Books like “Oliver Twist”

What to read after “Oliver Twist” by Charles Dickens: a list matched by tropes, mood and atmosphere. Under each book you will see what it has in common.

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1
The Outsiders
S.E. Hinton · 1967
Similar plot moves: “Outcast Hero” and “Found Family”
Ponyboy Curtis is a greaser in a city divided between poor kids and the richer Socs. After a fight turns deadly, he and his friend go into hiding, and he begins to see the people around him beyond their labels.
2
The House of Silk
Anthony Horowitz · 2011
Similar setting: “Victorian London Atmosphere”
- Victorian London Atmosphere
Sherlock Holmes is asked to guard a London art dealer who is being followed, and the case opens onto two mysteries: a gang known as the House of Silk, and a crime so dangerous that Watson can only set it down years later, in a final untold adventure.
3
A Study in Scarlet Women
Sherry Thomas · 2016
Similar setting: “Victorian London Atmosphere”
- Victorian London Atmosphere
- Found Family
Too clever for Victorian society and blamed when three people die, Charlotte Holmes flees to London and takes the name Sherlock Holmes. With a kind widow, a police inspector and a man who loves her, she works the case while hiding who she really is.
4
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Arthur Conan Doyle · 1892
Similar setting: “Victorian London Atmosphere”
- Victorian London Atmosphere
Twelve stories follow London's most observant detective and his friend Dr Watson as they untangle impossible crimes, strange clients and quiet suburban mysteries from their rooms on Baker Street.
5
Great Expectations
Charles Dickens · 1861
Same genre: “Bildungsroman”
- Rags to Riches
- Coming of Age
An orphan boy is suddenly given money by an unknown benefactor and raised into gentility. He falls for a cold, beautiful girl raised to break men's hearts, and chases a life of status he does not understand. A story about class, love and the cost of pride.
6
The War of the Worlds
H. G. Wells · 1898
Similar setting: “Victorian London Atmosphere”
- Victorian London Atmosphere
Cylinders fall from Mars onto the English countryside, and the machines inside prove ruthlessly hostile. A student watches the invasion spread toward London as orderly Victorian society collapses around him.
7
The Beetle
Richard Marsh · 1897
Similar setting: “Victorian London Atmosphere”
- Victorian London Atmosphere
A strange, insect-like creature arrives in London bent on revenge against a member of Parliament, and its powers reach into the lives of everyone near him. The story is told through several witnesses who each encounter the being and try to stop it.
8
The Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne · 1850
Similar plot moves: “Outcast Hero”
- Outcast Hero
In a Puritan town, a young woman is publicly shamed for having a child out of wedlock and refuses to name the father. As she builds a quiet life with her daughter, the man's secret guilt and her wronged husband's quest for revenge eat away at the community. A novel about sin and hypocrisy.
9
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Robert Louis Stevenson · 1886
Similar setting: “Victorian London Atmosphere”
- Victorian London Atmosphere
A respected London doctor is oddly close to a violent, mysterious man named Hyde. When a friend investigates the link between them, he uncovers a scientific experiment that set loose a darker self.
10
The Red and the Black
Stendhal · 1830
Same genre: “Bildungsroman”
- Rags to Riches
- Coming of Age
An ambitious young man from a poor family claws his way into high society, first through the church and then through his charm. Torn between two women and his own hunger for status, he risks everything. A novel about ambition, class and love.
11
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Mark Haddon · 2003
Same genre: “Bildungsroman”
- Outcast Hero
- Coming of Age
Fifteen-year-old Christopher discovers the neighbour's dog stabbed to death and sets out to solve the mystery in the style of his favourite detective stories. His investigation uncovers hidden truths about his own family and forces him into a world he finds overwhelming.
12
The Woman in White
Wilkie Collins · 1859
Similar setting: “Victorian London Atmosphere”
- Victorian London Atmosphere
Walking home one night, Walter Hartright meets a terrified woman dressed all in white. Her story draws him into the household of Limmeridge and a conspiracy of forged identities, hidden marriages and a locked asylum, as he tries to uncover what happened to her.