---
product_id: 676766143
title: "Classic Starts®: Oliver Twist"
price: "6.35 OMR"
currency: OMR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
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---

# Classic Starts®: Oliver Twist

**Price:** 6.35 OMR
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- **What is this?** Classic Starts®: Oliver Twist
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## Description

The beloved tale of the brave orphan Oliver Twist, adapted for young readers. Dickens’s timeless novel transports young readers to a colorful Victorian England filled with mistreated orphans, grim workhouses, and gangs of thieving children. Oliver finds himself in dire circumstances after he dares to beg for more food in the orphanage. Determined to make his way in the world, he escapes to London, where he becomes involved with criminals … and finally finds a real home. The Classic Starts® series has sold more than 8 million copies since it launched in 2004. These abridged, kid-friendly editions are the perfect way to introduce beloved stories to the next generation. Each book includes discussion questions by Arthur Pober, EdD.

Review: Love the illustrations - I've always loved the story of Oliver Twist-now I finally have an illustrated copy I'm even happier. This book is an unabridged copy and is searchable-a great feature. The cover has a picture of Oliver, all ragged with his little bundle. The table of contents takes you to Charles Dickens' preface, which is well worth reading, and to any chapter in the book. Alas, it does not take you to any of the illustrations, but they are beautifully rendered and very clear. I have the most basic Kindle and I have no trouble seeing all of the detail in the illustrations. The chapter headings list not only the number of the chapter, but the brief description Dickens wrote for each chapter, so that if you want to find a particular spot-say, when Oliver runs away to London, you can see that Chapter VIII has the summary "Oliver walks to London. He encounters on the road a strange sort of young gentleman." This makes it very easy to go to any part of the book you want to read. Warning: SPOILERS!!!! The story is one of a poor orphan boy, sold to an undertaker and abused until he runs away to London. He falls in with thieves and through a strange twist of fate is rescued by the man who was his father's best friend. It's a long story, filled with reversals of fortune and amazing coincidences, and although it has a happy ending, there is some genuine tragedy. It's a very sad scene when Oliver returns to the orphanage to get his best friend, Dick, who saw him off on his journey to London, only to find that Dick has died of untreated sickness. The prostitute, Nancy, has all the attributes of a character in a Greek tragedy-you desperately want her to leave the streets and her brutal boyfriend, Bill Sikes, and when she refuses to go, you have a sinking feeling that she isn't going to last much longer. When he beats her to death in their little room, it's a gruesome scene, but not a surprising one. The only relief from Fagin's gang comes from Charley, who reforms and leaves London to become a grazier. A word about Fagin-some might find the constant description of him as "the Jew" offensive. It is not meant as a pejorative, but rather as a handy label to define the arch-criminal. While it is true that Fagin is constantly described as a Jew and is one of the most repulsive Jewish characters in literature, it was not Dickens' intent to cast slurs upon Jewish people. He wrote in good faith and was troubled later, after becoming friends with Eliza Davis, the wife of the Jewish banker he sold his London house to, by the way he had portrayed Fagin. Eliza wrote to him in 1863 that she considered the way Dickens had portrayed Fagin a great wrong to the Jewish people. Dickens started to revise Oliver Twist, removing over 180 instances of the word "Jew" from the first edition text. He also ommitted sterotypical caricature from his public readings of Oliver Twist and a contemporary report noted, "There is no nasal intonation; a bent back but no shoulder-shrug: the conventional attributes are omitted." Dickens was finally able to write to Eliza, "There is nothing but good will left between me and a People for whom I have a real regard and to whom I would not willfully have given an offence." Fagin might still give offense to those looking for it, but personally I have always seen him as an example of a bad man, not a Jewish man, and I believe that is how Dickens meant to portray him.
Review: Classic fairy tale story of "rags to riches" - I’ve been wanting to get back to rereading this classic for some time, so the summer provided me opportunity, along with this one being chosen as a monthly read in one of my reading groups. It’s interesting that when you read a book for the second time you catch things, nuances that you missed upon reading the first time. Oliver Twist, obviously a well-known title, needs little introduction. But what is striking is how Dickens’ tale is several things at once. It has a fairy tale quality to it, with some dark elements thrown in as well (i.e., there is a pretty brutal murder scene and another bizarre death scene). It is also a “rags to riches” sort of tale (with “rich” not being necessarily in the monetary form). Likewise, It is also a coming-of-age children’s novel with Dickens’ sentimentality. Moreover, the novel also forms a social commentary and criticism about the conditions taking place in Dickens’ time. Upon my second reading, I thought it was a very entertaining and enchanting story, something Dickens seems to always pull off. Dickens captures eloquently the spirit of a young orphan boy who tries to overcome the many setbacks, heartbreaks, harsh elements, and trials that are thrown at him in his young life. Through the story’s narrative, Oliver meets many types of people, friends and foes, virtuous and malevolent, and must navigate his way in the world. Oliver Twist has many of the Dickens’ staples that make a worthy and heartfelt tale and a classic. One of the definitive characters I love about reading a Dickens novel is the cliffhanger type endings in chapters, revealing something interesting at the end of the chapter to pique the reader’s anticipation of what is to come. As per usual with Dickens, there are a bevy of eccentric and interesting characters (some infamously so). It’s not surprising that the popularity of this novel has spawned countless adaptations in various forms, from film, stage plays, musicals, etc. Definitely a novel for Dickens or classic literature aficionados to read.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #148,309 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1,257 in Children's Historical Fiction (Books) #1,933 in Children's Classics #2,306 in Children's Chapter Books (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 13,792 Reviews |

## Images

![Classic Starts®: Oliver Twist - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91QxGS2pGKL.jpg)

## Available Options

This product comes in different **Media Language, Media Format** options.

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Love the illustrations
*by P***V on April 5, 2012*

I've always loved the story of Oliver Twist-now I finally have an illustrated copy I'm even happier. This book is an unabridged copy and is searchable-a great feature. The cover has a picture of Oliver, all ragged with his little bundle. The table of contents takes you to Charles Dickens' preface, which is well worth reading, and to any chapter in the book. Alas, it does not take you to any of the illustrations, but they are beautifully rendered and very clear. I have the most basic Kindle and I have no trouble seeing all of the detail in the illustrations. The chapter headings list not only the number of the chapter, but the brief description Dickens wrote for each chapter, so that if you want to find a particular spot-say, when Oliver runs away to London, you can see that Chapter VIII has the summary "Oliver walks to London. He encounters on the road a strange sort of young gentleman." This makes it very easy to go to any part of the book you want to read. Warning: SPOILERS!!!! The story is one of a poor orphan boy, sold to an undertaker and abused until he runs away to London. He falls in with thieves and through a strange twist of fate is rescued by the man who was his father's best friend. It's a long story, filled with reversals of fortune and amazing coincidences, and although it has a happy ending, there is some genuine tragedy. It's a very sad scene when Oliver returns to the orphanage to get his best friend, Dick, who saw him off on his journey to London, only to find that Dick has died of untreated sickness. The prostitute, Nancy, has all the attributes of a character in a Greek tragedy-you desperately want her to leave the streets and her brutal boyfriend, Bill Sikes, and when she refuses to go, you have a sinking feeling that she isn't going to last much longer. When he beats her to death in their little room, it's a gruesome scene, but not a surprising one. The only relief from Fagin's gang comes from Charley, who reforms and leaves London to become a grazier. A word about Fagin-some might find the constant description of him as "the Jew" offensive. It is not meant as a pejorative, but rather as a handy label to define the arch-criminal. While it is true that Fagin is constantly described as a Jew and is one of the most repulsive Jewish characters in literature, it was not Dickens' intent to cast slurs upon Jewish people. He wrote in good faith and was troubled later, after becoming friends with Eliza Davis, the wife of the Jewish banker he sold his London house to, by the way he had portrayed Fagin. Eliza wrote to him in 1863 that she considered the way Dickens had portrayed Fagin a great wrong to the Jewish people. Dickens started to revise Oliver Twist, removing over 180 instances of the word "Jew" from the first edition text. He also ommitted sterotypical caricature from his public readings of Oliver Twist and a contemporary report noted, "There is no nasal intonation; a bent back but no shoulder-shrug: the conventional attributes are omitted." Dickens was finally able to write to Eliza, "There is nothing but good will left between me and a People for whom I have a real regard and to whom I would not willfully have given an offence." Fagin might still give offense to those looking for it, but personally I have always seen him as an example of a bad man, not a Jewish man, and I believe that is how Dickens meant to portray him.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Classic fairy tale story of "rags to riches"
*by F***9 on June 13, 2023*

I’ve been wanting to get back to rereading this classic for some time, so the summer provided me opportunity, along with this one being chosen as a monthly read in one of my reading groups. It’s interesting that when you read a book for the second time you catch things, nuances that you missed upon reading the first time. Oliver Twist, obviously a well-known title, needs little introduction. But what is striking is how Dickens’ tale is several things at once. It has a fairy tale quality to it, with some dark elements thrown in as well (i.e., there is a pretty brutal murder scene and another bizarre death scene). It is also a “rags to riches” sort of tale (with “rich” not being necessarily in the monetary form). Likewise, It is also a coming-of-age children’s novel with Dickens’ sentimentality. Moreover, the novel also forms a social commentary and criticism about the conditions taking place in Dickens’ time. Upon my second reading, I thought it was a very entertaining and enchanting story, something Dickens seems to always pull off. Dickens captures eloquently the spirit of a young orphan boy who tries to overcome the many setbacks, heartbreaks, harsh elements, and trials that are thrown at him in his young life. Through the story’s narrative, Oliver meets many types of people, friends and foes, virtuous and malevolent, and must navigate his way in the world. Oliver Twist has many of the Dickens’ staples that make a worthy and heartfelt tale and a classic. One of the definitive characters I love about reading a Dickens novel is the cliffhanger type endings in chapters, revealing something interesting at the end of the chapter to pique the reader’s anticipation of what is to come. As per usual with Dickens, there are a bevy of eccentric and interesting characters (some infamously so). It’s not surprising that the popularity of this novel has spawned countless adaptations in various forms, from film, stage plays, musicals, etc. Definitely a novel for Dickens or classic literature aficionados to read.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Like a Quentin Tarantino Film....
*by Y***K on May 5, 2012*

Or are Quentin Tarantino films all like "Oliver Twist"? I digress. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens was written/published in 1840, meaning that the work is over 170 years old. Although it is written about then-modern people doing Victorian things, the morals and themes present in this common work of literature are still relevant today. This was literary superstar Charles Dickens first novel ever. And it shows. But regardless of how simplistic or frank the novel gets, what it does correctly, it does better than most modern authors. Oliver Twist is centered around the titular orphan, and the various adventures he has through the slums of and around London during the Victorian Era. In one sense, this is an adventure novel, about a young boy who gets wrapped up in a conspiracy much larger than he is. In another, it is a prime example of a detective novel, with investigations and interviews and searches for evidence to discover the secrets behind said consipiracy. But, in my opinion, it is most like the extreme characters and innapropriate humor most commonly found in movies such as Pulp Fiction or Kill Bill: Volume 1 . Readers with more classic taste than my own may feel the need to scoff or drop their mouths in shock at this point in the review, but let me finish. The aforementioned cinematic masterpieces are both written by Quentin Tarantino, who has a fierce sense of zany and quirky. There has been a lot of literature along this line, but almost always in different genres: Kurt Vonnegut of Sci-Fi fame, for example. But they are all categorized by this extremely campy feel to them. Oliver Twist is a hard book to like if you're expecting airtight writing that gets to the point and tells a dramatic story effectively with good plotting. This is Dickens, not Hemingway. When a character gasps in horror of an event, Dickens would write " So and So gasped in horror, their mouth drooping along angular planes of shock and awe" or something along those lines. Characters are basically either good or bad, and don't tend to change too much (with a few exceptions--we'll get there soon). Bill Sikes, who is introduced as the Homebreaker, is a jerk throughout the whole novel, Oliver Twist is always the shinging bastion of morality. Fagin, for the most part, is always "the evil Jew" and is often characterized as the Devil. The Maylies are sickly sweetening as well. It's all black or white. Similarly, a ton of the plot points are quite contrived and a little too coincidental for modern reader's taste. Early on, Oliver, the Artful Dodger, and another little boy pickpocket a rich man named Mr. Brownlow while in a crowded square on the street. Of ALL the people they COULD have pick-pocketed, how do they choose the ONE man who is so deeply wrapped up in Olver's past? See what I mean? But in spite of all this extremity, sublimating the overwritten humor, and ignoring all the stupid things characters/the narrator say (" Alas! Poor Dick was dead!"-- we make fun of this all the time in my AP Literature class), this novel still manages to shine with a fierce backbone of humanity. Underneath all of the campy and lame emotional antics and plot points is the character of Nancy, who is perhaps the most underrated female character in all of Victorian Literature. What makes Nancy so special? Well, excluding one chapter at the end of the book for Fagin, Nancy is the *only* character in this entire novel who is true-to-life. We're talking living, breathing. Scratch what I said earlier about underrated "female" character. Nancy is one of the best characters to walk through the pages of all literature. Her conflict is real, her dialogue is real, her actions are real. And *her* character's climax is *the* climax of the novel. Without her, this book would be cheap trash. But the question then arises: if Dickens was capable of writing a character as powerful as Nancy is, why do all the other characters seem so cardboard and amateurish? This is Dickens, king of classic literature, we're talking about here. Each and every lame thing in this book is in this book for a reason (or at least, most of them, because I do admit Victorian people had different tastes then ourselves). Each stupid quibble of morality on Oliver's part is inserted into the text on purpose to provide contrast for Nancy's character. Among this crazy world with characters that seem like college freshmen overacting each of their lines, Nancy stands out like a fluorescent colored light house on the rocks. And coming from someone who would go on to write A Tale of Two Cities , the only logical explanation is that it was on purpose. And therein lies the true extent of Dickens' genius. He was intentionally inserting themes and symbolism and making things downright unreadable at times before it was cool to do so ( I wish it had stayed that way... Not a Joyce fan myself). The end product of this book is fantastic, and the ride to get there is just as exciting. So, if you're here because you were assigned to read this for school, be not alarmed. Change your mindset about the whole book, and look at it with Nancy as the main character. I guarantee, you'll love it.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Classic Starts®: Oliver Twist
- David Copperfield (Penguin Clothbound Classics)
- Great Expectations (Penguin Clothbound Classics)

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