'It is because I think so much of warm and sensitive hearts, that I would spare them from being wounded.'

Perhaps one of Dickens's most famous works and an early example of the social novel, Oliver Twist has been the subject of several adaptations, including the highly successful musical and film, Oliver!. It remains a widely popular narrative today.

This moving tale follows the titular character of Oliver, an orphaned boy who comes of age in a workhouse, subject to dire conditions, abuse and neglect. After escaping to London, Oliver falls into the sinister hands of Fagin and his gang of juvenile criminals, pressured into pickpocketing and burglaries. Despite his troublesome lifestyle, Oliver remains kind at heart, and is soon rescued by the good-natured Mr. Brownlow, who takes Oliver under his wing. With themes of love, grief, and social injustice, Oliver Twist is a deeply human story, and a scathing criticism of poverty in nineteenth century London. This audiobook is brilliantly read by David Rintoul.

Charles Dickens (1812 – 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime and, by the twentieth century, critics and scholars had recognized him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories are widely read, performed and adapted today.