Title: Oliver Twist
Author: Charles Dickens
Published: 1837
Challenges: The Classics Club
Rating: Three and a half out of five
Reread
Synopsis:
The story of an orphan named Oliver, who runs away from his life in the work house and as an apprentice for a coffin maker and escapes to London. It is here that he runs into Fagin and his band of thieves and criminals and reluctantly is drawn into the seedy underworld of London and the lives of villain Bill Sikes, the artful Dodger and the prostitute Nancy. Oliver is not like those that haunt the criminal streets of the city and seems defined to escape this life and live the life of a gentleman.
My Thoughts:
As a child we used to have a VHS that had Oliver and Annie on it and I can remember watching the video on repeat at my aunty’s and singing along to the songs. I loved Oliver and the whole setting of Victorian England and the story stayed ingrained in my mind for years to come. It wasn’t until I was 19/20 that I saw an adaptation of Oliver that changed it from this charming musical romp to a more sinister and dark tale of murder, crime and mystery. It was this TV programme that made me want to read the novel, primarily because of the character Monks who has a mysterious grudge against young Oliver and this is the third time I have read Oliver Twist. This time I did read it for The Classics Club Spin and I think if it wasn’t for this I might not necessarily have picked it up this time round. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy the story, as I did, but I don’t think it was the right book for Christmas time and the chaos that this brings. I found my mind wandering in the middle section of the novel, which was easy to do as I have read it before. I did enjoy the last one hundred pages or so as the narrative unravels and different characters get their comeuppance, although I do good a little whimper when poor Bullseye dies. I’m not denying that Dickens is a fantastic writer or that Oliver Twist doesn’t deserve its place as one of his most famous novels, but I just don’t think it was the right time for me to read it. That being said I do love his depiction of London and the darker side of the city, especially the idea that it really is luck of the draw if you end up destitute on the streets or saved by a kindly benefactor.
LindyLit 
I’m sorry to hear this wasn’t the right time for you to read Oliver Twist. I read it for the first time for The Classics Club and really enjoyed it. I actually found it quite a comforting read. I hope you get on with it better at a different time. I love your picture by the way; a good book, chocolate and tea looks good to me 🙂
Thank you. Yes I think it was just a case of bad timing.
Great to find your blog, re Fleur’s. I’ll be sure to look out for any new posts; it looks great. I’m intending to widen my reading list this coming year!
Thank you. I’ve returned the follow as I definitely need to get more involved in the blogging world in 2015.
I really need to reread this one. I read it in 2011 (if I recall) & had a similar experience. It wasn’t bad or anything — just very dark and hard to get into. (For me.) I think it was timing for me too. I was trying to read it in the tutoring room surrounded by NOISE. 🙂
I definitely think this is a novel that needs peace and quiet and the right reading setting, but it is certainly worth a re read.
I learnt the hard way last year, that reading a heavy classic over Christmas/New Year doesn’t work well (I’m still half way through the Brothers Karamazov!)
This year, all 20 possibilities on my spin were slim or rereads 🙂
Although I also managed to fit in Dicken’s A Christmas Carol in Dec – a far more suitable read for this time of year.
Hopefully next year I will remember this and try and be a bit more sensible.