Review Detail

In this retelling of the classic Charles Dickens's tale, Oliver Twist, Oliver is a girl. Time has passed, but Olivia now is soon to be engaged to a childhood friend and lives in London's high society while at night she dresses as a boy and helps the less fortunate. She does this by pick-pocketing from the homes of the rich that she visits. Then someone from her past shows up. Jack MacCarron. She can't forget how he left her as a child after a robbery. But things are much more complicated now.

What worked: I really enjoyed this twist on a Dickens's story. Olivia is spunky, courageous, and even though her uncle has 'saved' her from the slums of her childhood and tried to make her a lady, she still helps street children. She's not like the damsel in distress. Rather she's the one helping and fighting for those who are cast off. I liked Olivia's determination to continue to help those in need.

Jack is one of those charismatic characters that could very well be a stereotype of the 'bad-boy' of that time. Instead he's fleshed out to show not only his weaknesses but his strengths. I could very well see why Olivia would fall for him.

The time period of the mid 1800s is shown in vivid details. Readers see not only London's high society, but the slums where children live on the streets.

Engaging retelling of Oliver Twist with a heroine and a love story worth cheering for.