Oliver Twist

By: Charles Dickens

Narrated by: Simon Vance

One of Charles Dickens' most popular novels, Oliver Twist is the story of a young orphan who dares to say, "Please, sir, I want some more". After escaping from the dark and dismal workhouse where he was born, Oliver finds himself on the mean streets of Victorian-era London and is unwittingly recruited into a scabrous gang of scheming urchins. In this band of petty thieves, Oliver encounters the extraordinary and vibrant characters who have captured audiences' imaginations for more than 150 years: the loathsome Fagin, the beautiful and tragic Nancy, the crafty Artful Dodger, and the terrifying Bill Sikes, perhaps one of the greatest villains of all time.

Rife with Dickens' disturbing descriptions of street life, the novel is buoyed by the purity of the orphan Oliver. Though he is treated with cruelty and surrounded by coarseness for most of his life, his pious innocence leads him at last to salvation - and the shocking discovery of his true identity.

Public Domain (P)2008 Tantor

Charles Dickens is the man

I’ve seen many movies based on this book and never got the full story. So, I decided because it was on sale with Audible that I’d grab it. I’m glad I did. I had to resist looking up the story line online and it was worth it. It is said that Charles Dickens used to walk the streets of London at night because he couldn’t sleep. He saw some orphans being mistreated and came up with this story. Based on the time it was amazing that he came up with it at all. Look at the research that goes into a story and realize he did it with the use of the Internet or any means of central research at all. Let’s face it library’s back then weren’t worth mentioning.

The story itself is very in depth with the characters and their inter dependency on each other. I’ve been part of the junior authors guild when I was in school, so I know how hard it is to write a book. Here Charles Dickens went beyond simply writing a story, he made us love the characters. He didn’t skip the smallest detail or the simplest mistake with the characters or story line. I like a great story with intricate characters and storyline. Here we meet young Oliver Twist who by chance or fate was named such. We see how his life goes from being simple to complex by a series of unfortunate situations or misinterpreted, misrepresented facts and situations. They say take two breaths then act. If someone had done that then young Mister Oliver would have had a very different life. He wouldn’t have been shot, thrown threw a window or kept as a slave before the truth was told. In the end I like this one better than Great Expectations for the depth of the storyline and characters.

Great Classic

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I think most have read this, but it was one I'd neglected, and am so glad that audiobooks allow me to "catch up" on the things I've missed, but don't have time to sit down and enjoy.

Which character – as performed by Simon Vance – was your favorite?

Simon Vance is a stellar narrator, bringing stories to life w/ his flawless transitions between characters. What a pro! His narration made this story for me.

Classic tale of struggle

Classic tale of an innocent boy who survives against the incredible odds of the poverty system in 19th c England. The formal language of the story by today’s is brightened by the irony and sarcasm that exposes the truth of individual characters and most of all the cruel parochial system that is abused for personal benefit by those who run it. Oscar’s survival against all the odds through childhood is amazing. His decision to travel to London saves him as that’s where he finds friends with sufficient kindness and the means to help him that he likely could never find in his hometown.

Absolutely fantastic

It has all, pathos, irony, humour, the fall and restitution of an innocent boy. All manner of human frailty and human redeeming qualities. Excellently written and told.
The reader was great in his portrayal of all the characters.
A triumph of English literature that stands the test of time.
Thoroughly recommended.

Narrator the best

If I could give a rating above five stars to this narrator, I would. He brought every unique character to life and brilliantly interpreted Dickens’s masterful words

Simon Vance is a brilliant narrator!

Dickens work is superb. That said, to bring it to life in a recording takes an actor with consummate skill. That actor is Simon Vance. I choose my recorded books simply by saying which ones are narrated by Simon Vance. I recommend very highly, extremely highly, another book recorded by him: The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers. I have listened to it nearly a dozen times.

Good starting point for getting into Dickens

Any additional comments?

I wanted to listen to a Dickens book other than the familiar Christmas Carol. There are lots of opinions out there on which is his best book but Oliver Twist seemed to garnish a lot of praise as a good starting point for first time Dickens readers and it didn't require a huge time investment of some of the other Dickens books. After listening, I would have to agree this is a good one.

While I had heard about it, I didn't really know it other than the famous line "...please sir, I want some more." I found the writing to be very engaging. I can see why this one is a classic. My only complaint is that I thought the story was a little disjointed in some parts not to mention the silly references to Master Bates. This line chapter 18 had me cracking up "...Master Bates caught up an end of his neckerchief; and, holding it erect in the air, dropped his head on his shoulder, and jerked ..." Seriously? :-) Maybe Dickens was pushing the envelope for double entendres. Anyway, the ending pulled everything together really well.

The absolute high point was the narrator, Simon Vance. He did a masterful job at the voices. I thought it similar to Jim Dale's performance in the Harry Potter books. I'll be looking for more books narrated by Simon Vance and certainly more Dickens as well.

great audio but...

it was the story that I found distasteful, the narrator was clear and well spoken, but the story thou classical and well written I found it distressing, dark, and painful to listen to, but it was for ENG 2220, so no choice about the book, just the format.

Dickens wrote much better books, but it's good

Like much 19th century literature, the plot requires too many coincidences. London and its environs had a pretty big population even then. But lo and behold, Mr. Brownlow just happens to know the father of Oliver's half brother, and Oliver's aunt just happens to be living with a woman whose house Sikes sends Oliver to break into. So, sure, the social depiction is valuable, but such unlikely coincidences detract from the story. Nevertheless, it is a very worthy book. A lot has been written about Fagin and his being called "the Jew", when that is not relevant to the story at all. Charles Dickens definitely did not need to do that, and he is reflecting a sad state of the social attitudes among even those who should know better. So, on one hand he consciously shows the societal ills of poverty, treatment of children, etc., but on the other hand he unconsciously shows the societal ills of prejudice. Sure, there were Jewish crooks in London, but being a criminal does not seem to be particular to any ethnic, racial, or religious group, so unless there is some redeeming reason to point out a person's race, ethnicity, or religion (or sexual identity, for that matter), such as happens in To Kill a Mockingbird, why do it if not for prejudice?

lots of excitement, lots of antisemitism

fun, but hasn't aged well. dickens' heroines are always a bore. the bit characters shine.