An interesting sequel to Oliver Twist, but I really disliked all the swearing. I don’t remember any swearing in Charles Dickens book. The performance was well done, though, if you’re listening to it, rather than reading it. ( )

I listened to this on audible

The voice cast was fantastic and can't knock it. The story is fun and easy listening and Dodger remained favourite for me even with his....errr..... Issues.

A fun listen totally would re listen to it. ( )

Honestly, I just thought this was a fantastic listen.

As it turns out, Dodge & Twist is less of an audiobook and more of a radio play. You never really know what you’re going to get from the free monthly Audible Originals… but as it turns out, this one was thrilling and delightful. There’s a full cast, sound effects, and music. If this was a play (is it?) and it was being performed nearby, I’d probably go see it. It was great.

Okay, so, there’s a lot of cliches. It’s not a perfect story. Throughout the story, there were many twists, and although most of them were predictable, I still enjoyed it. The characters and the pacing were all interesting. Even though the entire story is told in dialogue, all the key figures get enough screen time to get a good idea of who they are and why they are that way. If there was a sequel following Betsy’s character, I’d listen to it.

Because of the format, you don’t get a really great sense of setting. Or rather, you wouldn’t if it wasn’t for the background. I think this was a great choice by Audible Studios to create a fully immersive experience for the listener. If I was judging this by normal standards, I’d say the setting was poor as there was only spoken dialogue, but with the production elements added, you don’t need descriptive passages – it’s all there in the background. Really well done.

The only thing I didn’t love was the repeated use of the phrase “I’ll eat my head”. I’m sure there’s a few different ways of expressing that sentiment without the cliche phrase. But, honestly, that was the only thing I didn’t like.

The pacing was perfect and each of the cast members were distinct and did an excellent job. I listened to the book in a single sitting, and wasn’t bored for a moment of it. The whole production was enjoyable. If you’ve got a long car ride coming up and you have a little background on the Dickens classic (Oliver Twist) then you’ll enjoy this. Just a little background, too – I haven’t read that one and I wasn’t lost in the listening. It was the right balance of interesting, endearing, exciting, and familiar. ( )