Oliver Twist

By: Charles Dickens

Narrated by: Peter Batchelor

Born to an unmarried woman who dies after giving birth, orphan Oliver Twist seems destined to slog through a dismal life in the workhouse. A rebellious cry for more gets Oliver banished, and ultimately lands him on the dismal streets of London. The young outcast finds refuge with Fagin and his band of thieves before fate intervenes and puts Oliver in the hands of a kindly benefactor. It is likely that Dickens's own early youth as a child laborer contributed to the story's development. Oliver Twist has been the subject of countless film and television adaptations.

Public Domain (P)2013 Trout Lake Media

Great book- what a bargain! Excellent narrator!

I was hesitant to get this since sometimes the inexpensive are that way for a reason, but was thrilled with this book, and all for $1.95! Character descriptions are so vivid and the narrator was great.

Charles Suffers a Miscarriage of Narration

I wanted to like this. But Peter Batchelor's outrages upon the intent and artistry of Charles Dickens were merciless and complete.

First, he reads so fast that you'll have to slow the playback speed down to .85 or so. Even then, you'll notice that the narrator barely pauses for punctuation--for this narrator, a period indicates "take a breath real quick and carry on". His tone is bland and perfunctory, at times approaching the sing-song.

Second, he misreads words. Once he says "apocethary" for apothecary. Once he says "palm singers" for psalm singers. And once, unforgivably, "Olivia" for Oliver.

The narrator reads every line of Oliver's in a breathy, victimized whisper. (Not entirely his fault, since this character is, in fact, breathy and victimized right off of the page.) Nearly every single character is relentlessly shrill and grating, except one or two--notably Brownlow and Bumble.

In my opinion, though I'm not an expert on English accents or slang in the 19th century, he also gets the lower class London accent all wrong.

As a last proof of the overall sloppiness of this recording, the last half of Chapter VII is missing altogether. Olivia (see? weird.) is shut in a dark room by the Sowerberrys, the chapter immediately closes, and Chapter VIII opens with our hero on the moonlit road out of the village. Almost 800 words, including Oliver's parting blessing by Dick the orphan, are just not there.

I'll be requesting an exchange on this one.

It was great but..........

It is a great book but a little dragged on I think it's great that Charles Dickens wrote a book based on his youth

Poor narration

Obviously the book is a classic but the narrator is either mumbling or shouting depending on the character. Constantly have to turn up or down the volume. A good narrator can still set the mood with inflection and cadence without vast discrepancies in volume.

Reader ruined everything

Far too theatric a presentation of the characters. Oliver's voice was so overdone - drove me crazy

Storytelling at it's best

Who could not love to read the classics Dickens was a master of storytelling, I enjoyed every word

A heartwarming tale of good trumps evil

What did you love best about Oliver Twist?

How Oliver persevered through all his tribulations righteously and without divergence from the virtuous path. I enjoyed his innocence and his sensitivity, while earning the love and respect of all those worthy of it.

What did you like best about this story?

How evil earns its own rewards.

Have you listened to any of Peter Batchelor’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

not really

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I held my breath more than once... I suffered with Nancy's demise greatly and hoped that her life could have ended differently or that there had been a different outcome. I was also elated that Bill Sike's dog was astute enough to avoid his termination at the hands of his master.

Any additional comments?

A beautifully written and performed story. It was so difficult to interrupt... but I suppose we all must sleep sometimes... -:).

poor recording volume

story is good and pitch is done well but you have to turn your volume all the way up to hear and make sure there is no ambient noise around you.

Great Story, Great Narration

Do not buy this without the understanding that Dickens is very verbose (in a good way). But if you're a fan, this is a great listen. I very much enjoyed the narration, and the different voices the narrator used for the characters.

what took me so long to read this

I've never read this as a child. But as an adult I appreciate it. thanking Audible for having this book. I feel if I had read it myself I would have been lost. the story was told marvelously. this one I can read again.