Nancy grew up in the squalid streets of Victorian London, as a young girl she’s one of Fagin’s pickpockets, and now she lives with the nasty and violent Bill Sikes and works as a lady of the night.

Nancy doesn’t know where she came from, her life before being a member of Fagin’s gang is blurry and she’s only seventeen and Nancy tries to see the positive side of things, and she finds beauty and sometimes solace in London’s churches. Nancy has a new client Mr Rufus, at first she finds him odd and then she discovers he’s a rather nice man and she starts to dream of a different existence to the one she’s currently living and escaping the clutches of Sikes.

Oliver Twist is a nine year old orphan who ran away from both the workhouse and his job as an undertakers apprentice and is found on the streets by the Artful Dodger and given to Fagin to be a pickpocket, a softly spoken and polite Oliver isn’t suited to a life of crime and he’s take under the wing of a kindly Mr Brownlow and he hopes he can stay with him. Oliver and Nancy discover it’s hard to escape poverty and being unfortunate and women and children are exploited and taken advantage of.

I received a copy of The Scent of Oranges from NetGalley and Harlequin Australia in exchange for an honest review, Kathy George skilfully retells Charles Dickens's classic novel Oliver Twist set in England in 1837 and the narrative is based around Nancy and how she has compassion and empathy, and most of all it’s about her fining hope and love and maybe Nancy’s fate at the end will be different?

I really like The Scent of Oranges, I’m sure I read Oliver Twist in high school and Ms George cleverly deconstructs and looks at the classic tale from a different angle and a clue to how is included in the beautiful cover and five stars from me and I’m very keen to read the authors previous book Estella. If you enjoyed The Good Wife of Bath by fellow Australian author Karen Brooks and then The Scent of Oranges would be an excellent choice.

Another riveting and masterful retelling of a Dickens classic by Kathy George! And look at that gorgeous cover! It is as mesmerising as the content inside and contains many key elements from the story. The senses are in full swing in The Scent of Oranges. It is as enthralling as I have come to expect from this talented author.

I was quickly pulled in by the authenticity of the characters, atmospheric setting and the new era of Queen Victoria who ascended the throne in 1837. It is a time of great social, intellectual, religious and economic troubles. When orphans in London were treated badly. Child Oliver, is a classic example. He is subject to poverty and misfortune, living in one of the dreaded workhouses. We all remember the famous scene where he asks for more gruel but is met with harshness. This simple request for more food (for himself and the other children) lands him in an even worse situation. He is sent to work for the mean undertaker, Mr Sowerberry (a bit of play on words?) who delivers some eerie treatment. Then there is trouble with a jealous apprentice who insults Oliver’s mother that leads to a fight. Oliver is punished for his reaction and runs away to London hoping for a better life. He encounters a fellow named Dodger who offers food and shelter and takes him to meet the notorious criminal Fagin. Oliver eventually runs into Nancy who takes him under her wing. She vows to nurture and protect him. Even at the risk of her own safety and happiness.

Nancy is the protagonist who gets to tell her story of how everything came to be. Through her, we learn about her challenging life plus her involvement with the colourful street criminals led by Fagin. Bill, professional burglar is the man Nancy lives with. Charley and Dodger, among others, were recruited as children. Fagin teaches them to make a living by pickpocketing and participating in other criminal activities. He says, ‘my dear’ a lot to everyone and Ms George uses it well in his dialogue. Oliver gets caught up in his evil plans and when a plot goes bad, they worry he will tell on them so they make it their mission to find him. (But there is so much more to the story of Oliver’s importance and Monks is a key figure.) Oliver is often referred to by Nancy as being angelic, innocent and truly does not want to be part of a crime ring. She makes it her mission to keep him safe. But she must also be seen as doing what is asked of her, to prevent horrible things from happening. This part of the plot has plenty of tension, mystery and twists which Ms George delivers marvellously.

Nancy has one prayer: ‘Lord, show(s) me a path to a better life. Help(s) me the right way to live….I don’ aspire to greatness, or to riches. All I aspire to is to be treated with decency and kindness, and to have food on me plate…I live in hope.’ Nancy is only seeking the simpler things of life that many take for granted. This prayer really touched my heart as it is obvious she is a victim of her circumstances. But despite her difficulties, over and over, we witness her kind heart; how sympathetic she is to others. She understands their pain. But this virtue is also a vice as she seems to end up caring for men who are emotionally damaged or lacking maturity. Bill is one such man who had a terrible childhood, witnessed his father kill his mother and watched his siblings die one by one. He has terrible fits of emotional outbursts, some that raise up in the night. He is dangerous really yet Nancy feels obliged to stay and help him.

It is easy to feel great sympathy for Nancy for she has never been treated well— or not until she meets Mr Rufus. He provides her with some temporary luxuries, (a warm bath, nice clothing), introduces her to his aunt and wants and cares about her. But he also needs her help to complete a mission: one that could change his life. The course of their journey is filled with highs and lows and my heart ached quite a few times for the both of them!

I was quite overwhelmed with emotion for Nancy. Her dreamy moments with Rufus, her loving nature, her compassion for Oliver and her bravery during risky adventures. But it is her feeling of not deserving a better life that broke me the most as this leads to her tragedy. She truly wants more and often goes to church to pray and asks for a sign of direction. The hopelessness of her situation, though, does not stop her from caring for and nurturing others. It is easy for me to see that Kathy George felt great compassion, warmth and understanding for her character. The truth of Nancy: her desire to be loved and treated as an individual, came through with great clarity. Nancy talks about how ‘everybody wants to be wanted’ and they don’t want to talk about the fact ‘they were not wanted, were seen as a nuisance, hindrance and an annoyance’. And as she stated: ‘You don’t want to admit your mother abandoned you.’

I also enjoyed the orange experiences (read it and see!) and their association with the one man who truly cared about Nancy. There are some very touching scenes toward the end that made me weep.

I loved the wonderful allusions to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream throughout. There are many brush strokes of literary genius in the novel. This is such a brilliant and captivating retelling that I could not put it down. My heart was constantly challenged by the feelings and thoughts it evoked in me. The ending is both agonising and triumphant. I loved the care and imagination Ms George demonstrated in her retelling of Oliver Twist. The Scent of Oranges is a bitter-sweet tale, that adheres to Dickins’ tragic depiction of the polar opposites of society, the gulf between the rich and poor at that time but shines with Kathy George’s hopeful possibilities and positive romantic vision. Which makes it as warm and illuminating as sunshine and as evocative as the scent of freshly peeled oranges! 5 Glorious Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to HQ Fiction for my paperback review copy and a digital version from Netgalley.

In The Scent of Oranges Kathy George gives us another nuanced retelling, this time from the point of view of Nancy in Oliver Twist. While I have read the original novel a couple of times it's been a while since I last perused it, so actually it is the musical that is more prominent in my mind. Therefore, it was interesting to remember some of the other details I had forgotten from the original story as I read this one. George's portrayal of Nancy is deeply sympathetic but still well rounded and believable. I was able to get behind her narrative right from the start and kept rooting for her despite knowing in advance how things would end. And that end was well handled in this tale, managing to finish on a slightly upbeat note in spite of all. I would recommend this book to fans of retellings that give the female characters in older works more of a voice. I am giving it 4.5 stars.