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kalisaur's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
pop_s's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
belou's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Murder, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Abandonment, and Death
Moderate: Bullying, Misogyny, Child death, and Violence
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
3.0
I had a couple of those Great Illustrated Classics when I was a kid. One of which was Oliver Twist. I remember really liking it, but since it was abridged I had no idea if my memories would hold up. Now I can confidently say….somewhat?
I remember a majority of the larger plot beats. It’s the smaller in-between details and in-depth descriptions that were missing from my copy so I missed a lot of nuance. However, the spirit of the story shined through in spite of the abbreviated length.
I couldn’t really be tricked because again, I recalled a fair amount of the story. Still, I could appreciate the way in which Dickens laid out his story objectively. The pacing was so something significant to the mystery was happening at all times even if you didn’t yet realize how it would become relevant. It was a steady build that left me on the edge of my seat in frustration waiting for it to finally come together. The amount of close calls was enough to drive me mad. This is the longest audiobook I’ve listened to so far and surprisingly it flew by.
I’m sure I’m missing plenty of context, but from what I could gather this was a pretty scathing critique of systemic inequality. The unrelenting mistreatment of the poor, especially poor children was a key factor in the story panning out the way it did. Many characters suffered unjustly or were warped into nefarious malefactors merely because there were absolutely no avenues for them. Even the better off were shown to suffer for it in their own way. It’s, unfortunately, as true today as when Dickens wrote about it - poverty is a leading source for life long hardship.
Also I want to point out the casual anti-Semitism in regards to the villainous Fagan who is referred to almost exclusively as 'the Jew' as a pejorative. I don’t know if Charles Dickens is well known for his anti-Semitism or anything, but I wasn’t shocked either way. It comes with the territory of reading classics.
I love Oliver Twist. I would read it again in a heartbeat. It’s got heart, it’s got a message everyone should operate off of, and it’s got an unabashedly happy ending. If you’re a classics person this is a classic to beat the band. If you’re not a classics person this is a classic in every sense of the word - take from that what you will.
I remember a majority of the larger plot beats. It’s the smaller in-between details and in-depth descriptions that were missing from my copy so I missed a lot of nuance. However, the spirit of the story shined through in spite of the abbreviated length.
I couldn’t really be tricked because again, I recalled a fair amount of the story. Still, I could appreciate the way in which Dickens laid out his story objectively. The pacing was so something significant to the mystery was happening at all times even if you didn’t yet realize how it would become relevant. It was a steady build that left me on the edge of my seat in frustration waiting for it to finally come together. The amount of close calls was enough to drive me mad. This is the longest audiobook I’ve listened to so far and surprisingly it flew by.
I’m sure I’m missing plenty of context, but from what I could gather this was a pretty scathing critique of systemic inequality. The unrelenting mistreatment of the poor, especially poor children was a key factor in the story panning out the way it did. Many characters suffered unjustly or were warped into nefarious malefactors merely because there were absolutely no avenues for them. Even the better off were shown to suffer for it in their own way. It’s, unfortunately, as true today as when Dickens wrote about it - poverty is a leading source for life long hardship.
Also I want to point out the casual anti-Semitism in regards to the villainous Fagan who is referred to almost exclusively as 'the Jew' as a pejorative. I don’t know if Charles Dickens is well known for his anti-Semitism or anything, but I wasn’t shocked either way. It comes with the territory of reading classics.
I love Oliver Twist. I would read it again in a heartbeat. It’s got heart, it’s got a message everyone should operate off of, and it’s got an unabashedly happy ending. If you’re a classics person this is a classic to beat the band. If you’re not a classics person this is a classic in every sense of the word - take from that what you will.
darkknightrising's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
thesimplereader's review against another edition
2.0
Charles Dickens has a very unique style that can sometimes be hard to finish. Oliver Twist is a cute story about a little orphan boy, and is a classic for a reason; however, it was not the most fun read.
persephone's review against another edition
4.0
Such a good representation of the impact of british workhouses and is a criticism of the poor law amendment act of 1834
eclecticlittleadventures's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
cyprille's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
mnasadoo's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Antisemitism, Violence, and Animal death