Oliver Twist: Dickens on Dickens

Any narration of Oliver Twist has to pass a rather formidable test for me, as I had an abridged reading which my mother gave me years ago on two cassettes read by Ron Moody. Possibly over dramatic, but memorable for the same reason. Priced as it is, this is a good narration. There is also the potential added bonus of this tale being narrated by a Dickens family member which gives it a sense of authenticity.

It doesn't get top ratings for three small niggles, but they may matter to others who are more particular about these sorts of things. Firstly, while most of the characters are well voiced, some of them do appear to merge one with another at times, at least to my ears! Secondly, there are a few audio distortions and Gerald Dickens does sometimes seem to be a bit too close to the microphone so that popping noises are quite frequent. Thirdly, a section of the book appears to be missing. We get to hear that the good doctor is thinking about how to save a situation, but we don't hear his suggestion, and it's not entirely clear why Mr Giles and Brittles are being "bullied" or why Oliver is able to tell his story to the Doctor and his friends.

A book and a narrator is a partnership and, while this is on the whole good, I'm sure there is a better relationship out there