Oliver Twist (version 3)


Read by Peter John Keeble

(4.4 stars; 53 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

Chapters

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TREATS OF THE PLACE WHERE OLIVER TWIST WAS BORN AND OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES ATTENDING HIS BIRTH 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 BEEN A SINECURE 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 FORMS AN UNFAVOURABLE NOTION OF HIS MASTER'S BUSINESS 23:08 Read by Peter John Keeble
OLIVER, BEING GOADED BY THE TAUNTS OF NOAH, ROUSES INTO ACTION, AND RATHER ASTONISHES HIM 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 GENTLEMAN 18:55 Read by Peter John Keeble
CONTAINING FURTHER PARTICULARS CONCERNING THE PLEASANT OLD GENTLEMAN, AND HIS HOPEFUL PUPILS 13:17 Read by Peter John Keeble
OLIVER BECOMES BETTER ACQUAINTED WITH THE CHARACTERS OF HIS NEW ASSOCIATES; AND PURCHASES EXPERIENCE AT A HIGH PRICE. BEING A SHORT, BUT VERY IMPORTANT CHAPTER, IN THIS HISTORY 11:08 Read by Peter John Keeble
TREATS OF MR. FANG THE POLICE MAGISTRATE; AND FURNISHES A SLIGHT SPECIMEN OF HIS MODE OF ADMINISTERING JUSTICE 15:08 Read by Peter John Keeble
IN WHICH OLIVER IS TAKEN BETTER CARE OF THAN HE EVER WAS BEFORE. AND IN WHICH THE NARRATIVE REVERTS TO THE MERRY OLD GENTLEMAN AND HIS YOUTHFUL FRIENDS. 20:13 Read by Peter John Keeble
SOME NEW ACQUAINTANCES ARE INTRODUCED TO THE INTELLIGENT READER, CONNECTED WITH WHOM VARIOUS PLEASANT MATTERS ARE RELATED, APPERTAINING TO THIS HISTORY 16:46 Read by Peter John Keeble
COMPRISING FURTHER PARTICULARS OF OLIVER'S STAY AT MR. BROWNLOW'S, WITH THE REMARKABLE PREDICTION WHICH ONE MR. GRIMWIG UTTERED CONCERNING HIM, WHEN HE WENT OUT ON AN ERRAND 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 INJURE HIS REPUTATION 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 A LADY; AND SHOWS THAT EVEN A BEADLE MAY BE SUSCEPTIBLE ON SOME POINTS 16:41 Read by Peter John Keeble
TREATS ON A VERY POOR SUBJECT. BUT IS A SHORT ONE, AND MAY BE FOUND OF IMPORTANCE IN THIS HISTORY 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, INSEPARABLE FROM THIS HISTORY, ARE DONE AND PERFORMED 27:11 Read by Peter John Keeble
ATONES FOR THE UNPOLITENESS OF A FORMER CHAPTER; WHICH DESERTED A LADY, MOST UNCEREMONIOUSLY 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 RESORTED 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 ARRIVES UPON THE SCENE; AND A NEW ADVENTURE WHICH HAPPENED TO OLIVER 22:08 Read by Peter John Keeble
CONTAINING THE UNSATISFACTORY RESULT OF OLIVER'S ADVENTURE; AND A CONVERSATION OF SOME IMPORTANCE BETWEEN HARRY MAYLIE AND ROSE 17:32 Read by Peter John Keeble
IS A VERY SHORT ONE, AND MAY APPEAR OF NO GREAT IMPORTANCE IN ITS PLACE, BUT IT SHOULD BE READ NOTWITHSTANDING, AS A SEQUEL TO THE LAST, AND A KEY TO ONE THAT WILL FOLLOW WHEN ITS TIME ARRIVES 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. MONKS, AT THEIR NOCTURNAL INTERVIEW 22:14 Read by Peter John Keeble
INTRODUCES SOME RESPECTABLE CHARACTERS WITH WHOM THE READER IS ALREADY ACQUAINTED, AND SHOWS HOW MONKS AND THE JEW LAID THEIR WORTHY HEADS TOGETHER 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, SELDOM COME ALONE 21:20 Read by Peter John Keeble
AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE OF OLIVER'S, EXHIBITING DECIDED MARKS OF GENIUS, BECOMES A PUBLIC CHARACTER IN THE METROPOLIS 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 THAT INTERRUPTS IT 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 PROPOSAL OF MARRIAGE WITH NO WORD OF SETTLEMENT OR PIN-MONEY 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


(3.5 stars)

Reviewer has a nice voice and good diction, but unfortunately, I found it very difficult to understand what he was saying when he did the accents. The combination of thick accents, unfamiliar ands outdated slang, and the speed at which he preformed them made it mostly unintelligible to me.

Great reader poor quality audio


(3 stars)

Great reading and characterization, but the poor sound quality of the audio mad it very difficult to understand much of the time.

Enjoyable reading of a classic


(5 stars)

Reader did a great job


(4 stars)

Sounded like background chatter or the TV in later chapters.

Oliver Twist - A well loved friend.


(5 stars)

Even though I had read the book many times, having had it read to me puts a new shine on those words.


(5 stars)

Thank you, Peter Keeble, for another spirited and very engaging reading of another epic Dickens volume. 👏👏


(5 stars)

The best Dickens reader I have ever heard

Oliver Twist (3)


(5 stars)

Really enjoyed listening to this.