Oliver Twist (version 3)


Read by Peter John Keeble

(4.4 stars; 30 reviews)

Oliver Twist was published in 1838 as a three volume book. The novel was the first of Dickens' works to realistically portray the degradation and impoverishment of the London underworld and its denizens. Dickens utilises the environment and characters to illustrate his belief that poverty leads to crime. The plot of this novel centres around and follows the journey of the parish boy "Oliver Twist." Oliver has been in the parish orphanage all his short life, a place overcrowded and constantly short of food. When Oliver has the temerity to ask for more after the evening meal of gruel he astonishes and horrifies the parish board and the parish beadle. They promptly sell him on to the local undertaker for the princely sum of 5 pounds. Oliver runs away and thus the journey begins! Oliver is drawn unwittingly into the London criminal underworld by a superbly characterised pickpocket; one known as 'The Artful Dodger' a streetwise, flamboyant boy who is a master at his craft. He is introduced to the unscrupulous Jew named 'Fagin' who controls the complete gang of pickpockets and ruffians. Oliver is uncomfortable in this den of iniquity and absconds, he is sheltered by a man who spots something about Oliver's demeanour and features which lead him to investigate his parentage. Before long Oliver is retaken by the bullying, insensitive criminal housebreaker 'Bill Sykes' and once more finds himself caught in Fagin's coils. As the plot unwinds we meet many finely drawn good and bad characters, and the vivid descriptions of the seamier side of London in that period are superlative. - Summary by Peter Keeble (15 hr 49 min)

Chapters

TREATS OF THE PLACE WHERE OLIVER TWIST WAS BORN AND OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES ATTEND… 7:00 Read by Peter John Keeble
TREATS OF OLIVER TWIST'S GROWTH, EDUCATION, AND BOARD 23:16 Read by Peter John Keeble
RELATES HOW OLIVER TWIST WAS VERY NEAR GETTING A PLACE WHICH WOULD NOT HAVE BEE… 18:45 Read by Peter John Keeble
OLIVER, BEING OFFERED ANOTHER PLACE, MAKES HIS FIRST ENTRY INTO PUBLIC LIFE 15:46 Read by Peter John Keeble
OLIVER MINGLES WITH NEW ASSOCIATES. GOING TO A FUNERAL FOR THE FIRST TIME, HE F… 23:08 Read by Peter John Keeble
OLIVER, BEING GOADED BY THE TAUNTS OF NOAH, ROUSES INTO ACTION, AND RATHER ASTO… 10:30 Read by Peter John Keeble
OLIVER CONTINUES REFRACTORY 11:11 Read by Peter John Keeble
OLIVER WALKS TO LONDON. HE ENCOUNTERS ON THE ROAD A STRANGE SORT OF YOUNG GENTL… 18:55 Read by Peter John Keeble
CONTAINING FURTHER PARTICULARS CONCERNING THE PLEASANT OLD GENTLEMAN, AND HIS H… 13:17 Read by Peter John Keeble
OLIVER BECOMES BETTER ACQUAINTED WITH THE CHARACTERS OF HIS NEW ASSOCIATES; AND… 11:08 Read by Peter John Keeble
TREATS OF MR. FANG THE POLICE MAGISTRATE; AND FURNISHES A SLIGHT SPECIMEN OF HI… 15:08 Read by Peter John Keeble
IN WHICH OLIVER IS TAKEN BETTER CARE OF THAN HE EVER WAS BEFORE. AND IN WHICH T… 20:13 Read by Peter John Keeble
SOME NEW ACQUAINTANCES ARE INTRODUCED TO THE INTELLIGENT READER, CONNECTED WITH… 16:46 Read by Peter John Keeble
COMPRISING FURTHER PARTICULARS OF OLIVER'S STAY AT MR. BROWNLOW'S, WITH THE REM… 21:52 Read by Peter John Keeble
SHOWING HOW VERY FOND OF OLIVER TWIST, THE MERRY OLD JEW AND MISS NANCY WERE 14:15 Read by Peter John Keeble
RELATES WHAT BECAME OF OLIVER TWIST, AFTER HE HAD BEEN CLAIMED BY NANCY 20:39 Read by Peter John Keeble
OLIVER'S DESTINY CONTINUING UNPROPITIOUS, BRINGS A GREAT MAN TO LONDON TO INJUR… 20:02 Read by Peter John Keeble
HOW OLIVER PASSED HIS TIME IN THE IMPROVING SOCIETY OF HIS REPUTABLE FRIENDS 18:36 Read by Peter John Keeble
IN WHICH A NOTABLE PLAN IS DISCUSSED AND DETERMINED ON 20:17 Read by Peter John Keeble
WHEREIN OLIVER IS DELIVERED OVER TO MR. WILLIAM SIKES 18:34 Read by Peter John Keeble
THE EXPEDITION 13:44 Read by Peter John Keeble
THE BURGLARY 17:56 Read by Peter John Keeble
WHICH CONTAINS THE SUBSTANCE OF A PLEASANT CONVERSATION BETWEEN MR. BUMBLE AND … 16:41 Read by Peter John Keeble
TREATS ON A VERY POOR SUBJECT. BUT IS A SHORT ONE, AND MAY BE FOUND OF IMPORTAN… 11:57 Read by Peter John Keeble
WHEREIN THIS HISTORY REVERTS TO MR. FAGIN AND COMPANY 13:50 Read by Peter John Keeble
IN WHICH A MYSTERIOUS CHARACTER APPEARS UPON THE SCENE; AND MANY THINGS, INSEPA… 27:11 Read by Peter John Keeble
ATONES FOR THE UNPOLITENESS OF A FORMER CHAPTER; WHICH DESERTED A LADY, MOST UN… 15:52 Read by Peter John Keeble
LOOKS AFTER OLIVER, AND PROCEEDS WITH HIS ADVENTURES 20:37 Read by Peter John Keeble
HAS AN INTRODUCTORY ACCOUNT OF THE INMATES OF THE HOUSE, TO WHICH OLIVER RESORT… 8:18 Read by Peter John Keeble
RELATES WHAT OLIVER'S NEW VISITORS THOUGHT OF HIM 14:08 Read by Peter John Keeble
INVOLVES A CRITICAL POSITION 22:50 Read by Peter John Keeble
OF THE HAPPY LIFE OLIVER BEGAN TO LEAD WITH HIS KIND FRIENDS 19:51 Read by Peter John Keeble
WHEREIN THE HAPPINESS OF OLIVER AND HIS FRIENDS, EXPERIENCES A SUDDEN CHECK 19:33 Read by Peter John Keeble
CONTAINS SOME INTRODUCTORY PARTICULARS RELATIVE TO A YOUNG GENTLEMAN WHO NOW A… 22:08 Read by Peter John Keeble
CONTAINING THE UNSATISFACTORY RESULT OF OLIVER'S ADVENTURE; AND A CONVERSATION … 17:32 Read by Peter John Keeble
IS A VERY SHORT ONE, AND MAY APPEAR OF NO GREAT IMPORTANCE IN ITS PLACE, BUT I… 6:07 Read by Peter John Keeble
IN WHICH THE READER MAY PERCEIVE A CONTRAST, NOT UNCOMMON IN MATRIMONIAL CASES 22:44 Read by Peter John Keeble
CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF WHAT PASSED BETWEEN MR. AND MRS. BUMBLE, AND MR. MONK… 22:14 Read by Peter John Keeble
INTRODUCES SOME RESPECTABLE CHARACTERS WITH WHOM THE READER IS ALREADY ACQUAIN… 31:02 Read by Peter John Keeble
STRANGE INTERVIEW, WHICH IS A SEQUEL TO THE LAST CHAPTER 14:44 Read by Peter John Keeble
CONTAINING FRESH DISCOVERIES, AND SHOWING THAT SUPRISES, LIKE MISFORTUNES, SELD… 21:20 Read by Peter John Keeble
AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE OF OLIVER'S, EXHIBITING DECIDED MARKS OF GENIUS, BECOMES A… 20:59 Read by Peter John Keeble
WHEREIN IS SHOWN HOW THE ARTFUL DODGER GOT INTO TROUBLE 22:02 Read by Peter John Keeble
THE TIME ARRIVES FOR NANCY TO REDEEM HER PLEDGE TO ROSE MAYLIE. SHE FAILS. 13:46 Read by Peter John Keeble
NOAH CLAYPOLE IS EMPLOYED BY FAGIN ON A SECRET MISSION 7:14 Read by Peter John Keeble
THE APPOINTMENT KEPT 20:55 Read by Peter John Keeble
FATAL CONSEQUENCES 15:05 Read by Peter John Keeble
THE FLIGHT OF SIKES 20:17 Read by Peter John Keeble
MONKS AND MR. BROWNLOW AT LENGTH MEET. THEIR CONVERSATION, AND THE INTELLIGENCE… 21:37 Read by Peter John Keeble
THE PURSUIT AND ESCAPE 25:35 Read by Peter John Keeble
AFFORDING AN EXPLANATION OF MORE MYSTERIES THAN ONE, AND COMPREHENDING A PROPOS… 29:57 Read by Peter John Keeble
FAGIN'S LAST NIGHT ALIVE 20:56 Read by Peter John Keeble
AND LAST 11:09 Read by Peter John Keeble

Reviews

Enjoyable reading of a classic


(5 stars)

Reader did a great job


(4 stars)

Sounded like background chatter or the TV in later chapters.


(5 stars)

The best Dickens reader I have ever heard

Oliver Twist (3)


(5 stars)

Really enjoyed listening to this.

Nice book


(4 stars)

Contained some ethnically insensitive descriptions.