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Summary
Summary
Dickens wrote this story of a boy forced to live in a workhouse lorded over by Mr Bumble to draw attention to Victorian social ills. Desperate, Oliver makes his escape & finds that life on the streets of London makes the workhouse look like a picnic.
Author Notes
Charles Dickens, perhaps the best British novelist of the Victorian era, was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England on February 7, 1812. His happy early childhood was interrupted when his father was sent to debtors' prison, and young Dickens had to go to work in a factory at age twelve. Later, he took jobs as an office boy and journalist before publishing essays and stories in the 1830s.
His first novel, The Pickwick Papers, made him a famous and popular author at the age of twenty-five. Subsequent works were published serially in periodicals and cemented his reputation as a master of colorful characterization, and as a harsh critic of social evils and corrupt institutions. His many books include Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Bleak House, Great Expectations, Little Dorrit, A Christmas Carol, and A Tale of Two Cities.
Dickens married Catherine Hogarth in 1836, and the couple had nine children before separating in 1858 when he began a long affair with Ellen Ternan, a young actress. Despite the scandal, Dickens remained a public figure, appearing often to read his fiction. He died in 1870, leaving his final novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, unfinished.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 6 Up-This adaptation is well done. The pictures and panels match the tone of the story of one orphan boy's struggle to survive, and the text maintains enough of the classic for readers to understand Oliver's plight. Readers will especially like the character portraits on the inside and back covers. The art clearly defines the difference between good and evil in the story. This version opens the readership to a younger or reluctant reader audience as Dickens is long and challenging for many students.-Jessica Lorentz Smith, BendSenior High School, OR (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
The inimitable Martin Jarvis brings his talents to bear on Charles Dickens's classic in an audiobook that will delight listeners with its superb recreations of gritty 19th-century London. To escape Mr. Bumble and life in the workhouse, Oliver flees to London where he meets the Artful Dodger and becomes embroiled with Fagin's ragtag band of thieves. Jarvis simply dazzles: his performance captures both the humor and sorrow of the text, his narration is crisp, and his characterizations-his rendition of the terrifying district magistrate, Mr. Fang, is particularly memorable-are as varied as they are energetic, befitting, and enjoyable. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Published for the first time, Freeman's nine full-color plates and numerous black-and-white sketches, neatly boxed and inserted on appropriate pages, effectively decorate Dickens's classic exploration of the human condition. From HORN BOOK 1990, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Dickens is a popular author among those reframing classic stories as graphic novels, and Oliver Twist has been adapted by a variety of American cartoonists in the past 50 years. In this French team's hands, however, we are treated to a much fuller version of Dickens' original, fully exploring the role of Oliver's half brother and the power play between Bill Sykes and Fagin. (The French edition, intended for children and students, appeared across five volumes, all of which are bound together in this Classics Illustrated Deluxe edition.) The full-color cartoon images show the literal warts of the bad guys, incorporate such Victorian idiomatic reflections of class as Fagin's pickle of a nose and Mr. Brownlow's lush facial hair, and the high energy of the numerous boys in the story. Variously sized panels shaped to facilitate the narrative flow communicate to the reader the states of mind of the characters. An excellent addition to any classics-adaptation shelf.--Goldsmith, Francisca Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal Review
This original radio dramatization is a first-rate production offering a middle ground between straight narrations of Dickens's novel about an abused orphan and its various film adaptations. It should appeal strongly to readers who dislike abridgements but aren't up to devoting 13 hours to unabridged productions. Its script uses as much of the novel's original dialog as possible, and actor James Fox narrates segues bridging scenes. Listeners unfamiliar with the story should have no trouble following along. Its large and uniformly excellent English cast brings scenes to life in ways a single narrator cannot. Sound effects and background music lend authenticity and energy to the production, which should delight older children. A DVD accompanying the package contains documentaries about the program and about modern orphans. Verdict Highly recommended.-R. Kent Rasmussen, Thousand Oaks, CA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.