Oliver Twist

Charles Dickens

Publisher: BookRix

Summary

Oliver Twist is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. The story is about an orphan, Oliver Twist, who endures a miserable existence in a workhouse and then is placed with an undertaker. He escapes and travels to London where he meets the Artful Dodger, leader of a gang of juvenile pickpockets. Naïvely unaware of their unlawful activities, Oliver is led to the lair of their elderly criminal trainer Fagin. Oliver Twist is notable for Dickens's unromantic portrayal of criminals and their sordid lives. The book exposed the cruel treatment of the many orphans in London during the Dickensian era.

An early example of the social novel, the book calls the public's attention to various contemporary evils, including child labor, the recruitment of children as criminals, and the presence of street children. Dickens mocks the hypocrisies of his time by surrounding the novel's serious themes with sarcasm and dark humor.

Oliver Twist was born into a life of poverty and misfortune in a workhouse. Orphaned almost from his first breath by his mother's death in childbirth and his father's unexplained absence, Oliver is meagerly provided for under the terms of the Poor Law, and spends the first nine years of his life at a baby farm in the 'care' of a woman named Mrs. Mann. Oliver is brought up with little food and few comforts. Around the time of Oliver's ninth birthday, Mr. Bumble, the parish beadle, removes Oliver from the baby farm and puts him to work picking and weaving oakum at the main workhouse. Oliver, who toils with very little food, remains in the workhouse.

Available since: 12/19/2023.

Print length: 630 pages.

Contemporary Fiction

Other books that might interest you

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Conan Doyle

"The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" by Arthur Conan Doyle presents the brilliant detective Sherlock Holmes and his companion Dr. Watson tackling a series of perplexing cases. From the infamous "Scandal in Bohemia" involving Irene Adler to the clever intrigue of "The Red-Headed League," Holmes showcases his deductive prowess. This collection introduces readers to the iconic detective's analytical mind, attention to detail, and ability to solve mysteries that baffle Scotland Yard. Each story is a captivating journey into the world of crime-solving, establishing Sherlock Holmes as a timeless literary figure.

Show book

Evening's Entertainment An

M.R. James

An Evening's Entertainment is a tale that lives up to its deceptively quaint title, offering not comfort, but a slow, tightening dread. In the hands of master ghost-storyteller M. R. James, a quiet rural setting becomes the stage for something far more sinister—where folklore whispers, tradition conceals, and the past refuses to stay buried.
Dripping with unease and the chill of things half-seen, this is a story to be heard in silence, with the lights low and the wind outside. It is not simply entertainment—it is an invocation.
Let the evening begin.

Show book

Finding Lara - A steamy...

PJ Fiala

USAT author PJ Fiala, brings you the next generation of GHOST operatives set in the small-town of Glen Hollow, Kentucky, where a long-standing rivalry is brewing into an all out war, and love comes calling even in the worst of times.
GHOST: Government Hidden Ops Specialty Team. They eliminate the threat when no one else can.
He’s a GHOST operative tasked with the impossible.
She’s a small town baker with the perfect blend of sweet and sass.
When Lara’s abducted, Tate stops at nothing to get her back.
For Tate Vickers, becoming a GHOST operative was inevitable. Being raised by GHOST operatives, he and his coworkers played rescue games as children. When he’s tasked to run the elite group’s satellite location in Kentucky, he jumps at the chance and brings his friends along. But Glen Hollow, Kentucky isn’t what it seems. There’s a dark secret living in the hills and a war is about to erupt.
Lara Bennit grew up baking in her friend’s kitchen. Now she bakes on her own and makes a respectable living doing what she loves. When local criminals repeatedly break into her bakery and steal ingredients, her frustration escalates. Then Tate walks into her small-town-shop, and his presence is as comforting as the cinnamon rolls she just added to the bakery case. Maybe everything will be okay after all.
Or, maybe her real problems are just beginning. And Tate is tasked with the ultimate job…
To Find Lara.
***
USA Today bestselling author PJ Fiala brings you the GHOST Legacy series—heroes willing to sacrifice everything in service to their country, and for the men and women they love. A novel with no cliffhanger, no cheating, and a happily-ever-after guaranteed.

Show book

Secrets in the mirror

Leslie Kain

In this award-winning psychological drama about finding self in a dysfunctional family, Secrets In The Mirror grapples with the imperative to save others versus the struggle to save oneself. Gavin tries to salvage his self-esteem from Dad's bullying and from narcissistic abuse by his identical mirror twin, while Mom resists spousal abuse to assert sanity into the clan. But when Devon gets into drugs and trouble with the Mob, people die. Gavin flees far away to protect himself and his new family, but he can't escape his sociopathic brother, or the Mob. Yet inextricable bonds tie him to Devon, and Gavin vows to rescue his twin from his self-destructive path. But he is warned: You can't save anyone until you save yourself.

Show book

Codelines and Bloodlines

K. P. O'Donnell

In the second installment of this post-apocalyptic sci-fi series, alliances will be made, the past and present collide, and the true meaning of family will be tested. 
With her true identity uncovered, Cora now has a new purpose and a mission of utmost importance. Questions lingered- why was her father so distant? While she journeys to relight the Pinnacles, Cora will learn what sacrifice really entails. 
Their mission complete, the Exhumers return to their city in chaos. A new enemy—the Annexers' Alliance—was bending everyone to their will. To fight an army, the Exhumers would need an army. Would a powerful nomadic group be their salvation or their demise? 
Amelia Wong faced the consequences of her actions in a last-ditch effort to repel the Alliance. Many are dead now, and Errants roam the hallways. Amelia's family's dark past will come to light as the Hub rebuilds—a past filled with guilt and unfinished business. Will she uncover the truth before it's too late?

Show book

Theory & Practice

Michelle de Kretser

A new novel of startling intelligence from prizewinning Australian author Michelle de Kretser, following a writer looking back on her young adulthood and grappling with what happens when life smashes through the boundaries of art 
 
 
 
It's 1986, and "beautiful, radical ideas" are in the air. The narrator of Theory & Practice, a young woman originally from Sri Lanka, arrives in Melbourne for graduate school to research the novels of Virginia Woolf. In the bohemian neighborhood of St. Kilda she meets artists, activists, students—and Kit. He claims to be in a "deconstructed relationship." They become lovers, and the narrator's feminism comes up against her jealousy. Meanwhile, an entry in Woolf's diary upends what the narrator knows about her literary idol, and throws her own work into disarray. 
 
 
 
What happens when our desires run contrary to our beliefs? What should we do when the failings of revered figures come to light? Who is shamed when the truth is told? Michelle de Kretser's new novel offers a spellbinding meditation on the moral complexities that arise in the gap between our values and our lives.

Show book