Oliver Twist

Author: Charles Dickens

Genre: Classic

My rating on a 1 – 10 scale: 7

Type: Down-to-earth

Time Period: Mid-1800′s

Main Characters: Oliver Twist, Fagin

My Review: I enjoyed reading Oliver Twist for the Charles Dickens Reading Challenge.  Oliver Twist is a young orphan who, after running away from his cruel master finds himself in London.  He is taken in by a pack of thieves who try to make him steal.  But Oliver refuses to do their bidding…This story of good triumphing over evil makes for a fascinating read.

My overall opinion:  I was surprised at how easy Oliver Twist was to understand.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading it but for one thing…Charles Dickens seems quite anti-Jewish and constantly referred to Fagin as ‘the Jew’.  But other than that, it was an interesting read.

Anne of Green Gables

By the same author as Akin to Anne, Anne of Green Gables is also about an orphan, Anne (spelled with an ‘e’!) Shirley.  There are other books in the series, but I haven’t read any of them.  Anne is sent by accident to the Cuthbert’s home in Prince Edward Island.  They are going to send her back, but decide not to, putting Anne on a trial period.  She has several ups and downs, mistakes and mishaps with her friends.  Will this be Anne’s new home, or will she finally be sent back to the orphanage because of her many mistakes?  Read L.M.M. classic book to find out.

Akin to Anne

Akin to Anne is a collection of 19 other short stories written by Lucy Maud Montgomery.  I think she wrote them before she wrote the Anne books.  The downside of these short stories is that they all end the same (the orphans find long lost relatives or get adopted).  The good thing about them is that they are all not about children, some are old people or young people.  Also, the stories are still quite interesting.