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A review by mariahistryingtoread
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
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.