Oliver Twist

by Charles Dickens

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In a word: whimsical

In a sentence: One orphan's journey to be good and well-fed.

Synopsis: Young orphan Oliver Twist has the legendary audacity to ask for more and is shepherded from one miserable caretaker to another until he escapes to London on a quest for happiness. He is taken in by a crew of thieves and wild adventure ensues including murder, secrets, bold escape, apprehension, kidnap, and more.

Reactions: Everyone speaks of Dickens' long-windedness, but they fail to mention his dry inherently British humor. Dickens creates a disdainful, sarcastic narrator to catalogue this tale and weave in a steady thread of snide remarks throughout. Meanwhile the plot hops quickly from bliss to despair as juxtaposed as two drama masks. I giggled my way through this book.

Oliver always irked me when I was young and first acquainted with this novel. Now I find it clear that, though its namesake, he is not the most important aspect of the novel but rather a conveyor to the reader the other larger-than-life characters who surround him. From the lowly but kindhearted and redeemable Nancy to the pompous diligent Giles there are many more to love in this novel than the petulant insatiable Oliver.

Read if: you are satiated by the kindhearted achieving happiness while the wicked are punished.