Olivia Twist

Langdon, Lorie. Olivia Twist. 2018. 331p. ISBN 978-0-310-76347-5. Available as an ebook on Overdrive. 

When her mother died in childbirth, newborn Olivia was left bereft. Looking at her pretty face, the attending physician asked the nurse to take care of the baby, but raise it as a boy for poor orphan girl children in Victorian England had very little prospects aside from peddling themselves for a few coins. Upon the nurse's own death, Ollie, as the child was known, was turned over to the workhouse, from where she promptly escaped, joining with a gang of boys and brought up under the protection of Jack, known under his criminal name as the Artful Dodger. For years, the streets of 1860s London were brutal and violent.

During a pickpocket incident gone wrong, Jack managed to steal a rich man's wallet, but Ollie was captured and abandoned. Luckily she was recognized by the victim as his long lost niece, and was adopted back into the Brownlow family. Now, years later, Olivia has joined high society, but keeps track of several street boys whom she feeds and clothes. With her engagement to Max Grimwig coming, Olivia will secure her financial future, but at the cost of marrying someone she doesn't really care for.

When Jack reappears, Olivia is struck by how handsome he is and how he has evidently joined high society as well. As the adopted nephew of a well-known socialite, Jack moves around hi those rarified circles, stealing valuable objects from the inside. When he recognizes Olivia as Ollie, Jack is also quick to fall in love. However, the reappearance of Monks, the well-known street lord, in the slums of London puts all of the street orphans in danger. When Jack realize that Monks is after Olivia, he vows to stop him, even if this means putting his own life in danger.

A retelling of Oliver Twist with a female protagonist, this tells the story of a strong character dedicated to saving as many children as possible, even if this means skirting what is proper in her society. Jack can be both endearing and enraging at the same time, and the way they bumble through their budding relationship is very realistic. Fans of historical fiction with a splash of mystery will love this book!