, I want some more.”

Oliver’s troubles seem to continue as Mrs Sowerberry loathed, maltreated, and underfed him whenever Mr Sowerberry wasn’t around. One day, Oliver got in a fight with the much bigger Noah Claypole, his fellow apprentice after he (Noah) insulted Oliver’s mother, but Mrs Sowerberry intervened and helped Noah beat Oliver. Oliver would later be beaten by Mr Sowerberry after being told lies and asked to do so by his wife.

Once it was day break, Oliver snuck out and ran away on foot to London to look for a better life. This is the point that marks the growth and maturity in Oliver as he realises how people are wicked and how they shouldn’t be trusted.

Part 2: The Tunnel

When he was approaching London, Oliver encountered two boys, the Artful Dodger and Charley Bates. Now, as one who has been through a whole lot of hardship, you would expect Oliver to be more sceptical about forming relationships with people, but our hero was easily swayed by the free meal dodger offered him and the promises of being provided a place to rest rent free by an old gentleman in London. In fairness, anyone in Oliver’s shoes would have fallen for the sweet words spoken by dodger.

The generous old gentleman turned out to be Fagin, a notorious criminal who picked young boys up from the streets and turned them to pickpockets. While with them, Oliver believed they all made an honest living making handkerchiefs and wallets till he went on a ‘handkerchief making’ adventure with Dodger and Bates. Things hit the fan when Dodger and Bates stole the handkerchief of a suspecting gentleman who caught the obviously confused Oliver after his pals already fled the scene.

Part 3: The Light

Mr Brownlow, the gentleman whose handkerchief was stolen later took in Oliver Twist after finding out the boy has a good and innocent heart, and showered him with the love he has lacked all his life. However, like all great movies and books, the twist is introduced, the story takes a U-turn and our hero is kidnapped by Fagin and his bands and his cohorts.

In the end, the mystery surrounding Oliver’s life was uncovered and it was revealed that he has a whole lot of inheritance that Fagin and his cohorts were trying to steal. Justice was served to each and every one of them and Oliver Twist lived his life happily ever after.

Overall, the book is a lovely read and it has a lot of teachings. It covers the way orphans are mistreated in orphanages, it also prepares people and teaches them not to expect kindness from everyone they meet as there are some really terrible people out there in the real world. The only thing off putting about the book is the fact that Oliver didn’t seem to learn from all his experiences and for all the courage he showed when he requested for more food, he never really stood up for himself in the face of oppression.

Overall Book Ratings: 9/10

You can get a copy of Oliver Twist from Amazon (This is an affiliate link).

Oliver Twist Book Review_ Charles Dickens

Alice Yoon is an educator who has experience in dealing with kids. Being a Certified Early Childhood Development professional, she writes books and content about kids. She is a member of " paper writers " community which helps students with their college work.

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Dickens' 'Oliver Twist': Summary and Analysis

A Gritty, Crusading Work of Art

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Oliver Twist is a well-known story, but the book is not quite as widely read as you might imagine. In fact, Time Magazine's list of the top 10 most popular Dickens' novels put Oliver Twist in 10th place, even though it was a sensational success in 1837 when it was first serialized and contributed the treacherous villain Fagin to English literature .  The novel has the vivid storytelling and unimpeachable literary skill that Dickens brings to all his novels, but it also has a raw, gritty quality that may drive some readers away.

Oliver Twist was also influential in bringing to light the cruel treatment of paupers and orphans in Dickens' time. The novel is not only a brilliant work of art but an important social document.

'Oliver Twist': Indictment of the 19th-Century Workhouse

Oliver, the protagonist, is born in a workhouse in the first half of the nineteenth century. His mother dies during his birth, and he is sent to an orphanage, where he is treated badly, beaten regularly, and poorly fed. In a famous episode, he walks up to the stern authoritarian, Mr. Bumble, and asks for a second helping of gruel. For this impertinence, he is put out of the workhouse.

Please, Sir, Can I Have Some More?

He then runs away from the family that takes him in. He wants to find his fortune in London. Instead, he falls in with a boy called Jack Dawkins, who is part of a child gang of thieves run by a man called Fagin.

Oliver is brought into the gang and trained as a pickpocket. When he goes out on his first job, he runs away and is nearly sent to prison. However, the kind person he tries to rob saves him from the terrors of the city gaol (jail) and the boy is, instead, taken into the man's home. He believes he has escaped Fagin and his crafty gang, but Bill Sikes and Nancy, two members of the gang, force him back in. Oliver is sent out on another job—this time assisting Sikes on a burglary.

Kindness Almost Saves Oliver Time and Again

The job goes wrong and Oliver is shot and left behind. Once more he is taken in, this time by the Maylies, the family he was sent to rob; with them, his life changes dramatically for the better. But Fagin's gang comes after him again. Nancy, who is worried about Oliver, tells the Maylies what's happening. When the gang finds out about Nancy's treachery, they murder her.

Meanwhile, the Maylies reunite Oliver with the gentleman who helped him out earlier and who—with the kind of coincidental plot turn typical of many Victorian novels—turns out to be Oliver's uncle. Fagin is arrested and hanged for his crimes; and Oliver settles down to a normal life, reunited with his family.

The Terrors Awaiting Children in London's Underclass

Oliver Twist is probably not the most psychologically complex of Dickens' novels. Instead, Dickens uses the novel to give readers of the time a dramatic understanding of the deplorable social situation for England's underclass and particularly its children . In this sense, it is more closely linked to Hogarthian satire than Dickens' more romantic novels. Mr. Bumble, the beadle, is an excellent example of Dickens' broad characterization at work. Bumble is a large, terrifying figure: a tin-pot Hitler, who is both frightening to the boys under his control, and also slightly pathetic in his need to maintain his power over them.

Fagin: A Controversial Villain

Fagin, too, is a wonderful example of Dickens ability to draw a caricature and still place it in a convincingly realistic story. There is a streak of cruelty in Dickens' Fagin, but also a sly charisma that has made him one of literature's most compelling villains. Among many film and television productions of the novel, Alec Guinness's portrayal of Fagin remains, perhaps, the most admired. Unfortunately, Guiness's makeup incorporated stereotypical aspects of portrayals of Jewish villains. Along with Shakespeare's Shylock, Fagin remains one of the most controversial and arguably antisemitic creations in the English literary canon.

The Importance of 'Oliver Twist'

Oliver Twist is important as a crusading work of art, although it did not result in the dramatic changes in the English workhouse system that Dickens may have hoped. Nevertheless, Dickens researched that system extensively before writing the novel and his views undoubtedly had a cumulative effect. Two English reform acts addressing the system actually preceded the publication of Oliver Twist , but several more followed, including the influential reforms of 1870.  Oliver Twist  remains a powerful indictment of English society in the early 19th Century. 

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Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Oliver Twist

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The 1968 film adaptation of Oliver Twist.

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens audiobook review – a mouthwatering adaptation

Brian Cox, Nicola Coughlan and Daniel Kaluuya are among the all-star cast of this slick and sumptuous take on a classic

“P lease Sir, I want some more” is among the most famous lines in English literature, and its power is undiminished in this new recording of Oliver Twist featuring an all-star cast and produced by Sam Mendes. It begins as a baby is born in a workhouse to an unmarried woman who dies shortly after, leaving the orphaned child to be named by Mr Bumble (Adeel Akhtar).

Nine years later, and we find Oliver (Emilio Villa-Muhammad) being goaded by the other orphans to ask for a second helping of gruel on his birthday. His request is deemed so shocking that he is cast out and sent to live with a local undertaker, who makes him sleep among the coffins and gives him the dog’s leftovers for his supper. Oliver runs away, walking 70 miles to London, though when he arrives his problems continue as he falls in with a gang of thieves, led by the Artful Dodger (Elijah Wolf).

Dickens’s story is necessarily streamlined here, with subplots discarded and Oliver’s journey to London hastened so we are swiftly introduced to the novel’s gallery of villains and ne’er-do-wells. Brian Cox and Daniel Kaluuya are terrific as Fagin and Bill Sikes respectively, and Derry Girls’ Nicola Coughlan brims with warmth as the doomed Nancy. The production brings Dickens’s London to life through a cinematic sound palette featuring bustling streets, the clatter of horses’ hooves and the gentle chime of a grandfather clock in the home of Mr Brownlow who, in vowing to look after Oliver, declares: “I will no longer make a coffin of my heart.” Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens is available via Audible Studios, 3hr 38min.

Further listening

The Christmas Bookshop Jenny Colgan, Hachette Audio, 11hr 24 min Eilidh Beaton narrates this feelgood festive tale in which a young woman tries to reverse the fortunes of a failing Edinburgh bookshop. A Boy Called Christmas Matt Haig, Canongate , 4hr 32 min A Finnish boy called Nikolas goes in search of his father in the mythical land of Elfhelm, home to elves, reindeer and a hungry troll, in this winter heart-warmer. Stephen Fry reads.

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review of book oliver twist

Book Review

Oliver twist.

  • Charles Dickens
  • Adventure , Drama , Historical

review of book oliver twist

Readability Age Range

  • Originally published by Richard Bentley in 1838.

Year Published

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine .

Plot Summary

Oliver Twist is born in a workhouse (a place where the poor and homeless are provided with work and shelter) in a small town in England. Oliver’s mother dies moments after his birth, and since no one knew her name or the identity of Oliver’s father, the baby is considered an orphan and sent to a baby farm.

At the baby farm, Ms. Mann gives minimal care to the boys — underfeeding and mistreating them. When Oliver turns 9 years old, Mr. Bumble, the parish beadle (a lay official of the church who carries out various administrative duties), takes him from the baby farm to live in the workhouse and work picking oakum.

The boys in the workhouse have difficult lives, and after suffering slow starvation for months, they become desperate and draw lots to see who will ask the master for more food. The job falls to Oliver, who nervously requests more food after the next meal. The master and the board, a group of men who oversee the workhouse, are aghast at Oliver’s request. After ordering the boy into immediate confinement, they offer a reward of five pounds to anyone who will take Oliver off the parish’s hands.

An abusive chimney sweep offers to apprentice Oliver, but when Oliver begs the magistrate in charge of making the decision not to send him with the man, the magistrate denies the chimney sweep’s request. Later, an undertaker, Mr. Sowerberry, takes Oliver from the parish as an apprentice and treats him better than anyone has before. Mr. Sowerberry’s wife, however, underfeeds Oliver and treats him poorly, as does Noah Claypole, another of the undertaker’s apprentices, and Charlotte, the Sowerberrys’ maid.

Noah constantly bullies Oliver. After Oliver is promoted by Mr. Sowerberry, Noah is filled with jealously and insults Oliver’s birth mother by calling her names. In a fit of anger, Oliver throttles Noah and beats up the bigger boy. Mrs. Sowerberry and Charlotte come to Noah’s defense, restraining and beating Oliver. They convince both Mr. Sowerberry and Mr. Bumble to beat him when they arrive in the aftermath of the fight. When Oliver is sent to his room that night, he cries and decides to run away.

Oliver escapes the Sowerberry home, but after walking every day for a week, he is exhausted and starving. Oliver then meets a boy named Jack Dawkins, nicknamed the Artful Dodger. Dodger is friendly to Oliver, giving him food and offering him a place to stay in London in the home of an old gentleman. The gentleman turns out to be a man named Fagin, nicknamed the Jew, the leader of a gang of young pickpockets. Oliver naively believes the boys make wallets and handkerchiefs to support themselves.

One day, thinking they are going to make goods in a factory, Oliver asks to go with Dodger and another boy, Charley Bates. It’s only after the two boys have picked a man’s pocket that Oliver realizes what they do. Terrified, Oliver flees the scene.

When the victim, Mr. Brownlow, sees Oliver fleeing, he realizes that he has been robbed. He pursues Oliver, and an angry mob follows. Oliver is caught and taken to the magistrate, but Mr. Brownlow begins to have second thoughts about Oliver’s guilt. Just as Oliver is about to be sentenced to hard labor, a bookstall owner arrives and clears his name by telling the magistrate that he saw the other boys pick Mr. Brownlow’s pocket. By this time, Oliver is sick and passes out in the courtroom.

Mr. Brownlow takes Oliver home, and with the help of his housekeeper, Mrs. Bedwin, nurses Oliver back to health. Mr. Brownlow and Mrs. Bedwin show Oliver more kindness than he has ever experienced. In Mr. Brownlow’s house, Oliver sees a portrait of a woman, and it has a strange effect on him. Even Mr. Brownlow remarks on the resemblance between Oliver and the woman in the portrait.

Fagin is furious when Dodger and Charley return without Oliver. He throws a pot of beer at them, but it misses and hits a visitor, Bill Sikes. Sikes is a brutal thief and an associate of Fagin’s. Both men agree that they must find Oliver before he reveals their criminal operation to the authorities. They send a girl named Nancy, a member of Fagin’s gang, to the police station. She pretends to be Oliver’s distraught sister to get information on his whereabouts. The gang finds out where Oliver has been, and when the boy goes out to pay for some books for Mr. Brownlow, Nancy and Sikes kidnap him. They bring Oliver to Fagin’s hideout. The gang steals his new clothes and takes the five pounds Mr. Brownlow gave to him. Nancy feels bad for Oliver and defends him.

Determined to force Oliver into becoming a criminal, Fagin sends him to help Sikes with a burglary. Sikes tells Oliver to go through the small window of a house and open the front door for them. Sikes threatens to kill Oliver if he does not cooperate. Oliver goes into the house with the intention of warning the sleeping occupants but finds them awake instead. Oliver is shot in the arm.

Sikes helps Oliver get back through the window, but he leaves the boy in a ditch. Oliver wakes up delirious and knocks on the front door of the house he was to help rob. He ends up being taken care of by the wealthy owner, Mrs. Maylie, and her niece, Rose.

After the botched robbery, Monks, a mysterious associate Fagin has been working with, confronts Fagin and admonishes him for his inability to turn Oliver into a criminal. He would like to have Oliver thrown in jail, but he does not want to be involved if the boy is killed.

In a scheme to become master of the workhouse, Mr. Bumble marries the workhouse’s wealthy matron, but the marriage is not a happy one. After having an argument with his wife, Mr. Bumble goes to a local pub where he meets Monks. Monks questions him about Oliver, and Mr. Bumble arranges to exchange information about Oliver for money. Mrs. Bumble, who heard the deathbed confession of the nurse who delivered Oliver, tells Monks what she knows and gives him a locket and a wedding ring with the name “Agnes” engraved on it. Monks throws the jewelry in the river. Monks tells Fagin everything he learned from the Bumbles, unaware that Nancy is eavesdropping.

Feeling guilty about her involvement in Oliver’s kidnapping and determined to help the boy, Nancy goes to Rose and Mr. Brownlow to let them know that Oliver is in danger. Suspicious of Nancy’s behavior, Fagin has Noah, who by this time has stolen from Mr. Sowerberry, fled to London and now works for Fagin’s gang, spy on Nancy. Fagin learns that Nancy has secretly met with Rose and Mr. Brownlow. He tells Sikes but twists the truth to make it seem as if Nancy has informed on Sikes. In a fit of rage, Sikes beats Nancy to death. Sikes tries to hide from the police but is eventually pursued by an angry mob demanding justice. He accidentally hangs himself on a rope that he was using to escape a rooftop.

Based on the information that Nancy provided about Monks, Mr. Brownlow is able to find him and force the man to explain his relationship to Oliver. Monks is really Edward Leeford, Oliver’s half-brother. Mr. Brownlow was a close friend of Monks’ and Oliver’s father, Mr. Leeford, which is why he has a picture of Agnes (Oliver’s mother) in his house. Mr. Leeford and Monks’ mother had an arranged marriage, and although they separated, they never divorced. Mr. Leeford met and fell in love with Agnes. She became pregnant, but he died before the child was born. Mr. Leeford left a stipulation in his will that his unborn child would receive an inheritance only if he did not commit a crime. Monks has been trying to find Oliver and ruin his chances of inheriting.

Mr. Brownlow convinces Oliver to give half his inheritance to Monks, who takes it, moves to the New World, squanders it and ends up in prison where he dies. Fagin is arrested and sentenced to death for his crimes, and Noah is pardoned because he testifies against Fagin. The Bumbles admit their part in hiding Oliver’s identity, and Mr. Brownlow sees to it that they never hold public office again. The couple is disgraced, loses everything and ends up in the workhouse they once ran. Rose turns out to be Agnes’ younger sister, and therefore, Oliver’s aunt. Mr. Brownlow adopts Oliver as his son.

Christian Beliefs

Oliver’s friend Dick tells him that he will be well and happy after he is dead because he dreams of heaven, angels and kind faces that he never sees when he is awake. Dick later tells Bumble that he is happy to die young so he can be a child with his little sister, who is already in heaven.

When Rose gets sick, Mrs. Maylie tells Oliver that heaven is brighter than this world and the passage to it is speedy. She asks that God’s will be done and says that God knows how much she loves Rose. Oliver prays to heaven on several occasions. Right before Nancy is killed, she prays to her Maker for mercy.

Harry, Rose’s suitor, gives up his political ambitions and becomes a clergyman. At the end of the novel, the narrator gives thanks to that Being whose code is mercy and whose great attribute is benevolence, saying that without Him, happiness can never be attained.

Other Belief Systems

Mr. Brownlow mentions that a Turk turns his face to the east when he says his prayers.

Authority Roles

Oliver’s mother begs to see her newborn before she dies. The board of men who administer the workhouse make decisions to benefit themselves and save the church money while the poor people who depend on them starve to death. The board also plots against Oliver and wish the worst for him. One even predicts that Oliver will die by hanging.

Mr. Bumble beats Oliver with his cane. Mr. Bumble and his wife sell Monks information about Oliver and conspire to hide the boy’s true identity from him. Mr. Sowerberry, who genuinely likes Oliver, feels compelled to beat him to satisfy his wife. Fagin runs a gang of underage pickpockets and teaches Oliver how to steal.

While one magistrate listens to Oliver and refuses to turn him over to a brutal chimney sweep, another refuses to believe Oliver is innocent of a crime he did not commit and wants to sentence him to hard labor.

Mr. Brownlow believes that Oliver is innocent, trusts him and takes him into his home. Mr. Brownlow, his housekeeper, Rose and Mrs. Maylie show Oliver immense kindness.

Profanity & Violence

God’s name is taken in vain with Lor, sake, forbid, help, thank, name, so help me and thank . Other words used include d–n, h—- , and a– . Name-calling words, such as stupid and idiot are also used.

Mrs. Mann beats and starves the boys at the baby farm. Oliver is beaten at the workhouse several times, and Mr. Bumble hits him with his cane. Oliver attacks Noah and beats him up, and in turn, Oliver is restrained and beaten by Mrs. Sowerberry, Charlotte and Noah.

After Oliver is kidnapped, he attempts to escape from Fagin, who tries to beat him. Oliver is shot during a botched robbery attempt. When Sikes finds out that Nancy has been talking with Rose and Mr. Brownlow, he beats her to death while she begs for mercy. Sikes accidentally hangs himself as he tries to escape an angry mob.

Sexual Content

Mr. Bumble visits Mrs. Corney, the widowed matron of the workhouse, and kisses her. Mr. Bumble visits Mr. Sowerberry and finds Charlotte feeding Noah oysters and Noah asking for a kiss. After Noah and Charlotte leave Mr. Sowerberry and move to London, it is implied that Charlotte becomes a prostitute. It is implied that Nancy is a prostitute as well and involved in a relationship with Sikes. Oliver’s father, while separated from his first wife, has an affair with Oliver’s mother, resulting in her pregnancy.

Discussion Topics

Get free discussion questions for this book and others, at FocusOnTheFamily.com/discuss-books .

Additional Comments

Drinking: Many of the characters, both adults and juveniles, consume alcohol. While some of the drinking is medicinal, most of it is recreational. Mrs. Mann admits to putting alcohol in the babies’ milk.

Lying: Nancy lies to the police about being Oliver’s sister so she can find him. Mrs. Maylie’s servants lie to the police, saying that they cannot correctly identify the boy who was involved in the robbery. Several characters lie about Oliver to change people’s perception of him.

Movie tie-in: Producers often use a book as a springboard for a movie idea or to earn a specific rating. Because of this, a movie may differ from the novel. To better understand how this book and the movie differ, compare the book review with Plugged In’s movie review for Oliver Twist .

You can request a review of a title you can’t find at [email protected] .

Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.

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Oliver Twist Book by Charles Dickens: Review And Summary

Oliver Twist book review

This post may contains affiliate links. If you click and buy we may make a commission, at no additional charge to you. Please see our disclosure policy for more details.

When it comes to the discussion of the most celebrated works of Charles Dickens, the name Oliver Twist is bound to pop up. Having been the subject of several adaptations and literature references, it continues to be one of the most well-written and beloved novels of the prolific author.

Also known as The Parish Boy’s Progress, Oliver Twist was the second novel by the brilliant mind of Dickens. It was published serially between the years 1837 to 1839 and released as a book in 1838.

The other title of the novel was a connection to The Pilgrim’s Progress, written by John Bunyan. It also served as a reference to the caricature series, A Rake’s Progress, and A Harlot’s Progress, developed in the 18 th century by William Hogarth, a famous English painter.

Oliver Twist is one of the earliest examples of Dickens using his novels to provide a social commentary on the Victorian era. Through this story, he explores subjects such as domestic violence and child labor.

In fact, it’s said that bits of the novel was inspired by the story of Robert Blincoe, whose accounts of being employed as a child laborer were extremely popular during the 1830s.

If you wish to learn further about the novel, keep reading to explore the many facets that make this story relevant to this day.

Table of Contents

Summary of Oliver Twist

Book review of oliver twist, 1. oliver twist, 2. agnes fleming, 3. mr. bumble, 4. mr. sowerberry, 5. mr. brownlow, 6. rose maylie, 7. mrs. lindsay maylie, 9. bill sikes, 12. mr. leeford, famous quotes from the novel, movies and tv adaptations, neha jhunjhunwala.

Summary of Oliver Twist

The story begins by introducing the readers to Oliver Twist, the protagonist who was born in a workhouse in England, during the 1830s. We get to know that Oliver’s mother died shortly after giving birth to him and he was found on the street. Thereby making him an orphan from a tender age.

Oliver spends a major chunk of his childhood at a child farm, which is a poorly run orphanage, before being moved to a workhouse where all the other boys bully him badly.

One day, the bullying leads to him asking for a second helping of his portion of the gruel, which is unacceptable to Mr. Bumble, who is the manager of the workhouse. Bumble is willing to pay a small amount to anyone willing to take Oliver away from the workhouse.

After escaping the fate of having to work for a chimney sweep, Oliver ends up with an apprenticeship with Mr. Sowerberry, a local undertaker. One day, Oliver hears derogatory comments about his mother from Noah Claypole, which causes him to attack Noah.

Aware of Sowerberry’s anger, Oliver flees from the place and makes his way towards London. While he is roaming around feeling exhausted and hungry, Oliver comes across a boy named Jack Dawkins.

Jack provides a roof over Oliver’s head at the house of Fagin, who is Jack’s benefactor. However, it is revealed that Fagin is actually a criminal who trains orphan boys to become pickpockets.

Oliver is sent on his first pickpocketing mission along with two other boys after receiving training for a couple of days. Once he witnesses the boys stealing a handkerchief from an older man, Oliver feels scared and runs away. Although he gets caught, he manages to escape being taken to prison for the act.

He is taken in by Mr. Brownlow, the man whose handkerchief was stolen by the other boys in Oliver’s group. Brownlow looks after Oliver as he recovers from his feverish state and notices the uncanny resemblance between Oliver’s face and that of the young woman whose portrait hangs in his home.

Although Oliver receives a lot of warmth and nourishment under Brownlow’s care, he is captured by a man named Bill Sikes and his girlfriend, Nancy. They are members of Fagin’s gang and bring Oliver to Fagin after capturing him.

Fagin orders Oliver to join Sikes for a burglary they are planning. While Oliver gets shot by a servant at the home they intended to rob, Sikes escapes. Oliver is then accepted into the home by a woman named Mrs. Maylie and Rose, who is her adopted niece.

Oliver spends a beautiful summer with the two ladies, but his happiness is short-lived, as Fagin and someone named Monks are determined to capture him. Meanwhile, it is revealed to the readers that a gold locket was left behind by Oliver’s mother, which is eventually obtained and destroyed by Monks.

Rose and her aunt arrive in London, which is when Nancy meets Rose and discloses Fagin’s plans, but this conversation gets overhead by someone belonging to Fagin’s group. When Sikes learns about Nancy’s betrayal, he kills her and escapes from London.

Feelings of guilt follow Sikes and he is also pursued by an angry mob. As a result of this, Sikes accidentally hangs himself, which seems like he has committed suicide. Oliver ends up reuniting with Brownlow, owing to the efforts of the Maylies. He then confronts Monks about the truth of his heritage.

Monks reveal to him that he is actually Oliver’s half-brother. Mr. Leeford, their father, was unhappy in his marriage and had an affair with Agnes Fleming, who was Oliver’s mother. Monks had been pursuing Oliver so as to prevent him from getting a share of their family’s wealth.

Monks are then made to hand over Oliver’s share of the wealth, thanks to the pressure from Brownlow. Another revelation states that Rose is actually Oliver’s aunt and his mother’s younger sister.

Brownlow adopts Oliver, Fagin is punished for his evil deeds, and the novel ends with all of them happily retiring to a place in the countryside.

Charles Dickens was a keen observer of society and never shied away from expressing his feelings towards social oppression, which forms the foundation of Oliver Twist.

The novel is delightful due to several factors, including interesting characters, engaging interactions, colliding plotlines, and shocking revelations that are a part of Dickens’ signature style.

The twists and turns keep the readers at the edge of their seats, wondering what’s coming next. Social inequality and class distinctions were some of the elements of 19 th -century London that Dickens explored very intricately and sensitively through this story, a trend which he continued in his later works as well.

The author shows the connection between crime and poverty, reiterating that a person’s financial state leads them to commit malicious crimes. He also reminds the readers that while some crimes are committed to fill one’s tummy, others are committed purely for evil purposes.

Dickens used the distinctions between the upper class and the working class to display how the crimes that are committed due to poverty cause a dehumanization of society.

While on the one hand, he paints a picture of the gruesome reality of Victorian society, on the other hand, he symbolizes hope and the power of benevolence through the characters of Brownlow, Rose, and Mrs. Maylie.

The plight of orphans and the roots of a character being traced back to a difficult childhood are displayed through Oliver, very much reminiscent of Dickens’ own hardships as a child and the hurdles he had to endure due to financial impediments.

Fate plays an essential role in the journey of the characters created by the author, which is evident through Oliver’s experiences while he goes from being a penniless orphan to a boy with familial connections that fetch him a small fortune towards the end of the story.

Characters in Oliver Twist

characters in oliver twist

Being able to create characters that remain imprinted in one’s mind for generations truly is an art, and Dickens was an expert in this department. Oliver Twist is brimming with numerous characters, and some of them are as follows:

The protagonist of the novel. He goes through a wonderful journey in the novel, filled with several hardships. Ultimately, though, he finds people who love him, leading to a happy life.

Agnes was Oliver’s mother. She died after giving birth to Oliver.

Bumble was employed at the workhouse where Oliver was born. His nature was quite unpleasant.

Sowerberry was an undertaker by profession. He employed Oliver as his apprentice, and later Oliver escaped to get away from his wrath.

Brownlow and Oliver met under unusual circumstances. However, he was one of the few people who ever showed kindness to Oliver.

Rose is Mrs. Maylie’s niece. She was later revealed to be Oliver’s aunt.

Mrs. Maylie is Rose’s aunt. She took Oliver under her care when he truly needed love and shelter.

Fagin is one of the main villains of the novel. He is the leader of a criminal gang and employs people to commit crimes.

Bill is a member of Fagin’s gang and does a lot of his dirty work. He hangs himself by the end of the book.

Nancy is Bill’s romantic interest. She is murdered by him later on in the story.

Monks is a cruel person with unknown motives. It is later revealed that he is Oliver’s half-brother, wishing to keep Oliver away from their family inheritance.

Mr. Leeford was Oliver’s father. Towards the end of the story, we get to know that he was also Monks’ father.

Famous Quotes From The Novel

As we all know, Dickens was a magician with words. His dialogues and phrases echo in the minds of readers even now, remaining beloved and relevant. A couple of the famous quotes from Oliver Twist include:

“There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts.”
“Some people are nobody’s enemies but their own, yer know.”
“Women can always put things in fewest words. Except when it’s blowing up; and then they lengthens it out.”
“There is a kind of sleep that steals upon us sometimes, which, while it holds the body prisoner, does not free the mind from a sense of things about it, and enable it to ramble at its pleasure.”
“Let the tears which fell, and the broken words which were exchanged in the long close embrace between the orphans, be sacred.”
“It is because I think so much of warm and sensitive hearts, that I would spare them from being wounded.”

The works of Charles Dickens have been adapted in various formats for eons now, and the same holds true for Oliver Twist. While there have been multiple fantastic adaptations of the story, listed below are a few of them that readers can explore:

  • A 1948 movie by David Lean
  • A 1968 musical adaptation which won at the 41 st Academy Awards
  • A 1974 animated movie was co-written by Ben Starr
  • A 1997 film which was directed by Tony Bill
  • A 2005 movie with Roman Polanski as the director
  • A 1962 BBC show with 13 episodes
  • A 1985 drama on BBC One which was directed by Gareth Davies

Dickens was not only a master storyteller, but he also possessed the unique ability to combine real-life elements with strings of fiction. This is evident in how Oliver Twist has been crafted, combining the author’s experiences and observations with fictional accounts.

Whether you’re an ardent fan of Dickensian stories or are someone who is hoping to explore some of his most well-rated works, Oliver Twist is a great novel to start with. The minute you’re done closing the book, the discussions will prompt you to pick up the rest of his stories immediately.

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This is Neha Jhunjhunwala, one of the writers for this book review website. Her interest in this field is driven by her exposure to a plethora of books from a very early age. By sharing her observations and insights on different books with others on this website, she hopes to motivate and inspire people to read more and more books and help them better their knowledge of different genres and enrich their lives.

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Book Review: Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

November 29, 2011 By Jessica Filed Under: Book Review 3 Comments

Oliver Twist

The story of the orphan Oliver, who runs away from the workhouse only to be taken in by a den of thieves, shocked readers when it was first published. Dickens's tale of childhood innocence beset by evil depicts the dark criminal underworld of a London peopled by vivid and memorable characters—the arch-villain Fagin, the artful Dodger, the menacing Bill Sikes and the prostitute Nancy

Oliver Twist  is a social satire that criticizes Victorian England. Some of his criticisms of society could still apply today. It was more graphic and violent than I thought it would be. Dickens writes the best characters I’ve ever read. Even the minor characters have personalities and flaws.  Dickens has this way of narrating that makes you feel so connected to the characters and makes you care about them a lot.   

August Rush , the movie, was a great retelling of Oliver Twist and now that I’ve read the book, I can see even more similarities (the biggest similarity – he runs away from an orphanage and gets picked up by a band of musicians that reminds me a lot of the band of thieves in Oliver Twist ). Oliver Twist was not really a page turner, but it was the easiest novel of Dickens that I’ve read yet. The ending felt a little contrived to me, but I felt so moved by all of the characters through the rest of the novel that I didn’t mind very much. I can see why this novel was shocking at the time it was published. Dickens sheds light on things that people just didn’t like talking about back then and nothing is black and white.

Content Rating : Mild , for some violence that made me squirm a bit and abuse to kids.

About Charles Dickens

review of book oliver twist

A prolific 19th Century author of short stories, plays, novellas, novels, fiction and non; during his lifetime Dickens became known the world over for his remarkable characters, his mastery of prose in the telling of their lives, and his depictions of the social classes, morals and values of his times. Some considered him the spokesman for the poor, for he definitely brought much awareness to their plight, the downtrodden and the have-nots. He had his share of critics, like Virginia Woolf and Henry James, but also many admirers, even into the 21st Century.

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Oliver Twist Book Review

Oliver Twist Book Review  

Like most of Dickens’s works, Oliver Twist is a novel that encompasses many genres. It is a novel that talks about serious issues, it is a mystery story, and some chapters can even seem to belong to horror-fiction. The plot of the story, extremely famous and familiar to many, revolves around the life of a young orphan boy named Oliver, who embodies saint-like purity and incorruptibility. He falls into the hands of an evil thief-trainer called Fagin and his gang of petty criminals. Oliver faces many obstacles and lives through many horrors throughout the novel.

Dickens’s writings are always political and social commentaries. They provide a powerful insight into the social injustices and the political oppressions that the poor people were subjected to in the England of the nineteenth century. Oliver Twist began to be published in a magazine in the year 1837 under Dickens’s pseudonym, Boz. It was the author’s second novel. It is a vehement protest against the Poor Law of 1834 – the main function of this law was to punish the poor for being poor and ensure that they never could rise out of their poverty.

Also Read: 

  • Character Sketch of Oliver
  • Oliver Twist Book Review
  • Oliver Twist : 85 Important Short Questions and Answers
  • Oliver Twist as a Social Satire

Oliver Twist is a ruthless satire; it effectively pierces the middle class’s veil of complacency and snobbery and reveals the hypocrisies that plague society. Though the novel deals with the England of them Industrial Revolution , it is as valuable a political critique today as it was during Dickens’s own lifetime.

Oliver does not always come across as a very real person, but at certain points one can identify with him completely. Every day we see young children, orphans or otherwise, being exploited and ill-treated. But we are mostly immune to pangs of guilt or pain. Oliver Twist gives voice to the people who are perpetually ignored and forgotten. For the space of the novel we can see society from their perspective.

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Related posts:

  • Oliver Twist as a Social Satire | Oliver Twist as a Social Novel
  • Character Analysis of Fagin in Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
  • Character Analysis of Pip in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
  • Character Sketch of David in the Novel David Copperfield
  • David Copperfield as an Autobiographical Novel

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I'm determined. are you, book review: oliver twist.

review of book oliver twist

It is only February, but the first book that put me behind schedule to read 102 books this year was Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. It’s a classic. I had always intended on reading it. And when Lyddie referenced it over and over in my middle grades Language Arts class, I decided to embrace the moment and stick it on the 2021 reading plan. While there were a couple mammoth novels in January, I stayed on track because they were easy-to-read page turners that kept me up well into the night, turning those pages. Oliver Twist, however, takes more time, more mental energy, and more patience. Therefore, it bled into the reading for the two weeks following its slot (and I have now postponed Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell —a book larger than my head—for my next vaca).

Let’s just get this out of the way, straight away. There is some problematic, negative, racial typecasting in this book. Not only is one of the main villains Jewish, but he is often just called just “the Jew” (though there is a proliferation of nicknames in this book) and there are many disparaging comments made about him that are clearly related to him being Jewish (and some not). There are also a few other racist terms used, and also very importantly, women are problematically, negatively, gender typecast and commented disparagingly about in relation to their being women. Fagin, the Jewish character, is wily and materialistic, brutal and ugly and dirty. Women are unpredictable, stupid, easy, incapable, and best ruled with the rod and controlled very tightly. (They’re also either angels or whores, as the issue goes.) So there’s that. While Oliver Twist could be read as a reflection of the time—which it is—and I wouldn’t want us to forget history or where we have been, I would have a hard time recommending this book as required reading for the reasons I just gave, or to put it at the top of Dicken’s cannon. I don’t know that Dickens was especially racist for his time or place, but Oliver Twist certainly comes across as anti-Semitic and not a little misogynistic.

As for the rest of the book and reading experience: I thought Oliver Twist was okay. As I mentioned, it was a slow read, largely because most of what I read these days is not especially old. When one reads old classics, there is an amount of translation that needs to occur, across the time and space. Dickens uses words that I am unfamiliar with, occasionally (including many low-brow expressions and Victorian English accents in this book), but the real issue is the sensibility of the modern reader versus the Victorian reader. Books were paced slower, back then. They had more patience for description and exposition (though he does remarkably little of that, comparatively). And not regarding pacing, but at the time, drama could be far-fetched and dynamic in a way that we don’t currently expect in realistic fiction. (As the story wore on and plots wove together left and right, it felt like I was watching black and white theater, arms thrown dramatically across brows, characters bursting into rooms with news that immediately brings down the house or incited an insta-mob, etc.)

There’s an element of relief and excitement to reading a book like this, however. The good guy is always going to win. The poor will be avenged. The powerful will be mocked and made fools of. Innocence will be preserved. Etc. This is a story as we expect a story to be told, including the twists and turns and the ludicrous coincidences and the nail-biting suspense. It’s also a very funny book, at least if you are a Victorian Brit. There are chapters at a time that are told with Dickens’ tongue solidly in his cheek. As a modern reader, you could just float right past it and think what a dull boy that Dickens is, but this is very heavy satire: Dickens lays it on thick and as a reader, you can’t take much of what he says at face value. (In a perfect world, this is what he was doing by casting negative Jews and women—socially commenting—but I don’t know about that.) Dickens was very conscious of his writing as social commentary leading to social reform, and Oliver Twist is meant to cast a light on the abduction of orphans into crime rings and the general plight of England’s urban poor. He also spends a lot of energy, here, on ripping Church and State a new one, largely through comedic and grotesque characters. (The reasons Katherine Paterson references it so much in Lyddie is because her main character is a Victorian-era, American child laborer, working in the squalid conditions of an urban factory. She relates to Twist and other characters.) I mean, the whole story is set off when an orphan boy askes his stingy, state benefactors for a second helping! (“Please sir, can I have some more?”) It’s farcical and revealing at the same time.

I guess that’s about all I have to say. I would give the book 3 ½ stars because it’s a solid classic, though not as good as some of Dickens’ other stories. It is satirical, funny, and really dramatic, as long as you tolerate Victorian writing. It’s about characters as much as about a story, and it’s about society as much as it is about characters. Eventually, the reading pays off and you get to gasp many times in the concluding chapters, which leads me to my very last thing to say: man, did it get gory at the end. Surprise! Here’s some dashed out brains, etc. (Not that there’s any lack of brutish behavior up until then: children especially are beaten regularly in Dickens’ Victorian England.) So you might want to know that’s coming, depending on who you have reading this book and, I would suggest that that reader be pretty quick on their toes, mentally and morally.

I deemed that there are four movie versions of Oliver Twist worth seeking out and watching. At this point, I have watched two of them: the 1948 version (frequently, the most highly recommended) and the 1968 musical version, Oliver! I have yet to watch the 2005 (Roger Ebert) version and the Disney animated Oliver and Company . I will try to get to those, in time, but I was fall-up on Oliver Twist. I’m also curious about the 1997 version with Elijah Wood. If you want to go really far afield, there are two movies titled Twist from 2003 and 2021. There’s even a South African version, Boy Called Twist .

review of book oliver twist

Oliver Twist (1948) is just as you would expect. Black and white. Somewhat slow and boring. Just like all the other movies of the time period. But if you really want an Oliver movie, this might be your best option. It’s pretty straight-forward, well-enough-acted, and basically true to the story, except that it cuts the long, winding plotline WAY down to size, lopping off a few of the main characters in the process. (All versions do this to some extent.) Fagin’s nose—a caricature of his Jewishness—is outlandish, as Fagin is somewhat offensive. There are some beautiful scenes, though, which I’m sure made it pretty exciting for its time, but not pandering. The kid that played Oliver, by the way, just wasn’t a real match.

review of book oliver twist

Oliver! Has been on my radar for a long time because 1) I love musicals and 2) it won best picture at the Oscars. It was too long. At three hours, I found myself annoyed that they felt in that time they couldn’t retain some more of the plot or more of the characters (which would provide the romance that they then, instead, pumped into another relationship that was underexplored in the book (I think because of Victorian conventions and modesty)). There are some really fun scenes, with London street people dancing every which way, waving around slabs of meat and roses and chimney brooms, but the horrible conclusion of the story isn’t handled nearly as deftly as the 1948 version. If you’re an old musical fan, then yes, you must watch this. And if you’re viewing your way through the Oscars, then I don’t think you’ll be too disappointed, you’ll just wish they had been more judicious with the film scissors. As in the last version, the choice of Oliver was disappointing to me.

“His heart was waterproof” (p272).

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The Print

Book review: Oliver Twist

  • Post published: December 4, 2019
  • Post category: General / Reviews
  • Post author: By: Muhammed Al Ali

Oliver Twist is a classic book by Charles Dickens that most of us have read. It tugs at our heartstrings during the beginning and middle and gets us anxious at the end. It’s no wonder why this book is a popular classic and a must-read worldwide.

The plot of the book is simple: it revolves around a boy named Oliver who is an orphan. He escapes the workhouse he lived in, joins a gang of thieves and manages to escape them until they take him back, he then runs away and lives happily ever after . But it’s not the plot that makes this book amazing; it’s the characters.

Oliver is a young orphan who always tries his best to persevere even when he’s in a tough situation. He is the epitome of always trying to escape a bad situation. Seeing his failures makes readers angry at his surroundings- but when he succeeds, you can’t help but regain a bit of hope for humanity.

Dodger seems like Oliver’s friend at the beginning of the novel, but it turns out he’s just trying to trick him into becoming a pawn of Fagin. Fagin (the antagonist) has no redeeming character traits, which is usually a bad thing, however, in this case, the author doesn’t allow him any traits that are redeemable because then, you’d sympathise with this monster.

All the other characters help put together the story and interact very realistically with each other. Nancy is shown from the get-go to dislike Fagin, which gives more time for her to develop her character arc of trying to destroy him. Bill is a mysterious character as we don’t know much about him except that he’s the true antagonist and that Fagin is one of his pawns.

If you haven’t read this book, do give it a read, especially if you like classics. Words cannot express how amazing this book is and I’d personally easily place it in my top 5 books of all time. In fact, this book is so well-loved that the lower school production this year is based on it!

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Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens | Review, Summary & Analysis

Exploring the World of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens: A Comprehensive Review, Summary, and Analysis .

Delve into the timeless classic of Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist with our comprehensive review, summary, and analysis.  

Charles Dickens, the most famous British realistic writer of the 19th century, wrote more than ten novels in his life. When he wrote Oliver Twist, he was only twenty-five years old. 

This novel has been adapted, filmed, screened, and broadcasted into many kinds of movies and TV shows, and has a wide and far-reaching influence. 

He has written more than ten novels in his life and is known as an outstanding language master. He is good at using irony, humor, and exaggeration. 

The characters and language style in his works is full of strong romantic characteristics. "Oliver Twist" (namely "Oliver Twist") is a great social novel by Dickens, which occupies an important position in the history of world literature.

Oliver Twist is Dickens's first novel of social criticism. Oliver, an abandoned baby of the rich, struggled in the orphanage for nine years and was sent to the coffin shop owner as an apprentice. 

Unbearable hunger, poverty, and humiliation forced Oliver to flee to London, where he was forced to become a pickpocket. 

He was once taken in by the wealthy Mr. Blair, but unfortunately, he was discovered by a pickpocket and entered the den of thieves again. 

In order to rescue Oliver, the kind-hearted female pickpocket Nancy reports to Bradlow that Oliver is the grandson he has been looking for, regardless of the thief's surveillance and threats. 

Nancy was killed by the leader of the den of thieves, and the police immediately surrounded and suppressed the den of thieves. Oliver was finally reunited with his loved ones.

Book:  Oliver Twist by Charles  Dickens

Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress, is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838. --- Wikipedia
  • Originally published: 1838
  • Author: Charles Dickens
  • Characters: Fagin, Artful Dodger, Bill Sikes, Mr. Bumble, Nancy
  • Genres: Novel, Fiction, Social novel
  • Followed by: Nicholas Nickleby
  • Illustrator: George Cruikshank
  • Original title: Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress

oliver-twist-by-charles-dickens

Author's Preface/ Catalog  

  • Chapter 1  Concerning the Place and Situations of Oliver Twist's  Birth
  • Chapter 2 Concerning Oliver Twist's Growth, Education, and Dining  Ster almost got a job, but it was by no means an idle job.
  • Chapter 3 Oliver Twist Twist almost got a job, but it is by no means an idle job.
  • Chapter 4 Oliver, who has other careers, steps into society for the first time.
  • In Chapter 5, Oliver deals with new acquaintances. The first time he attended the funeral, he had a bad impression of his master's industry.
  • Chapter 6 Oliver's ridicule of Noah provoked him to stand up and resist, which surprised Noah.
  • Chapter 7 Oliver still did not give in.
  • Chapter 8 Oliver Liver walked up to London. On the way, he met a curious little gentleman.
  • Chapter 9. This chapter gives some further details about the dear old gentleman and his promising students.
  • Chapter 10. What Oliver did to his new companions. He gained a deeper understanding; he gained experience at a high price. This chapter is short, but it is of the utmost importance in the book.
  • Chapter 11 introduces Mr. Finn, the Justice of the Peace, and gives a glimpse of the way he enforces the law.
  • Chapter 12 Oliver is taken care of like never before. The author returns to the account of the merry old gentleman and his apprentice.
  • Chapter 13 introduces some newcomers to the intelligent reader, with a few interesting incidents connected with  life. 
  • Chapter 14 further relates Oliver's stay at Mr. Brownlow's, and while he was away on errands Mr. Greenwig made a remarkable prophecy for him. 
  • Chapter 15  This chapter shows how fond the jolly old Jew and Miss Nancy were of Oliver Twist
  • Chapter 16 shows the state of Oliver Twist after Nancy took him back
  • Chapter 17 Fate continues to oppose Oliver and brings a great man to London to discredit him
  • Chapter 18 How Oliver passed his days among those good teachers and good friends
  • Chapter 19 A marvelous plan was discussed and settled in this chapter
  • Chapter 20 Oliver was handed over to Mr. Bill Sikes
  • Chapter 21  Chapter 22 Burglars  Chapter 23  This Chapter Contains the Gist of a Pleasant Conversation Between Mr. Bumble and a Lady, Showing Even a Rector's Passion at Certain Points. 
  • Chapter 24 This Chapter Contains A very good exterminator, but not too long, perhaps of some importance in this book. 
  • Chapter 25 The author goes back to explain the situation of Mr. Fagan and his party.
  • Chapter 26 In this chapter there is a mysterious character enters the scene and many events that are inseparable from the biography. What happened to Foo, and what happened to him,
  • Chapter 27 Amends a previous chapter for leaving a lady aside with great impoliteness
  • Chapter 28 See what has become of Oliver and continue his story
  • Chapter 29. The family to which Oliver went for help.
  • Chapter 30. The impression Oliver made on new visitors.
  • Chapter 31. Chapter 32 : Oliver begins a happy life with good friends
  • Chapter 33 The Happiness of Oliver and His Friends Is Unexpectedly Frustrated 
  • Chapter 34  This chapter contains an account of a young gentleman who is about to appear and another of Oliver's adventures 
  • Chapter 35 This chapter contains the inconclusive results of Oliver's adventure and Harry's ·An important conversation between Meri and Luzi 
  • Chapter 36 This chapter is extremely short, and it may seem irrelevant here, but it should be read, because it is the continuation of the previous chapter, and it is also the time when readers will read it.  
  • Chapter 37 In which the reader may observe the unusual phenomenon of pre-marriage and post-marriage conditions 
  • Chapter 38 tells the story of the evening meeting between the Bumbles and the Monks.  
  • Chapter 39 re-enters some respectable characters already known to the reader, and then sees how Monks and the old Jew conspired. 
  • Chapter 40 A Strange Meeting Continuing Closely with the Previous 
  • Chapter 41. This chapter contains several new discoveries and shows that the unexpected often follow one another, just as misfortunes never come singly. 
  • Chapter 42. An old acquaintance of Oliver shows Unmistakable traits of genius and suddenly became an important person in the capital. 
  • Chapter 43 This chapter is about how the elusive clever ghost got into trouble. 
  • Chapter 44 When Nancy was due to meet Louie Merry, she couldn't make it 
  • Chapter 45 Noah Crepole Hired to Carry Out a Secret Mission for Fagan Chapter 46 Appointment 
  • Chapter 46 Appointment
  • Chapter 47 Fatal Consequences 
  • Chapter 48 Thicke Escaping
  • Chapter 49 Monks and Mr. Brownlow finally meet. Their conversation and the news that interrupted it
  • Chapter 50 The Pursuit and Escape
  • Chapter 51 This chapter will solve many mysteries and negotiate a marriage without mentioning the money
  • Chapter 52 The Old Jew is Alive The last night of
  • Chapter 53 and the last chapter . 

About the Author:  Charles Dickens

Charles John Huffham Dickens, British writer. Born on February 7, 1812, in the suburbs of Portsmouth, died on June 9, 1870, at Gates Hill near Rochester. 19th-century British critical realist novelist. 

Dickens paid special attention to describing the life experiences of the "little people" living at the bottom of British society, which profoundly reflected the complicated social reality in Britain at that time, and made outstanding contributions to the pioneering and development of British critical realism literature. 

His works are still popular today and have had a profound impact on the development of English literature. 

His main works are The Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist,  The Old Curio Shop, Hard Times, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, and Our Mutual Friend.

Charles Dickens's father lived an intemperate life and was heavily in debt. The young Dickens was forced to be sent to a leather shoe polish shop as an apprentice and suffered a lot of hardships. 

When Dickens was 16, his father was imprisoned for debt. Since then, their lives have become more miserable. 

On the one hand, the Industrial Revolution brought prosperity to the British metropolises in the early nineteenth century, and on the other hand, it brought about the extreme poverty of the common people and the cruel exploitation of child labor. 

The sharp social contradictions and unfair social system made Dickens determined to change his life. At the age of 15, Dickens worked as a scribe in a law firm and learned shorthand. 

After that, he worked as a journalist in a newspaper. When he was a reporter at the "Morning Chronicle", Dickens began to publish some satirical and humorous short plays, mainly reflecting life in London and gradually gained fame. 

He understands the life and customs of the people at the bottom of the city, which are reflected in his passionate writing. 

Since then, he has served as editor, editor-in-chief, and publisher of different magazines, during which he has published dozens of novels and short stories. 

His main works include Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, and David Copperfield. and "Great Expectations".

Most of Dickens' works are based on events related to his own personal experience or what he saw and heard. 

In the book, he exposed the appalling living system in the workhouse, uncovered the terrible secrets of the bottom of British society, and vividly described the darkness and evil of the society. 

From the beginning of the book, the protagonist Oliver was born as an orphan and lived a miserable life in a poor house. 

Later, he was forced to work as an apprentice in a funeral parlor and ran away from home because of the unbearable abuse. After coming to London alone, he fell into the hands of thieves again. 

In his works, Dickens described a lot of dark social reality, placed deep affection on the common people, and ruthlessly criticized the social system at that time. 

He has outstanding achievements in the reality of novel description and the personalization of characters. After Shakespeare, he created the most characters in his works.

Oliver Twist's Book Summary

   Oliver Twist is Dickens' second novel and one of his best works in the early stage of creation. 

"It wasn't fashionable to write novels that reflected the sad realities of life, but Dickens set out to shock his readers." 

The novel shows us Oliver Twist Jr., an orphan in a world of poverty and crime, how to be devastated by the horror and violence hidden in the small, dirty back streets of London, and how to get the warm care of some well-meaning people like spring. 

All the characters appearing here represent a profound humanity. The flower of goodness and the flower of evil bloom at the same time, which makes us readers plunge into endless thinking about life while weeping.

    Regarding little Oliver, "the writer poured his infinite sympathy and deep love for the millions of lonely and weak people in the society into this child protagonist." Pure goodness, a desire to do good, and a spirit that strives to resist the dark reality.

    Little Oliver was born in a workhouse, and his mother died of hatred after giving birth to him. The author writes, 

"The two men who were present at his birth gave him little help, which left Oliver to bear his first battle alone." 

The reason was that an old woman was drunk and the doctor was not paid enough, So they don't care about the life or death of this new life. In such an environment of indifference and insensitivity, the child survived tenaciously. 

It is not difficult to see that while exposing the hypocrisy and cruelty of the bourgeois charitable institution "workhouse", the author hints and emphasizes that little Oliver has an innate strong spirit of resistance, struggling in pain is the key to his life. of all. 

If he succumbs to this dark world, he is doomed to be swallowed by the cruel reality. Little Oliver's spirit of rebellion did not arise without a reason. 

It should be said that it was the inevitable result of repeated misfortunes: Once, little Oliver asked the steward for more food, but the steward was very surprised and called this a "dare to be the first in the world" The bitter child was tortured. 

Readers will feel sad for little Oliver's hunger, cold and unfair beating after reading this, but I personally think that this is another strengthening of little Oliver's rebellious spirit-he is different from other people who dare not violate the workhouse steward. 

The children, not only instinctively, but also courageously tried "anti-conventional" behaviors. Those managers who symbolized cruelty were awed by this kind of behavior. 

Their rampant and unrestrained typical dark psychology of the society at that time was for the first time A discordant tone was encountered. Even if this discordant tone is still in its infancy, it is destined to stay and continue to struggle. 

Afterward, little Oliver, who was an apprentice in the coffin shop, was slandered by Noah's vicious words. In his strong anger, he punched the big boy hard, so that the proprietress and other villains were terrified and beat the thin little orphan violently. 

This fact shows that little Oliver's rebellious spirit grows with the gradual maturity of his inner world. After being humiliated and beaten again and again, little Oliver did not bow his head to this dirty and ugly society but still fought bravely and honed his pure heart under his thin body.

    Fleeing to London alone, the poor little Oliver lived in the den of thieves headed by Fagin under the leadership of The Winged Thief. Readers will more likely think that it is little Oliver's bad luck to fall into a den of thieves, but this is not the case. 

"According to Henry Mayhew's statistics in "Those Who Don't Want to Work" (1862)... only one-third of the British labor force People can find jobs... Due to the high unemployment rate, the crime rate is also high. According to statistics, there are 12,000 criminals in London alone."

In other words, it was the British society at that time that created so many thieves Ladies and gentlemen, what happened to little Oliver was not accidental, just like The Winged Thief said, "If you don't steal, someone else will. 

There is no doubt about it!" But what I want to emphasize here is that even in such a Despite harsh environment, little Oliver is still poor and ambitious. 

He has a kind and simple heart, even if Fagin and others try to instigate him to steal, little Oliver will not really do that. 

And when he was rescued twice by kind-hearted people (the first time by Mr. Brownlow, the second time by Mrs. Merry and Rose), he ignored his frail health and was eager to tell those kind-hearted people about his life. His tragic life experience and painful experience. 

In this regard, little Oliver wants to let others know that his inner world has not been polluted by the dark and dirty real life, he still guards the pure land of the soul and wants to be with those kind and caring good people who live together. Little Oliver's kind nature runs through the whole novel. 

In the final part of the novel, when he finds out his parentage and is told that he will get all the remaining property in his father's will, Mr. Brownlow proposes to give half of it to his half-brother Monks, Little Oliver "very gladly accepted the offer". 

According to common sense, there is absolutely no need for little Oliver to give favors to those who always want to kill him, but in fact, he just regards Monks simply as his half-brother, without the slightest hostility. What surged in his heart was only family affection. 

The two diametrically opposite human natures between him and the Monks formed a strong contrast, which heightened the kind image of little Oliver; and as far as the whole novel is concerned, the kindness of little Oliver's nature was in line with the so-called "Victorian prosperity" period in England at that time. 

The decadent and dark society, where the majority of people turn to evil, forms a sharp and vivid comparison, promotes moral thoughts and precious humanistic thoughts, and purifies the spiritual world of readers.

    If little Oliver represents the brightest side of human nature, then the role of Nancy deduces the contradictory side of human nature. 

Nancy, who grew up in a den of thieves, was controlled by Fagin and others on the one hand—for example, once she pretended to be little Oliver’s sister and kidnapped little Oliver who had just escaped from the clutches of the street with her accomplices; but on the other hand, when Fagin When King and Sykes beat little Oliver who was trying to escape, Nancy stepped forward again, "Now that you've got the kid, isn't that enough that you're going to turn him into a thief and a liar? Kill him?" She protected poor little Oliver with an almost crazy act. 

From this pair of contradictory actions, we can clearly see that Nancy still treasures a humanity that has not been completely wiped out in her heart. 

It's just that the ruthless and cruel reality kept torturing her last little kindness, and she was struggling in a deprived environment. 

Maybe little Oliver ignited the bright fire in Nancy's heart, making Nancy rescue him from distress again and again.

    When Nancy overheard the conversation between Monks and Fagin and learned the secret that Monks asked Fagin to try his best to turn little Oliver into a thief and put him to death in order to monopolize all the inheritance, she went Risking his life, he told the kind Rose the secret. 

However, readers have noticed that in the two secret conversations between Nancy and Rose and others, it was mentioned such as "You have to promise me another thing - not to do any harm to this man I can never leave ", she has been trying her best to protect Sykes, who is of the same breed as Fagin. Why? 

Although Sykes is also a villainous guy like Fagin, Nancy's love for him is like the pure love in the heart that every kind woman expresses for her husband. Said to be social factors. 

If a person is entangled with thousands of social factors, others will naturally make value judgments on him, and treat him with different emotions and attitudes from the original. 

Although the world in which Nancy lives is intertwined with pain and darkness, she is pitiful, miserable, and miserable, but she is faithful to the person she loves without complaint or regret.

Therefore, Nancy's love does not become filthy because she has fallen to the bottom of real society, but the instinctive and pure emotion shared by all people. It can even be said that Nancy's love instinct guards her from being completely wiped out. That is part of good humanity. 

Although readers and Nancy both know that her own fate cannot escape the word "death", and although Nancy eventually died at the hands of the man she loved, we can say that Nancy, with her instinctive love and The goodness of that part of human nature frees one's soul from this miserable world and flies to the heaven without darkness and death.

    Fagin and Sussex, the Bumble couple, Monks, and others destroy the two flowers of the goodness of human nature that bloom in the world of ghosts and demons, goodness and love, with their respective evils of human nature.

    Fagin and Sykes are the embodiment of evil, cruelty, and deceit. Readers may have noticed that the English meaning of the name Fagin refers to the abettor (who instigates children to commit crimes), so we can see the author's intention. 

In the preface to "Orphan in the Mist", Dickens clearly pointed out: "It seems to me that it is very necessary to describe such a group of criminals as they actually exist; in all their defects and all their misfortunes. 

To describe them; to describe them in the poverty of their lives; to show them as they really are, stalking uneasily on the dirtiest paths of life, and finally, still not escaping the death of their lives by the black, ghastly gallows. 

"So, in the author's pen, he not only wrote about the cold, damp, dirty, and disordered streets of London-the place where filth is hidden but also used little Oliver as a medium to compare Fagin and Sykes again and again. 

The descriptions of coercion, temptation, and sticks portray their ferocious faces, evil hearts, and depraved lives. 

Thousands of evil souls like them are lurking in every corner of London, using their means to make darkness continue to breed and spread in the entire society-this is a terrifying and serious reality.

    What is even more infuriating is that there were more people who did not belong to the bottom of society at that time, such as the Bumbles, who stink of vitriol and mercenary. 

They don't take a lonely child like little Oliver as a human being at all. Not only did they not feed and clothe the orphans, but they often beat and scolded them, which caused great psychological trauma to these children. 

This kind of devastation is no less than that of villains like Fagin; it is these people who live a relatively comfortable life, who naturally and vividly paint us portraits of money worshipers: For example, Bumble because he does not want to miss Brownlow’s house in a hurry to tell him about little Oliver’s “situation” (as long as there is no conflict of interest with himself, speak ill of little Oliver, etc.).

    When it comes to the character of Monks, what impresses people the most is his frightening jealousy and hatred. 

Monks ignited intense resentment and jealousy towards his half-brother in order to monopolize all the inheritance income - if little Oliver lived well, his greed would never be satisfied. 

So, driven by this perverted psychology, he let little Oliver "experience" the cruelty and horror of reality. 

When he finally confessed the truth to everyone, he was still "cursing secretly" too little Oliver. This kind of abnormal psychology also reflects the moral decline of British society at that time.

    Although many critics believe that this novel has many deficiencies, "the author was in his youth during this period, his career was flourishing, and his understanding of society was still relatively superficial... Especially in terms of novel structure and characterization, the author has not yet fully grasped it. You can live." 

"Dickens only wrote about some of the ugly manifestations of society but failed to see that the root cause of these evils lies in the capitalist system itself. Contradictions." 

In my opinion, this work delicately depicts and profoundly reveals many aspects of human nature, such as kindness, love, benevolence, evil, fraud, jealousy, and hatred, and their contradictions. 

The flower of goodness and the flower of evil bloom together in the wonderful flowers of human nature, so that readers can understand the various aspects of life while clarifying their hearts, and striving to make their lives bloom with flowers of kindness. This is the deep thinking and enlightenment that only good work can bring us.

    Just like the last sentence of this novel says.

    "Throughout their lives, they showed compassion and kindness to others as God shows to all living beings."

Oliver Twist's Book Reviews

Leo Tolstoy wrote at the beginning of "Anna Karenina" that all happy families are alike, and every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.

Charles Dickens has a similar line in Oliver Twist: A sad, true story full of tribulations and sorrows is usually very long, and a story of pure joy and happiness is very short.

"Oliver Twist" seems to be somewhere in between, it is not only full of suffering and sorrow, but also brings happiness and joy to people.

In 1837, at the age of 25, Dickens wrote Oliver Twist, his second novel and also his first social novel.

As an early work of Dickens, "Oliver Twist" is a bit thin in terms of plot and character design. If we ignore the age when the story is told, it will be even more difficult to appreciate the beauty of this book.

But as Dickens himself said in the preface of this book, "I don't expect their (referring to the readers) approval, nor do I write for their amusement."

Dickens just told a story he wanted to tell, and what we readers get out of it is no longer his concern.

01. Oliver Crusoe

In England at the beginning of the 19th century, affected by the French Revolution and the Napoleon era, the society was turbulent and the economy was extremely depressed. The work of helping the poor was the main problem in British society at that time.

In 1834, the British government promulgated the "Poor Law", requiring able-bodied poor people to live in workhouses.

While this decree was effective, it also caused countless tragedies. Instead of receiving proper care, the poor living in the workhouse became the target of public shame.

"Oliver Twist," tells a tragedy in this historical background. According to Mr. Huang Shuiqi, the translator of this book, " Dickens in "Oliver Twist" used the "Poor Law" of 1834 as an object of condemnation."

At the beginning of the novel, a baby is born in the workhouse - "a world full of sorrow and distress", and the baby is the protagonist of this book, Oliver Twist.

Oliver's mother died as soon as he was born, and his father is not explained at all at the beginning of the novel. The helpless Oliver is logically included in the ranks of orphans, and the novel calls him "a character who is handcuffed, beaten, despised by everyone but sympathized by no one in the world."

Although "Oliver Twist" is a novel, Dickens referred to it more than once in the book as "the most concise and most credible biographical sample" of Oliver.

This statement undoubtedly strengthens the authenticity of the book. Oliver may be a fictional character of Dickens, but the tragedy written in the book is a true reflection of British society at that time.

In the follow-up episodes, Dickens' description of Oliver's encounter is indeed extremely true.

Although it is called a workhouse, Oliver received no relief at all in his childhood life. The board of directors of the workhouse formulated a specification: let the poor either starve to death slowly in the workhouse or starve to death immediately outside the workhouse.

Oliver, who was too hungry, asked the chef for more porridge under the instigation of his companions.

Oliver's move caused an uproar in the workhouse. The board of directors believed that Oliver's request was outrageous and should be severely punished. Some people even predicted that "the child will be hanged in the future."

Oliver, who made a mistake, was sent out of the workhouse to work as an apprentice in a coffin shop. Not long after he was abused, he fled to London alone.

Oliver was just a kid in his early teens at the time. But the child's life has gone through many ups and downs, and he finally went to London to start another tribulation and adventure.

02. Adventure and adventure

Oliver walked 65 miles to London in winter, in a strange place, cold and hungry, Oliver seemed to be at the end of the road.

At this time, a strange "young gentleman" reached out to Oliver. He treated Oliver to a meal and took Oliver home.

Oliver, who was indifferent, didn't even realize that he had just escaped from a fire pit, and he was tricked into the den of thieves again.

The leader of the den of thieves, Eugene, wanted to train Oliver to join their ranks of deception. Oliver had an accident during his first theft. He was mistaken for a thief and caught, but it was a blessing in disguise that he met the nobleman of his life. Mr. Brownlow.

Mr. Brownlow and Mrs. Bedwin took good care of Oliver, which gave the child a rare warmth in the world.

But not long after, Oliver was brought back to the den of thieves again by the female liar Miss Nancy and returned to Eugene's palm.

As a result, Oliver fell into the most dangerous disaster in his life without realizing it.

A gang led by the liar Eugene, Sykes, and Monks the Mysterious want to train Oliver to be a liar like them; an alliance of Mr. Brownlow, Mrs. Bedwin and Miss Ross, and foster mother Mrs. Merry Do everything possible to rescue Oliver from the clutches. 

When the two forces competed, the mystery of Oliver's life experience gradually surfaced.

In this process, some confusing stories of Miss Nancy are interspersed. She is the female liar who helps Sykes catch Oliver back and is also the core figure who helps Miss Rose rescue Oliver. Miss Nancy's tragedy leaves a layer of tragedy that is difficult to ignore in this comic ending story.

03. Beautiful jade sinks into the ditch

In "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" , there is a chapter called "Sink in the mud", which means that the innocent Tess was defiled by the shameless Yalei, and the beautiful jade fell into the ditch, which caused the tragedy of her life.

Tess's story has nothing to do with Miss Nancy's story in terms of plot, but their encounters are so similar.

Miss Nancy is a female liar, she has been following the liar Sayles for more than ten years, and it was she who brought Oliver back to the den of thieves.

However, Miss Nancy is fundamentally different from Eugene, Searles, and others. Even if she is trapped in the mud, she still cannot change her essence of beauty.

Therefore, when she learned of the plan of the Monks and others to harm Oliver, Miss Nancy suppressed her fear and secretly notified Miss Rose to help Oliver escape from the Monks' clutches.

Oliver was saved, but Miss Nancy died at the hands of Sykes because of the leak. This is probably one of the saddest plots in the novel.

Many readers think that Miss Nancy described by Dickens is more embarrassing than Oliver. This is true, in my opinion, Miss Nancy is the most successful character in this book.

Dickens brings happiness to Oliver at the end of the novel but makes Nancy go to death. As a story of truth, goodness, and beauty, in fact, Dickens can completely redeem Nancy. In the novel, Miss Ross has offered to rescue Nancy.

But Nancy refused, she chose to return to Sykes, it can also be said that she took the initiative to her own death.

Nancy's seemingly unreasonable choice is the truest and most painful truth of her life.

In the novel, Nancy took the initiative to say to Ross, "I am the notorious guy you have heard of, living among thieves, since the moment I wandered on the streets of London, except what they (referring to Sykes and others) gave me I never knew a better life or kinder words than my own."

Nancy, living in the darkness of humanity, has long lost the ability to feel love and the chance to be redeemed. Sykes and others are the initiators of the tragedy of her life, but also the only meaning of her life. Nancy's life is all based on Sykes and others, so even though "I hate this kind of life, I hate this kind of life, but I can't leave this kind of life."

I'm hopeless, Nancy used the word to seal the coffin of her life.

Perhaps when she bid farewell to Miss Rose, she had already anticipated her own end, so she said, "Alleys and ditches are my cradles, and they will also be my deathbed."

Miss Nancy finally fell into the ditch, blown by the north wind.

This is not the most embarrassing part of the novel. Miss Nancy described by Dickens does not believe that she can be redeemed, but resolutely gives Oliver the chance of being redeemed, at the cost of her life.

This is the most moving and brilliant part of this book.

04. Do you still believe that what is good is rewarded with good?

Now many readers do not have a high evaluation of "Oliver Twist", and there are probably two reasons for this.

On the one hand, "Oliver Twist" was Dickens's work when he was 25 years old, and it was also his second work. Both the plot and the characters are somewhat simple.

Oliver Twist, on the other hand, ends with comedy. For us readers, we want comedy more in reality, but in the process of reading, tragedy is more impressive and more real.

Therefore, the happy reunion story of "Orphan in the Twist" will make people feel unreal.

Good is rewarded with good, and evil is rewarded with evil. This is what Dickens wanted to tell us, so later generations called it "the light that calls people back to laughter and benevolence."

But now many people no longer believe such words. Compared with truth, goodness, and beauty, people think that poisonous chicken soup is more real.

It is undeniable that in reality, justice does not always come, and light does not always drive out darkness. In the novel "Pan's Labyrinth", it is said that the side of justice will not always win the real victory, they are just holding on.

In this view, Oliver's comedy ending seems to be a failure.

But in fact, in the happy ending of "Orphan Twist", there are also hidden tragedies and regrets that cannot be ignored. Miss Nancy mentioned above is an example.

Another example is Dick. Dick is Oliver's partner in the foster home. Before Oliver fled to London, he went to meet Dick. Dick told Oliver to go forward bravely, " But don't stop, honey, don't stop!"

Dick was the first person to give Oliver a blessing. Even though this blessing only came from a child, it was remembered by Oliver for a lifetime.

But when Oliver was rescued, he went to find Dick but only got the news of Dick's death.

The novel doesn't play up Dick's death in detail, but it's no less sad. Dick's death is matched by Oliver's rescue, and Miss Nancy's death is matched by Miss Rose's luck.

Dickens does not blindly make us believe in truth, goodness, and beauty. As Nancy said to Rose, "Kneel down and thank God, because when you were a child, many friends took care of you and raised you; because you were never hungry or cold."

Nancy wasn't quite right, she didn't know anything about Rose's twisted fate. But indeed, whether it is Rose or Oliver, they should thank God most for not letting them be in the fate of Nancy and Dick.

It can be seen that "Orphan in the Twist" is not unreal, but too real. Life is sometimes a passive multiple-choice question, is it, Nancy or Ross? Is it Oliver or Dick?

We cannot decide the environment we are in, nor can we completely get rid of the imprint of the environment. A good life depends on luck, and personal efforts are sometimes vulnerable.

But even so, we cannot completely deny the existence of light just because we are in darkness. "Orphan in the Twist" is a story of "a beacon that calls people back to laughter and benevolence".

Muhiuddin Alam is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of GeekBookReviews.com. He serves as a consistent contributor to various websites and publications, including Medium , Quora , Reddit , Linkedin , Substack , Vocal , Flipboard , and Amazon KDP. Alam personally read numerous books and, for the past 10 years, has been providing book recommendations and reviews. Find Me: About Me & Google Knowledge Panel.

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Book Series Recaps and Reviews

Book Series Recaps

So what happened in book one.

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Review of Oliver Twist

review of book oliver twist

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No spoilers in this review of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens .

Special thanks to Sarina Byron, a BSR contributor who wrote this great review! Sarina is a British Author and Contributing Writer living in California. Sarina enjoys bringing forth a different perspective and encouraging a different way of thinking through her writing. Visit her blog to read her reviews, and check the end of the review for a link to her Instagram.

** A NOTE FROM SARINA: This review/recap has omitted one objectionable reference and one objectionable incident in light of the transformed world we live in.**

“Please sir, may I have some more?”

Dickens was a master of the written word, not just because he wrote well but because his words carried so much emotion that they evoked a response in even the most hardened souls. Although his books contain much prose to admire, most of his books are recognized by one phrase each. For Oliver Twist, that phrase is: “Please sir, may I have some more?” Such simple words, yet they convey so much. These are words chosen by a boy who knows he is addressing the masters of his food and his fate. He is aware their station in life is well above his, so much so that he cannot even assume to be given more gruel than his measly allotment.

Every phrase, every dialogue uttered by the characters in Oliver Twist is true to that character’s background, education, history, and station in life. Dickens had the unique ability to convey dialects through his writing. For those unaware of the skill, it is a highly specialized ability that involves writing an accent just as it is spoken. Suppressing sounds where the speaker does and almost creating an echo in the reader’s mind. Dickens was a master of dialects, and as such, his writing is fantastically expressive. For the same reason, his readings were immensely entertaining. In recent years, this style has been seen in the writing of Hagrid’s dialogues in the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling and the cockney accent by Jennifer Worth in Call the Midwife .

They say we are an aggregate of our experiences. I don’t know if I necessarily agree with this, but as a writer, I can agree that our experiences show up in our writing . Dickens was forced to work as a child when his father was arrested for not paying back his debt. Although he was able to go back to work, this left an indelible mark on his mind. His young characters often suffer great hardships and pain. Their pain and heartbreak are palpable through Dickens’ words. One can almost experience their heavy hearts and swollen eyes, which also earned his novels the statute of emotionally difficult reads.

A logical person may say it is perhaps this ability that makes Dickens a fantastic writer. However, being a writer myself, I may be inclined to say this is in some way indicative of his own emotions. Writers can create characters, situations, and dialogues, but most are inspired by their own emotions . For example, the character of Fagin was inspired by Issac ‘Ikey’ Solomon , who was introduced to a life of crime by his father and trained little children in street crimes. It was his appearance and reputation that stuck with Dickens, and he brought his day-to-day dealings to life in Oliver Twist through Fagin.

Although Dickens was born during the reign of King George III, the entire period largely became known as the Victorian Era. Strictly speaking, the Victorian era was from 1837 to 1901, but in reference, it is considered to have begun after the Napoleonic wars and lasted until the advent of the First World War in 1914. This was a period of immense social change on account of Britain’s transformation from a rural, agricultural society to an urban, industrialized one.

Large families, urban migration, and stigma and trauma of government help, including moving to the much-dreaded workhouses, were some of the causes of the dismal state of affairs. Dickens’ writing reflects the pains of those who struggled to survive in this changing society. His reflections and ruminations manifest in the experiences of young Oliver Twist, like when he was on his way to London and it was far safer for a boy under 10 years to sleep in haystacks rather than enter a village that threatens to imprison those who beg.

There is social commentary, and then there is Dickens’ keen portrayal of people. Consider the time when Noah Claypole, to be cruel to Oliver with maximum effect, called him “workhouse.” When calling that name did not produce the desired rage, he began to heap insults on his dead mother. Dickens’ genius is evident in his own words, which reflect great insight. Dickens writes that Noah “did what many small wits, with far greater reputations than Noah, sometimes do to this day, when they want to be funny. He got personal.” This is more than just an observation. This kind of experience is born of having lived a life where one is pushed to a brink of sensitivity that is almost empathetic. His time as a young child working in a factory is often spoken about in passing, yet it clearly had a deeper impact in that at least two of his books revolve around young boys who go through painful experiences.

Reading books by Dickens is not just a remarkable experience with the written word; it is also a rare opportunity to experience history. I noticed the phrase “sentenced to transportation” in the book, and although I knew crimes were punished by deporting people to the “ New World ,” the phrase was interesting to see. The manner in which it was written, without explanation and without ceremony was more fascinating to me than the mention of it at all. These practices have been studied, criticized, and either begrudgingly accepted or blatantly denied. But to see it mentioned in passing feels like watching a dinosaur walk past your apartment: One knows they existed, but to see one in the flesh is a completely different matter. I am sure you will experience similar epiphanies when reading Dickens. It is an experience akin to time travel.

Speaking of travel, did you know Dickens used to obsessively walk around London ? He would walk the streets of London, almost 10 to 20 miles a day, and observe the sights, sounds, smells, people, and ambience. Everything he observed made it into his books and immortalized Victorian society for all time to come. Not everyone can observe things as they are without adjustment or wishful thinking getting in the way. To look at something for exactly what it is—whether it feels beautiful or ugly, whether it goes against your grain, or whether you approve of it—and then accept it and reproduce it just the same is a rare talent. The act in itself sounds simple, but how many of us can achieve it? Even as we watch events unfold in our daily lives, we make continuous judgements about them. Any time someone begins to speak, we form value judgements about everything that’s coming out of their mouth, especially nowadays when we are all just waiting to be offended.

Dickens accepted everything that existed in his time. In Oliver Twist , he tells us about the fate of an orphan boy in the 1800s without adding unnecessary kindness where one would not be experienced. When Oliver fails to return to Mr. Brownlow’s house that fateful night that Nancy takes him back to Fagin, Mr. Brownlow is inclined to believe Mr. Grimwig’s assessment of Oliver. We would have loved to read that he does not doubt Oliver for one minute, but such are not the ways of society. Even today, nine-year-old boys belonging to a band of thieves would be looked upon with suspicion. When Oliver’s mother died, we would have loved to read that Old Sally went looking for her family and reunited Oliver with them. This is not the way of the world, whether it is the Victorian world or the world we live in today. If an unknown pauper lies dying somewhere, their belongings will not be kept for safekeeping; they will most likely be stolen to be sold for some quick cash.

Dickens may not be the first choice when picking books to gift little children, but for the brave parent, it will be a wise choice. Reading Dickens will not only lay the foundation for an excellent vocabulary, the masterful weaving of words into beautiful prose, and early access to the truth of human nature, but also will allow children to understand history through the perspective of someone who lived it.

And if you are an adult returning to Dickens or reading him again after many years, you could not have picked a more edifying book. Perhaps you will find yourself saying:

Let us know what you think about this review of Oliver Twist and Sarina’s great review in the comments! No spoilers on this page, please!

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A Scottish Coming-of-Age Story, With a Supernatural Twist

In Margot Livesey’s new novel, “The Road From Belhaven,” a 19th-century farm girl’s life and maturity are complicated by her uncontrollable visions of accident and disaster.

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In this illustration, a young woman stands in the middle of vast farmland filled with rolling hills, cows and a little farmhouse. In the distance, a black train billowing smoke rolls by.

By Daisy Lafarge

Daisy Lafarge is the author of a novel, “Paul,” and a poetry collection, “Life Without Air,” which was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize. Her latest book is “Lovebug.”

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Lizzie Craig has a gift: She sees “pictures” of events before they take place. It happens first when she’s 10, with a vision in which her grandfather’s scythe slips from a whetstone and injures his leg. It’s the tail end of the 19th century in Fife, rural Scotland, where Lizzie is brought up by her grandparents on Belhaven Farm. Her pictures, more often than not, are premonitions of accidents and disasters: a hurt leg, a wheel coming off a cart, a tree hit by lightning. They tend to arrive “a few weeks before the accident,” giving Lizzie time to prepare, and sometimes, intervene accordingly.

That’s the magical concept behind the Scottish writer Margot Livesey’s new novel, “The Road From Belhaven.” But the book is not a tale of supernatural intrigue and suspense. Lizzie keeps her gift secret, anticipating disapproval after she witnesses her grandmother’s reaction to a visiting fortuneteller. “We all want to know the future,” she says, “but only God can know what’s coming. It’s the devil tempting us when we try to find out.” Similarly, the novel sidelines the supernatural; Lizzie’s visions appear occasionally to kick-start various plot points but otherwise the story focuses on a familiar and subtle historical coming-of-age story.

The book follows Lizzie through youth and young adulthood. She is preternaturally sweet, and growing up, she wants nothing more than to inherit her grandparents’ farm and care for them in their old age. As a child, she attends the local school, reads Lewis Carroll, helps at home and is praised for her skill at drawing. As a teenager, she watches her older sister bloom into sexual curiosity, tell lies, desire adventures and covet what others have. But Lizzie experiences few of these adolescent eruptions herself, later reflecting, non-euphemistically, that “she had thought nothing mattered besides plowing a straight furrow.”

It’s naïveté, rather than lust, that leads her to have premarital sex with Louis, a friend of her family’s farmhand and an apprentice tailor, when Lizzie is a young adult. She first meets him when he comes to work at Belhaven for the summer and, smitten, she eventually follows him to Glasgow, where she finds work and lodgings. Not knowing about sexual precautions, Lizzie becomes pregnant while an increasingly evasive Louis swears he will marry her when he finishes his apprenticeship. “Soon we’ll have our own home, not a blanket on the floor.” Lizzie is initially happy to wait, but a series of visions changes everything, setting her on a course that will shape not only her life, but the lives of those around Belhaven.

The contrast between Lizzie’s childlike innocence and her status as a fallen woman offers rich material for an immersive and emotionally complex narrative. At every turn, it seems, all Lizzie’s options end in sacrifice — family estrangement, relationship breakdown, separation from her child. Yet Lizzie often appears to recite her despair and emotions, rather than experience them. The third-person narration, often charmingly populated with historical detail, exposition and dialogue, leaves little space for Lizzie’s interiority to develop on the page. This makes for tricky reading, because “The Road From Belhaven” seems like an ode to 19th-century character-driven novels. But “Belhaven” is lacking either a contemporary reflexivity or an urgency that would propel us through the emotional tribulations of its heroine.

Lizzie’s emotional remoteness seems compounded by certain narrative omissions. Violence and destitution are only occasionally glimpsed on the margins of her world as she paces the streets of Glasgow, a stone’s throw from slums, brothels and poorhouses. The novel breezes in the span of just a few pages from Lizzie learning she is pregnant to the sudden appearance of her daughter months later, a choice that sidesteps potential sources of physical, social and emotional tension, given the heightened risks of childbirth at the time and the added stigma of illegitimacy. (We briefly see Lizzie’s grandfather’s rage and disappointment when he learns Lizzie is expecting, but that’s about it.) Lizzie’s “pictures” merely steer the plot, and are never explored beyond their surface. The novel doesn’t mine them for their supernatural potential, nor for the danger they put Lizzie in as a lower-class woman with occult powers.

Lacking intensity or suspense, Livesey’s novel is most accomplished in its presentation of history. The story brims with vivid observations of 19th-century Scottish life. A skilled draftswoman, Lizzie finds work as a locomotive tracer. There’s also a rich evocation of the era’s cultural tapestry, including the local Celtic-Rangers rivalry and the influence of literature such as “Kidnapped” and “Jane Eyre.” Yet there’s a sense that the novel’s deluge of historical detail is present to compensate for the lack of drama or atmosphere.

“The Road From Belhaven” is Victorian Scotland seen through heather-tinted spectacles, and its heroine is unfortunately wrapped in a layer of narrative cotton wool. Livesey has landed on an intriguing premise, but I felt myself yearning for something to help the book’s emotional arrows land. Without that, the novel risks reading like a sketch, awaiting embellishment and texture to bring it alive.

THE ROAD FROM BELHAVEN | By Margot Livesey | Knopf | 259 pp. | $29

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COMMENTS

  1. Oliver Twist Book Review: Charles Dickens

    September 30, 2018. Oliver Twist is a book written by the massively talented Charles Dickens back in the late 1830s and still remains one of the most famous books till date. With the Phrase "Oliver Twist" becoming a metaphor to describe someone who shows lack of disrespect or is someone who requests more than what was given to them.

  2. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

    3.88. 385,145 ratings10,563 reviews. A gripping portrayal of London's dark criminal underbelly, published in Penguin Classics with an introduction by Philip Horne. The story of Oliver Twist - orphaned, and set upon by evil and adversity from his first breath - shocked readers when it was published. After running away from the workhouse and ...

  3. Dickens' 'Oliver Twist': Summary and Analysis

    Oliver Twist is a well-known story, but the book is not quite as widely read as you might imagine. In fact, Time Magazine's list of the top 10 most popular Dickens' novels put Oliver Twist in 10th place, even though it was a sensational success in 1837 when it was first serialized and contributed the treacherous villain Fagin to English literature. The novel has the vivid storytelling and ...

  4. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

    Fri 28 Sep 2012 10.00 EDT. This book is a great way to find out about the Victorian times. A young boy called Oliver Twist is almost apprenticed to an evil chimney sweeper. Instead he has to go to ...

  5. Oliver Twist

    Recommendations from our site. "Oliver is a boy who has escaped the workhouse and is adopted by a family of pickpockets. He's the exception - because he's being manipulated by the grownups…". Read more... "One day he had this radical idea that, if you want something, you can actually make a demand on life.".

  6. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens audiobook review

    Oliver runs away, walking 70 miles to London, though when he arrives his problems continue as he falls in with a gang of thieves, led by the Artful Dodger (Elijah Wolf). Dickens's story is ...

  7. Oliver Twist

    Oliver Twist, novel by Charles Dickens, published serially under the pseudonym "Boz" from 1837 to 1839 in Bentley's Miscellany and in a three-volume book in 1838. The novel was the first of the author's works to realistically depict the impoverished London underworld and to illustrate his belief that poverty leads to crime.. Plot summary. The novel follows the journey of the titular ...

  8. Oliver Twist

    Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens has been reviewed by Focus on the Family's marriage and parenting magazine. Plot Summary. ... Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book's review does ...

  9. Oliver Twist Book by Charles Dickens: Review And Summary

    Book Review of Oliver Twist Charles Dickens was a keen observer of society and never shied away from expressing his feelings towards social oppression, which forms the foundation of Oliver Twist. The novel is delightful due to several factors, including interesting characters, engaging interactions, colliding plotlines, and shocking revelations ...

  10. Oliver Twist: Full Book Summary

    Oliver Twist Full Book Summary. Oliver Twist is born in a workhouse in 1830s England. His mother, whose name no one knows, is found on the street and dies just after Oliver's birth. Oliver spends the first nine years of his life in a badly run home for young orphans and then is transferred to a workhouse for adults.

  11. Book Review Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

    Book Review of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, a classic novel about an orphan boy who ends up on the streets. ... Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens Published: 1837 Genres: Classic, Fiction Format: eBook (554 pages) Source: Purchased The story of the orphan Oliver, who runs away from the workhouse only to be taken in by a den of thieves, shocked ...

  12. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

    Oliver Twist Book Review Like most of Dickens's works, Oliver Twist is a novel that encompasses many genres. It is a novel that talks about serious issues, it is a mystery story, and some chapters can even seem to belong to horror-fiction.

  13. Oliver Twist: Full Book Analysis

    Full Book Analysis. Born in a workhouse to a dying mother, Oliver Twist is named by an uncaring official and plunged into a cruel system of state care designed to consign him to a life of poverty. Through the novel's complicated plot, Oliver must resist malign environmental influences and refuse stereotypes about his character.

  14. Review: 'Oliver Twist'

    There was robbery, arson, murder, betrayal and lies abound, and the story was far darker than I anticipated. When reading classic novels I am always interested in examining representations of women. Throughout Oliver Twist women were presented as agents of temperance and guidance, and as life givers and manipulators.

  15. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

    Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted, and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris, is his best-known work of historical fiction.

  16. Book Review: Oliver Twist

    Oliver Twist (1948) is just as you would expect.Black and white. Somewhat slow and boring. Just like all the other movies of the time period. But if you really want an Oliver movie, this might be your best option. It's pretty straight-forward, well-enough-acted, and basically true to the story, except that it cuts the long, winding plotline WAY down to size, lopping off a few of the main ...

  17. Oliver Twist

    Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress, is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens.It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838. The story follows the titular orphan, who, after being raised in a workhouse, escapes to London, where he meets a gang of juvenile pickpockets led by the elderly criminal Fagin, discovers the secrets of ...

  18. Book Review of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

    The writer even brought attention to the sordid lives of the criminals and the criminal practice of the Victorian Era. This book review of Oliver Twist contains a summary of the plot as well as thoughts on the overall novel. Oliver Twist was born in a workhouse where his mother died leaving him orphaned. The young man grew up in an orphanage ...

  19. BOOK REVIEW: Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

    This book review of Oliver Twist contains a summary of the plot as well as thoughts on the overall novel. Oliver twist was born in the workhouse and brought into this world by the parish surgeon. The young woman, who had given birth to Oliver, rose feebly from pillow stretching out her hand towards the child. The surgeon deposited it in her arms.

  20. Book review: Oliver Twist

    Oliver Twist is a classic book by Charles Dickens that most of us have read. It tugs at our heartstrings during the beginning and middle and gets us anxious at the end. It's no wonder why this book is a popular classic and a must-read worldwide. The plot of the book is simple: it revolves around a boy named Oliver who is an orphan.

  21. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

    According to Mr. Huang Shuiqi, the translator of this book, " Dickens in "Oliver Twist" used the "Poor Law" of 1834 as an object of condemnation." At the beginning of the novel, a baby is born in the workhouse - "a world full of sorrow and distress", and the baby is the protagonist of this book, Oliver Twist.

  22. A Book Review of Oliver Twist: The Original Street Urchin • itcher Magazine

    Touching on issues such as child labor and the 'Poor Law,' the novel's richly dark humor is still a great read 175+ years later. "Please, sir, I want some more." Oliver Twist has gained its fame through a musical (Oliver!, 1968) and Roman Polanski's more recent film adaptation (Oliver Twist, 2005)- so what makes it...

  23. Marissa's review of Oliver Twist

    4/5: This was a lot sadder than I thought it was going to be. Oliver's life really sucks, but it's always nice to see a sun shine character that gets to stay a sun shine character despite all the darkness that seems to follow them. CW that I found Alcohol, poverty, domestic violence, animal death

  24. Review of Oliver Twist

    No spoilers in this review of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. Special thanks to Sarina Byron, a BSR contributor who wrote this great review! Sarina is a British Author and Contributing Writer living in California. Sarina enjoys bringing forth a different perspective and encouraging a different way of thinking through her writing.

  25. Book Review: 'Neighbors and Other Stories,' by Diane Oliver

    A story collection from Diane Oliver, who died at 22, locates the strength in Black families surviving their separate but equal surroundings. The stories in Diane Oliver's "Neighbors ...

  26. Book Review: 'The Road From Belhaven,' by Margot Livesey

    In Margot Livesey's new novel, "The Road From Belhaven," a 19th-century farm girl's life and maturity are complicated by her uncontrollable visions of accident and disaster. Daisy Lafarge ...