I have read this book several times. I remember that I was required to read this for my Grade 9 English course and hated every minute of it. Although, it must be stated that I hated this book not because of the story, but because of the teacher's pedantic nature. One had to analyse every single damn sentence; hence it became mind-numbing and dreary. Now, that I am in college, I picked this classic Victorian novel up the other day from my bookshelf and read it again and treasured every page of it! One just gasps at Dickens’ unique English writing prose and the novel’s lucidity and originality. A true Victorian tragedy that everyone must read… more than once. It is then that we will be able to truly treasure the novel’s significance.

Oliver Twist is an orphan who has struggled growing up not knowing anything about his parents are who he really is. Oliver runs away from his pain of being an orphan and ends up in London. In London , Oliver will find out everything that has been puzzling him his whole life. Towards the end of the book there are a lot of things revealed and that are surprising and interesting which makes this book a good choice to read.

Oliver Twist is, unfortunately, the only Dickens novel I have ever picked up, and this read impinged on my having to read it for a final English paper; I saw unfortunately because I feel I SHOULD have read Dickens, but Oliver was, I believe—for myself, or anyone else—a great place to begin. While some people read novels for papers and end up abhorring them; I am ardently the opposite: while writing on a paper, I feel an intimacy with the novel that rises above a regular, casual reading of a text. Most, I’m sure, are familiar with the basic plotline of Oliver Twist—an orphan boy, the London criminal underworld, harsh and unsympathetic parochial officials, yadadada—and its thematic value still resonates today, even if our contemporary world does not resemble a filthy Victorian London: it still touches our sympathy, our inherent benevolence, and our vehemence. While at times I found myself laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of the cruelty Dickens evokes within the story, it is heart-wrenching—and most definitely a must-read for anyone who loves literature.

2.5 stars Oliver Twist is an orphan and is shuffled around to various places where he is not treated kindly, when he finally has enough and runs away to London. In London, he initially meets up with a group of thieves. After a little more focus on Oliver that I don’t want to give away, a lot of the story suddenly follows other characters. I thought the first half of the book that primarily focused on Oliver was o.k. But once the story started following other characters (almost all the second half of the book), I found my mind wandering. I was not able to concentrate on what I was reading, so I kind of lost what was going on in the story.

The creative novel Oliver Twist, written by Charles Dickens in 1838, defines a classic of all times. This intense story reflects a young boy's life in London with no family or place to go. The novel begins with Oliver's mother dying, while giving birth to her son and the father remains unknown. Throughout the novel we learn about Oliver's struggles on living on his own. The young boy is befriended on the way and taken in my Fagin. Fagin along with the Artful Dodger invite Oliver to stay with them and become one of them, a thief. While going on one of the adventures of pick pocketing Oliver is caught by Mr.Brownlow who instead of reprimanding the young lad, decides to rise him. Throughout the book Oliver searches for the answers to his past while trying to stay alive on the streets of London. Miraculously, Oliver's family lay right under his nose the whole time. The theme of Oliver Twist examines the importance of a family. Oliver plays a forsaken child, abandoned by all-parental support and thrown into the cruel world at a very young age to live on his own. Oliver's early years taught him to fend for himself and he suffers from never experiencing a loving and nurturing childhood. The tone throughout the novel focused on abandonment and how to live and survive on your own. The setting of the book plays a powerful part as the story unfolded. Dickens describes the setting of London and all the places that Oliver stays very descriptively. "The street was very narrow and muddy, and the air was impregnated with filthy order. The walls and ceiling of the room were perfectly black with age and dirt..." (page. 56). Dickens explains the facilities that were available to poor Oliver, and makes them sound unbearable. He does an excellent job making the setting come alive and feel the characters thoughts. I would recommend this novel because I found it very moving and towards the end you are only hoping for the best for poor Oliver

I think Oliver Twist was a very adventurous book. There was mystery, romance, history and adventure all in one. At some points, the book got boring, but overall it kept me on the edge of my seat!