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David Copperfield

by Charles Dickens

3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 · rating details · 75,149 ratings · 2,527 reviews

David Copperfield is the story of a young man’s adventures on his journey from an unhappy and impoverished childhood to the discovery of his vocation as a successful novelist. Among the gloriously vivid cast of characters he encounters are his tyrannical stepfather, Mr. Murdstone; his formidable aunt, Betsey Trotwood; the eternally humble yet treacherous Uriah Heep; frivol...more

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Published (first published 1850)

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Sep 18, 2012 mark monday rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alpha-team, time-to-come-of-age

Status Report: Chapters 1 - 8

i had forgotten how much i love Dickens. the man is a master at the immersive experience. it is really easy for me to get sucked into the world he is so carefully constructing, to revel in all the extensive details, the lavish description, the almost overripe imagination at work. his strength at creating a wide range of entirely lived-in settings (both brief snapshots of places in passing and crucial places like David's home and school) is equalled by his even more f...more

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Sep 11, 2012 mark monday rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: foggy-nights

DAVID COPPERFIELD: MASTER VILLAIN

oh you architect of doom!

your devious passivity and willful naivete know no boundaries!
your crimes are many!

your poor doting mother - hustled off to an early grave, and you do nothing!
you repay the Murdstones' attempts at improvement with intransigence and a savage bite!
you return Mr. Creakle's guiding hand with laziness and scorn!
you do nothing as your idol Steerforth humiliates Mr. Mell!
you run from honest work in a factory! you must be too good for that!
you im...more

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May 13, 2013 Megan Baxter rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Note to self: While taking books you want to reread and write reviews for and putting them in the bathroom to be read over a month or so is a good idea, before you embark on this in the future, take a good look at the book. Is it monstrously long? Then it may not be ideal bathroom reading.

Not only is it heavy, that means I took around 6 months to read this, which on first read, took me maybe two weeks. Maybe.

While this may have accidentally meant I read it much like his original readers would h...more

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Jun 05, 2012 Pollopicu rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. If you've never read Dickens before and you want to dive right into one of his best works, I would recommend you start with Copperfield. In this novel Charles Dickens showcases the crest of his literary style. This is the kind of book you almost want to read aloud so you can hear the beautifully woven words he chose to tell the life story of David Copperfield. Sadly, the writing alone wasn't enough to keep me excited and wanting to read more.

I found this book in a junk pile in a nearby neighborh...more If you've never read Dickens before and you want to dive right into one of his best works, I would recommend you start with Copperfield. In this novel Charles Dickens showcases the crest of his literary style. This is the kind of book you almost want to read aloud so you can hear the beautifully woven words he chose to tell the life story of David Copperfield. Sadly, the writing alone wasn't enough to keep me excited and wanting to read more.

I found this book in a junk pile in a nearby neighborhood shop. I've been burnt by Dickens before (Tale of two Cities). I swore up and down I would never suffer through a another Dickens book ever again. When I spotted this beautiful mint condition vintage copy of David Copperfield, I just couldn't resist. It was free and it seemed like such a shame to just leave it there. It was snowy and damp and I knew if someone didn't rescue it it would become sinfully ruined. I knew if I took it home I was going to force myself to read it sooner or later, one way or another. So picking it up and actually taking it home was an inevitable commitment. The book is 881 pages long.. Once I start reading I go all the way. I have a no abandonment rule, but this one almost pushed me to change that rule. It started off great, at first I couldn't believe that this was the same writer who wrote A Tale of Two Cities. To me reading a Tale of Two Cities was like trying to read Sanskrit. I was initially glad to have given Dickens a second try because I would have otherwise missed his literary diversity...that's what I first thought...Then like 250 pages in I realized I was suckered into it AGAIN!! Gorgeously written but incredibly and painfully dull. David Copperfield annoyed me so much. There was nothing romantic or noteworthy about his entire story. It was like being forced to watch someone else's boring home-videos. It lacked maturity. It seemed like he never grew up to be a man, and remained a rosy-cheeked, self-back-patting little ass-kisser. Then you gotta love how Dickens conveniently kills off his wife Dora so he can have the opportunity to marry his REAL true love, Agnes, whom he never even knew he loved. How romantic. Just what every woman dreams of being.. sloppy seconds. It's not even worth getting into the rest of the reasons why I didn't enjoy the story, so I'll wrap it up by saying:
If I'm ever rummaging through another junk pile of books, and I run across another Dickens, I don't care if the light of God is shining it's golden rays on it, and inside is a map that leads me to a treasure of flawless fist-full chunks of diamonds, I will never ever take another Dickens home ever again.

To all the people who gave this 5 stars..

you lie.

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Apr 27, 2012 Stefan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wow, I am pleasantly surprised!

I have to admit, when I saw that we were reading David Copperfield in class I was dreading it.However, I was pleased to discover how much I enjoyed it. I had always heard horror stories about how dry and boring Charles Dickens' novels were. Those reviews were very inaccurate to say the least.

Admittedly, there are times when the text seems to get a bit wordy and drag on a bit, but overall I thought that this was a very entertaining read. The novel is chock full of w...more

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Aug 05, 2012 MJ Nicholls rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novels, sassysassenachs, pre-1900s, oxford-classics, voluminous, worshipped, art-or-illustrated

Finished. Having a hard time spinning superlatives for this review. It is more or less established I strongly like, or passionately love, every Dickens novel I read so why not slap a five-star badge on this masterpiece and hop down to Bev’s café for a veggie burger, free sexual innuendo with every purchase, a fly in every milkshake, and a 50p discount on all half-cooked omelettes? Fine. Some highlights. Improvements in characterisation. Notably, the villains. David’s friendship with Steerforth p...more

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Dec 22, 2012 booklady rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2001, classic

I first got the idea about reading Dickens aloud from watching the movie Gone With the Wind . (They were even reading this book!) To me as a young bookgirl (at the time) it seemed like such fun, I kept wishing we didn't have TV at home and we'd sit around and read aloud in the evenings. It didn't happen in the home I grew up in, but my husband and I made it happen (for a while at least) in our own home. David Copperfield, like most of Dickens’ works is at its best when read aloud. I think that's...more

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Apr 21, 2008 Carlie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: lovers, innocents, justice seekers, and those who are depressed

"I have in my heart of hearts a favourite child. And his name is DAVID COPPERFIELD"
I have also a favorite author and his name is Charles Dickens.

This novel is poetry. To truly appreciate the beauty of the English language, one must read David Copperfield. This book cannot be classified. It is a love story, a drama, and a comedy. It has elements of horror and suspense. I laughed hysterically, sobbed uncontrollably, and threw it to a wall in a fit of anger. It annoyed, bored, and entrapped me.
Th...more

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Sep 18, 2009 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Like many people, I never could get too interested in Dickens when it was assigned in junior high or high school. He always seemed like such a chore to read, with the garrulous style, the zillions of characters (all with weird names), and sheer length of a lot of the books.

Fortunately for me, I decided to give him another try, and now I'm madly in love with him. It's hard to say anything about him and his work that hasn't been said already, but as a friend of mine observed, it's startling how mo...more

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Dec 29, 2012 midnightfaerie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics

Click here for Charles Dickens Disclaimer

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens was a superb story with an engaging cast of characters, and I think this might be Dickens greatest achievement yet. Although I read bits of it everyday, it took so very long to get through, I think, because there was so much to digest. Copperfield's flighty heart and good intentions fluctuated constantly. The mysteries surrounding Agnus's father, the slimy Uriah Heep, and the dashing Steerforth were ever present and t...more Click here for Charles Dickens Disclaimer

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens was a superb story with an engaging cast of characters, and I think this might be Dickens greatest achievement yet. Although I read bits of it everyday, it took so very long to get through, I think, because there was so much to digest. Copperfield's flighty heart and good intentions fluctuated constantly. The mysteries surrounding Agnus's father, the slimy Uriah Heep, and the dashing Steerforth were ever present and titillating. Mr. Micawber's speech was tedius but brilliant, while Mr. Peggotty's accent was something I had to labor over. Mr. Dick's affliction for kite's made me smile while the relief of Trot finding his Aunt strong of mind and willing to take him in filled me with gratitude. So many plotlines, so many engaging characters, it was a masterpiece of storytelling. I loved this book and I'm torn between 4 and 5 stars for it. In the end I think I've decided on being conservative and giving it 4, knowing in my head, I think of it as a 4.5. Dickens style of writing is so absolutely amazing, I think I like it better then any 18th or 19th century writers I've read thus far.

That being said, I must remark on some areas that left me wanting. These areas were not by any means the fault of Dickens, he was only telling a story, and most probably how the story actually played out since this book was the one that was supposed to have been based on his actual life. But I can't help feeling a tiny bit annoyed with Trot for being so naive. Even though we all are when we're young, I am old and crusty and lacking in my ease of forgiving for a personality trait that afflicted me too. I just really didn't like Dora when I first encountered her, and knew, knew that Agnus was so much more intelligent and compatible. In the end, Dora turned out to be better of character then I first surmised, her growing up slightly, and even though she still acted the part of the petulant child, she, in the end, was able to look past herself to Copperfield's happiness and see what it was that he really needed. But seriously, why does it take men so much longer to get there then women???

And the slimy, used-car-salesman-type, Uriah Heep, who was ever so 'umble, we could have made a drinking game of how often the word appeared in the book. It took so long for him to get what was coming to him, and then seeing him again in prison, I really just wanted more of a crappy ending for him. I felt like Dickens left off hinting that he was still manipulating people and getting his way, and would forever do so, no matter where he was. And that just wasn't fair. I also would have liked to hear more detail about the traveling and where he went exactly during his period of mourning.

Another aspect of Dickens writing that has only recently been brought to my attention is seemingly passive female characters. I never noticed before, but it's quite true. The women are all either whiny or insipid. The only woman with any character is Agnus, and even she seems to lack depth. The rest are silly little things that are frightened easily or are exceedingly annoying. Especially Copperfield's mother. I wanted to slap her silly for not standing up to her husband in his treatment of David. Now whether this flatness in the female's personalities is intentional or not, is unknown. It could be from his experiences, in that most of the women let him down in one way or another. Or it could just have been the time period and how women were viewed so they acted accordingly. I don't know, but in David Copperfield, it's glaringly obvious.

All in all, an exquisitely written, outstanding novel. I really loved it and it assuredly adds to the evidence that Dickens is a classical writer of literature.

ClassicsDefined.com (less)

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Oct 18, 2007 Scott rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wow, I think Charles Dickens might just be my favorite author of all time. This book was basically his autobiography, and of all his books his favorite. It was really amazing to see all the opposition he had to deal with up til he was ten and after that it just kept coming. The poor guy was amazing, and seemed to keep his wits about him through most of it until after twenty he developed either some self confidence which in turn allowed him to argue with many people. Because prior to that it seem...more

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Dec 02, 2010 Lisette Brodey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics

On a scale of one to five stars, I anoint “David Copperfield” with six.

Charles Dickens’ “David Copperfield” is the author’s favorite book. He says “I am a fond parent to every child of my fancy, and that no one can ever love that family as dearly as I love them. But, like many fond parents, I have in my heart of hearts a favourite child. And his name is David Copperfield.”

“David Copperfield,” which was published in 1850 (Dickens began publishing stories in 1833), is the book that most mirrors h...more On a scale of one to five stars, I anoint “David Copperfield” with six.

Charles Dickens’ “David Copperfield” is the author’s favorite book. He says “I am a fond parent to every child of my fancy, and that no one can ever love that family as dearly as I love them. But, like many fond parents, I have in my heart of hearts a favourite child. And his name is David Copperfield.”

“David Copperfield,” which was published in 1850 (Dickens began publishing stories in 1833), is the book that most mirrors his own life. David Copperfield is born to his widowed mother, Clara, and his looked after by this loving nurse, Peggotty.

While still a young boy, David’s mother marries a dreadful man by the name of Murdstone, who along with his sinister sister, Miss Murdstone, make life miserable for young Davy. He is sent off to boarding school, and subsequently after his mother dies, Murdstone sends him to work in a factory.

David finds his only living relative, his aunt Betsey Trotwood, (who calls him “Trotwood Copperfield” and life begins anew under her care and as he returns to school. This novel, told in the first person, takes the reader from David’s birth well into adulthood, effortlessly weaving many stories throughout which often beautifully connect with one another.

It is not just the stories in this novel that make it so wonderful; it is also Dickens’ trademark colorful, larger-than-life, funny, cruel, outspoken, pathetic, sweet, eccentric, and outrageous characters. The people are all so vivid and memorable and the situations hilarious, poignant, remarkable, and sad. I laughed aloud so many times, especially at the character David Copperfield so hated, the skeletal, “umble,” and always writhing, Uriah Heep. This is truly not a review of Dickens’ book as much as it is my profession of love for this book. I’m glad I didn’t read it years ago; I might have forgotten too much. But truly, these are characters that I know will stay with me. It is rare that I choose (or make time) to read an 821-page book; this was worth it, indeed. I look forward, down the line, to reading more of Dickens’ work that I missed in earlier years.
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Jan 01, 2012 Éponine rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

David Copperfield rappresenta per me un vero mistero. Sono una grandissima fan di Dickens (ho letto gran parte dei suoi romanzi) e avevo delle aspettative molto alte per questo, sapendo non solo che è uno dei libri più amati dal pubblico, ma che era anche uno dei preferiti dello stesso Charles.

Generalmente parlando, la storia di David e il suo percorso mi sono piaciuti molto; e i personaggi più eccentrici (vedi Uriah Heep, Mr Micawber o Mr Creakle) sono ben riusciti. Ma quando leggevo non mi sen...more David Copperfield rappresenta per me un vero mistero. Sono una grandissima fan di Dickens (ho letto gran parte dei suoi romanzi) e avevo delle aspettative molto alte per questo, sapendo non solo che è uno dei libri più amati dal pubblico, ma che era anche uno dei preferiti dello stesso Charles.

Generalmente parlando, la storia di David e il suo percorso mi sono piaciuti molto; e i personaggi più eccentrici (vedi Uriah Heep, Mr Micawber o Mr Creakle) sono ben riusciti. Ma quando leggevo non mi sentivo totalmente coinvolta nella storia come mi succede di solito leggendo Dickens. Non posso paragonare il mio totale rapimento mentre leggevo Grandi Speranze, Il Circolo Pickwick o Casa Desolata al mio semplice interesse nel seguire le vicende di David.

Nonostante David sia l'alter ego dell'autore, il suo personaggio non mi ha colpita per uno spessore o una personalità particolare nel panorama delle creazioni dickensiane.
La delusione più grande è stata leggere della sua carriera di scrittore. Non vengono spese più di trenta parole, mentre mi sarebbe piaciuto molto leggere del rapporto di David con la scrittura, sentire direttamente da Dickens cosa provava verso l'attività che lo ha reso così celebre.

Rimane tutto in superficie in David Copperfield. Come il personaggio di Agnes, così importante ed eppure così scialbo a mio avviso. Che ciò fosse voluto? Possibile. In fin dei conti, il rapporto di Dickens con la moglie è andato deteriorandosi di anno in anno.

Sarà che l'edizione che ho ha una traduzione che lascia veramente a desiderare (tra periodi ingarbugliati ed espressioni dialettali italiane ho visto davvero di tutto). Sarà che tendo a paragonare David Copperfield ai libri migliori di Dickens. Forse, se avessi letto questo romanzo prima di affrontarne altri, sarei riuscita ad apprezzarlo di più.

In definitiva, pur essendo David Copperfield oggettivamente un romanzo bello e piacevole, non l'ho trovato all'altezza della sua fama. Ma chissà? Magari, rileggendolo in futuro, riuscirò a cogliere quello che mi è evidentemente sfuggito.(less)

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Feb 23, 2009 Penny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Lovely to spend time in the world of David Copperfield, Charles Dickens' most autobiographical, and favorite, book. I picked it up again because I remembered the stories of David's childhood -- the stepfather, the boarding school, the bottling factory, madcap days with the Micawber family, his flight cross-country to the aunt he's never met. In fact, half the book takes place after David becomes an adult but, except for the courtship of Dora, which I found rather touching, the really powerful bi...more

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Nov 28, 2007 Hannah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone

A story that includes an orphan boy, rags to riches, trials, tribulations, and adventures: it seems to scream standardization and uniformity. Do we really need to hear about another destitute orphan who, through self-discovery and hardships, creates a better life for himself? I say we do, should, or must if his name is David Copperfield. Tom Sawyer, Anne Shirley, Mowgli, Pollyanna, Peter Pan, Jane Eyre, Becky Sharp, and even (or especially) Harry Potter: please step aside. You simply can’t compe...more

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May 30, 2008 Stephen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literature

After reading Dicken's Tale of Two Cities, I was left wanting to read more of him. I came across David Copperfield in my university library. At first I was a little intimidated, over 900 pages, but enjoyed it deeply. David Copperfield is known as Dicken's 'favorite child' and I can see why. Dickens really brings his characters to life especially with his main character David Copperfield. Although it took me over 2 months to read it, I did not want to the book to end. Bravo to Dickens on this one...more

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Jan 16, 2011 Tim rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In between the too-easy critical division of early, picaresque, comic Dickens and later, more somber, better-planned novels dwells "David Copperfield" smack in the middle, eighth of 15. Indeed, in its mid-period birth, "David Copperfield," has all of Dickens' trademarks but still feels like something other: a more "realistic" (comparatively), unforced, deeply felt tale. The most autobiographical of Dickens' novels was famously his favorite. You can't always trust an author's evaluation of his ow...more In between the too-easy critical division of early, picaresque, comic Dickens and later, more somber, better-planned novels dwells "David Copperfield" smack in the middle, eighth of 15. Indeed, in its mid-period birth, "David Copperfield," has all of Dickens' trademarks but still feels like something other: a more "realistic" (comparatively), unforced, deeply felt tale. The most autobiographical of Dickens' novels was famously his favorite. You can't always trust an author's evaluation of his own work, but you can here. I'd place "Copperfield" second of the 13 Dickens novels I've read, behind only "Bleak House."

Like another top-flight Dickens, "Great Expectations," "Copperfield" has a first-person narrator. David takes us from his own birth through his troubled early days living with an unfeeling stepfather and his grim sister after the death of his mother, through his time as a successful novelist. David eventually runs away from the Murdstones to live with his great aunt, Betsey Trotwood. Eccentric and seemingly stern but with a heart of gold, Betsey is the second of David's mother figures, following his beloved nurse, Peggotty. Betsey seems plagued by young men riding donkeys on (or near) her property, whose appearance always gives her a conniption. So she's perpetually on the lookout for the beasts ("Janet! Donkies!"). Love that. Events and people come in twos all the way through "David Copperfield": two post-mother "mothers," two marriages, two fallen women, two second families, two tragic deaths.

The novel famously begins, "Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show." David is, of course, the center of the novel, it definitely not being one of the Dickens novels in which the identity of the main character is up for debate. Dickens for the most part resists, however, making of David a paragon of virtue, a complaint often lodged against "Bleak House"'s Esther Summerson. It's great fun when David gets staggering drunk. And his judgment of people isn't always perfect (see Steerforth, below). David also tends to fall into a lovesick swoon often; a part of him, just at the limits of his vision, realizes his wife is an empty, beautiful, self-absorbed but lovable vessel. It's interesting how Dickens walks this tightrope of David sort of recognizing what she is and loving her anyway.

"David Copperfield" examines, among other things, writing, memory, marriage and identity. David is one of the characters called multiple names: Trotwood, Daisy, Doady — seemingly everything but David Copperfield.

Some of Dickens' most interesting characters populate the book. There's verbose, perpetually penniless Mr. Micawber, always trying to stay out of prison; young Uriah Heep, whose incessant professing to be 'umble masks dark designs (he's one of Dickens' best creations); Steerforth, idolized by Copperfield but with feet of clay; David's child-wife Dora, a beautiful but frivolous and simple woman who pouts and fawns over her ubiquitous dog, Jip. There also are brief, funny scenes with a dwarf woman, perhaps a female answer to the villainous dwarf Quilp in "The Old Curiosity Shop."

If divided roughly into quarters, "Copperfield" has a lagging second section in which not a great deal happens (the first part, David's early years, is critic-proof), but those who stick with it will be rewarded. "Copperfield" may lack a central plot, but its branches are verdant and sprawling; it feels more like a life.(less)

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Aug 04, 2007 Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, pre-war_fiction

People enjoy knocking Dickens, but fuck them: When someone complained that Dickens wrote what the people wanted, Lionel Trilling (I believe) responded: "Dickens didn't write what the people wanted. Dickens wanted what the people wanted."

I love the books of his that I've read, and though there may be more artistry in, say, Great Expectations, Copperfield is still the sentimental favorite. (It's that "sentimental" tag that gets people down.)

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Feb 15, 2008 Holly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved it! I was enriched to see David overcome his hardships. He worked hard, was diligent and persistent. I enjoyed the different characters he associated with: the silly Micawbers, his unique aunt, his child wife Dora, his good friend Traddles, simple good Dick, pure angel like Agnes, creepy Uriah Heep, and wayward Steerforth.
I connected with David in his love for words. I enjoyed seeing how he became a writer. I'm excited to read more of Dickens.

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Mar 24, 2009 John rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ownebook, to-reread

I finished reading David Copperfield on the Kindle a few days ago.

I’m not an English major, and so I’m not going to pretend to be one. I’m not going to discuss what themes the book touches on, what category it fits in, or generally dissect it to the point where it’s more monotonous than fun.

I read the book because I wanted to, not because I had to write a paper about it.

I must say, first of all, that this has got to be one of the best books I’ve ever read. The vivid descriptions of the character...more I finished reading David Copperfield on the Kindle a few days ago.

I’m not an English major, and so I’m not going to pretend to be one. I’m not going to discuss what themes the book touches on, what category it fits in, or generally dissect it to the point where it’s more monotonous than fun.

I read the book because I wanted to, not because I had to write a paper about it.

I must say, first of all, that this has got to be one of the best books I’ve ever read. The vivid descriptions of the characters were just fun to read. One particularly meek man was described like this: “He was so extremely conciliatory in his manner that he seemed to apologize to the very newspaper for taking the liberty of reading it.”

Some of the scenes in the novel are amazingly vivid and memorable. The hilarious and tense scene towards the end where one of the main villains is taken down was one, and of course just about every scene involving David’s aunt is too.

Dickens is a master of suspense. He does it through subtle premonitions in the book. You might not even really notice them as you’re reading. But it sure had an effect on me: I had trouble putting the book down, and stayed up later than I should have on more than one night to keep reading another chapter or three.

Like any good book, this one left me to think even after I was done reading it, and left me wanting to read it again. Right now.

There are some practical downsides to it, though. It was written in the 1850s, and some of the vocabulary and British legal, business, and monetary discussions are strange to a modern casual American audience. Nevertheless, with the exception of the particularly verbose Mr. Micawber, you can probably make it through without a dictionary, though one will be handy. I read it on the Kindle, which integrates a dictionary and makes it very easy to look up words. I learned that a nosegay is a bouquet of showy flowers. And that Mr. Micawber was fond of using words obsolete since the 17th century, according to the Kindle. If you remember that “pecuniary emoluments” refers to a salary, you’ll be doing OK.

The other thing that occasionally bugged me was that the narrator (David) would comment on some sort of gesture, or comment that wasn’t very direct, and then say something like, “But she didn’t need to be more explicit, because I understood the meaning perfectly.” Well, sometimes I didn’t. Though I usually figured it out after a bit. I was never quite sure if Dickens was being intentionally needling to the reader, or if an 1850s British reader would have figured out the meaning perfectly well. But that was part of the fun of it, I think.

This review also posted on my blog at http://changelog.complete.org/archive...(less)

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Jan 25, 2011 T. Edward rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: all-time-classics

This is the first full length Dickens that I've read as an adult--(I vaguely recall reading Great Expectations in high school but I honestly have no vivid recollections of it)--and I have to say I was quite surprised at just how engaging and lively the writing is. I had resisted Dickens for so long because of a lack of interest in what I assumed would be another stodgy, over-sentimental, Victorian era writer. I have to admit, I was both wilfully ignorant and seriously misguided in my prejudging....more This is the first full length Dickens that I've read as an adult--(I vaguely recall reading Great Expectations in high school but I honestly have no vivid recollections of it)--and I have to say I was quite surprised at just how engaging and lively the writing is. I had resisted Dickens for so long because of a lack of interest in what I assumed would be another stodgy, over-sentimental, Victorian era writer. I have to admit, I was both wilfully ignorant and seriously misguided in my prejudging. There is very little to carp about and so much to recommend in this novel.

First, the characters, for which Dickens is justifiably renowned for. This novel exceeds in that department: with the delightful nurse, Pegotty, the comical and deeply touching Mr and Mrs Micawber, the stubborn but eminently good hearted Betsy Trotwood, the despicable Murdstones, the charismatic but flawed Steerforth, the lovable Traddles and the ghoulish Uriah Heep-the novel is veritable who's who list of iconic fictional personalities. All are expertly drawn and each have a recognizable voice in the masterful and frequently hilarious dialogue.

The story itself is biographical and chronological in nature and therefore doesn't have the natural twists and turns that a more event based story might have. But Dickens manages to leaven the title character's evolution from helpless newborn to wise, successful author with enough conflict and surprising events that it never becomes dull or methodical. Though we know Copperfield's outcome in advance, there are many periods in the story where the obstacles seem so insurmountable that the reader truly fears for his well being. This is especially true in his fraught and difficult childhood which at times is almost unbearably miserable. (No doubt intensified by Dicken's dipping into his own personal childhood history for this section.) When Copperfield makes a critical decision early on to escape this hell--and succeeds with the help of his surprisingly big-hearted aunt--it comes as a relief to the reader, though it does lessen the intensity of the storytelling from that point on.

The story then becomes more episodic in nature as we observe the character obtain the wisdom and life experience necessary to eventually mature and thrive, while still having to stickhandle through the requisite setbacks that occur along the way. Most of the major characters introduced early on make repeated appearances throughout the story which can seem overly contrived, though it may also be pointing out that Copperfield does exist in the more rarified upper-middle class of a London much smaller than it is today.

There are other contrivances, however, that do somewhat mar the potential realism for today's reader (though no doubt they were almost a requirement in the writing of that period). When David falls for his first great love, Dora, there is no sense of why he is so besotted by this rather naive simpleton. Dickens merely tries to convince the reader with lots of repetition and exclamation marks. Most of the female characters--and especially David's love interests--are rather opaque and suggest a weakness in creating viable women who aren't necessarily eccentrics like his beloved nurse or his aunt.

Another, last quibble. The big climactic storm near the end felt very much like a deus ex machina, and the sad thing is that it wasn't even necessary. Though it does wrap up a couple of the secondary character's fates it would have been completely acceptable to leave their stories unresolved since they had little bearing on the protagonist's ultimate fortunes.

In the end the good characaters are, for the most part, rewarded and the bad characters suitably punished. I didn't mind this too much as it was achieved in, for the most, a believable fashion, with the exception of the silly storm. Overall, Dicken's vaunted humanity shines through the vivid descriptions of 19th century England and the colourful dialogue of the wondrous characters.

I guess I am now a confirmed Dickens fan--better late than never. Next up: Bleak House.(less)

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Jan 03, 2012 Tripp added it · review of another edition

Shelves: first-person, present-tense

Unusually, for Dickens I think, this book is not written in the omniscient mode, but is a first person account, and furthermore, is written in a present tense frame that rapidly--within the first paragraph--gives way to the more usual past tense. The present tense then only reappears from time to time, always brief in duration and always effective in adding weight and temporal dimension to the story.

In fact, this interplay between the young David Copperfield, who is preoccupied with living his...more Unusually, for Dickens I think, this book is not written in the omniscient mode, but is a first person account, and furthermore, is written in a present tense frame that rapidly--within the first paragraph--gives way to the more usual past tense. The present tense then only reappears from time to time, always brief in duration and always effective in adding weight and temporal dimension to the story.

In fact, this interplay between the young David Copperfield, who is preoccupied with living his life, and the older one who is writing this account and musing on certain motivations and outcomes of the life being described, is what gives the novel its great complexity and helps explain why it shows up in high school and college literature courses. There's so much for a class to dig into, not least the way Dickens has his eponymous narrator fade into the deep background so that we forget about him and read what appears to be the moment-by-moment record given us by young Copperfield. It's a shock when Copperfield the elder steps back into the story with commentary and opinion.

Copperfield is the most rounded character here, of course, but some of Dickens' most memorable creations share these pages with the variously-named protagonist, with Mr. Micawber and Uriah Heep foremost among them. Heep, with his revolting combination of servility, or "umbleness," in his words, and malice, seems like the literary ancestor of Tolkien's Gollum: crushed into abasement by the English caste system erected over him and his kind. He is allowed a brief touch of depth when he explains his upbringing to Copperfield, how he and all his family were educated in foundation schools and "public, sort of charitable, [establishments]":

"They taught us all a deal of umbleness--not much else that I know of, from morning to night. We was to be umble to this person, and umble to that; and to pull off our caps here, and to make bows there; and always to know our place, and abase ourselves before our betters. And we had such a lot of betters!"

The machinations of Heep, and his designs on Agnes Wickfield, are wonderfully woven throughout the text along with the other threads. When Copperfield marries Dora Spenlow, it seems inexplicable because she is such a--well, today we'd call her an airhead. Until, that is, Dickens fills her in a little bit more, giving her an awareness of how she must seem to others, to which she says she doesn't care-owning her flightiness, in a manner of speaking. She also recognizes, along with the reader and well before Copperfield--who is otherwise so sharp and resourceful--that he is the perfect match for Agnes. Even the otherwise woefully inept Mr. Micawber, with his comically pedantic letters and perpetual debt, recognizes this before Copperfield! When Dora dies, I thought Dickens spoiled it with the sentimental coincidence of having her dog, Jip, die at the same time, though perhaps this was looked upon with favor by readers of the time. Immediately prior to this, though, he gave her an amazing display of perception into the inner workings of her marriage to David.

However, coincidence (or maybe I should call it extreme coincidence, like extreme sports, because it is still possible to find subtle and/or timid coincidence in some fiction today) was fashionable in novels during the 19th century, and Dickens knew deployed them better than anyone, meaning they tend to yank the plot in radically new directions, or, as in the case where Ham dies trying to rescue Steerforth, wrapping up two sub-plots in a neat bow.

The present tense frame returns at the end, hopeful and melancholy at the same time, a lovely, autumnal retrospective by the now content David Copperfield.

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Dec 20, 2012 Susanne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I like Dickens. But I honestly don’t think I would have stuck it out reading this book. It’s a long road, with many ‘meanderings’ and diversions - especially at the beginning. Are we at the plot yet? No? Can you wake me when we get there?

Luckily I listened to the audio book.

Nicholas Boulton makes this journey delightful. He brings the story to life. His depictions of the supporting characters illuminate them as types you probably know, types you may have actually met at some time in your life. H...more

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Sep 18, 2012 trishtrash rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics

I have read, in this order, Bleak House, Nicholas Nickleby and David Copperfield, and my enjoyment of them is ranked more or less in the same order. They are all deliciously written, and are bursting with Dickens’ unique character portrayal (including some quite startling examples of womanhood which, being no kind of feminist at all, I am perfectly willing to overlook in exchange for being entertained; it’s important to put these characters in context… it’s not just the women who are drawn in ex...more I have read, in this order, Bleak House, Nicholas Nickleby and David Copperfield, and my enjoyment of them is ranked more or less in the same order. They are all deliciously written, and are bursting with Dickens’ unique character portrayal (including some quite startling examples of womanhood which, being no kind of feminist at all, I am perfectly willing to overlook in exchange for being entertained; it’s important to put these characters in context… it’s not just the women who are drawn in extremis, after all) but David Copperfield, despite its share of comedic characters and passages, is perceptibly less delightful a read than the other two, the author’s own entanglement in the tale bringing substance and detail, but also a seriousness which seems to place a burden on the novel rather than enhance it.

The reader follows the titled protagonist through a troubled childhood into an early adulthood as an articled clerk, into marriage, a writing career and beyond, while around him, Copperfield’s friends are being led into ruin by various parties. Without doing any research into this, I’m assuming that the autobiographical aspect of David Copperfield centres upon his childhood and intimate adult life rather than the broader plot and character cast – particularly novelising the arena in which villainously ‘umble Uriah Heep begins overthrowing reputations, the alternative being too bizarre to contemplate. For me, the rich detail of childhood, and the emerging plot sat very oddly together, as though the author were telling two different stories at the same time, and happened to be the principal character in one of them, and an observer, rather than hero, in the other. Macawber, Traddles and Mr. Peggoty manage to sort themselves out quite satisfactorily, in the end, while Copperfield’s own successes seem an entirely separate matter.

Despite this odd disparity, I enjoyed David Copperfield as a story – Mr. Macawber’s verbosity might have been frustrating at points, but it was worth it for --- that ---- HEEP speech, and overall, Dickens’ talent for creating characters that are both enormous in personality and multi-layered, so they don’t simply become caricatures was, if anything, more in evidence in David Copperfield than in even those of those works of his that I prefer… Steerforth, particularly, is a wonderful example of how to draw a character and then use him. (less)

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Nov 07, 2011 Bre Cregor rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

How I wish I could give 6 stars!

Dickens!

The Signet Classic boasted that this text was as the book had appeared in its entirety , as it was written by the author, and not as it appeared when it was published over nineteen months in pamphlets.

Genius, Dickens! I feel he knew the type of people who were going to be reading his stories and purposefully baited them within the intricacies of the tale. In fact, he seemed to RELY on the reader to infer and predict, correctly, how his characters would pro...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Two Bibliomaniacs rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: evan-top-1-100

For us it was so amazing to read about David Copperfield’s life. Personally, we’re not that into magic, but as it turns out, the famous American illuminist had quite an extraordinary past. Our only problem is that the text isn’t too clear on when his love for magic actually began and there’s not much about his marriage and subsequent divorce with Claudia Schiffer???

Fine, we’ll be done with this lame and overplayed joke, although by now you should have come to expect (and adore) our cheap juvenil...more For us it was so amazing to read about David Copperfield’s life. Personally, we’re not that into magic, but as it turns out, the famous American illuminist had quite an extraordinary past. Our only problem is that the text isn’t too clear on when his love for magic actually began and there’s not much about his marriage and subsequent divorce with Claudia Schiffer???

Fine, we’ll be done with this lame and overplayed joke, although by now you should have come to expect (and adore) our cheap juvenile humor. In truth, David Copperfield is a story about a boy who is repeatedly placed in tragic situations. His youth is filled with grief, abandonment, and physical violence, yet David perseveres. There are bright spots along the way in the form of several friendships, and one loyal and dear house servant. Even as the main character’s prospects improve, hardship is never too far away. In the end, David must wrestle with love, betrayal, revenge and loyalty all of which will define him as a man.

For us, we constantly go back and forth between Great Expectations and David Copperfield as Dickens greatest novel. Yesterday it was Great Expectations, but the more we reflect on the latter, the more impressive David Copperfield stands in our mind. The narrative is delightfully complex and the characters are as real as any we’ve encountered in classical literature. The cast understands how to stir emotions and can be both infuriating and enduring. Some of our favorite characters include Agnes Wickfield, Mr. Dick, and Dora Spenlow (and her dog Jib). Divulging our list of most loathsome characters would cause PPR (premature plot reveal). Here’s a hint, though. If someone has to keep telling you how “umble” he is, chances are he’s JUST the opposite.

The novel also contains a couple great “what goes around comes around” scenes. In many cases revenge comes in the form of perseverance, yet in a few deliciously rewarding scenes retribution comes in the form of a cold slap to the face (literally and figuratively). The figurative example comes from one of David’s relatives, while the literal example comes from the main character himself. The novel is truly coming of age fiction at its best and as of this day forth, Two Bibliomaniacs can proclaim, in accordance with Leo Tolstoy, that David Copperfield is Dickens’s greatest novel.
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Mar 14, 2011 David rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: victorian, audiobook, literary, 1001-books-to-read-before-you-die, british-literature, classic, coming-of-age, england, 19th-century

By his own description, David Copperfield was Dickens's favorite novel and the one closest to his heart, with the eponymous main character being, while not Dickens himself, obviously based on the author. David Copperfield's father dies before he is born, and his mother, while loving and doting, is also too weak to defend him against the tyrannical man she remarries. The book follows David's life from his hard, sad childhood to his adult life as a successful novelist and family man.

David Copperfi...more By his own description, David Copperfield was Dickens's favorite novel and the one closest to his heart, with the eponymous main character being, while not Dickens himself, obviously based on the author. David Copperfield's father dies before he is born, and his mother, while loving and doting, is also too weak to defend him against the tyrannical man she remarries. The book follows David's life from his hard, sad childhood to his adult life as a successful novelist and family man.

David Copperfield is about equal parts humor and tragedy, but Dickens was in full sentimental mode when writing this, so this is a good one to read if you want to be sure of a Happy Ever After ending. It has his usual large cast of memorable and memorably-named characters: David's loving nurse Peggotty; his dire stepfather Mr. Murdstone and his equally cruel sister Miss Murdstone; Wilkins Micawber and his constant crises of a "pecuniary nature"; the eely villain Uriah Heep; the charming cad James Steerforth; poor pitiful Little Emily; and dozens of others, all of whom are so remarkable you'll remember even the bit characters like Mr. Creakle. There isn't as much social criticism in this book as in some of Dickens's other novels, but it does have his characteristic sympathy for the poor and indictment of Victorian class snobbery.

The story does rely an awful lot on improbable reappearances of characters (just about everybody David meets during childhood comes back to play a role in his adulthood) and you can tell where Dickens was indulging in a little wish-fulfillment (like giving David a second chance at a happier marriage than the author had). It's also got his characteristic excess of verbiage (three or four chapters after a modern writer who isn't allowed to turn every book into a doorstopper would have ended the book, Dickens is still going). I'm not sure this would be my favorite Dickens novel (frankly, it's the first one I've read in a long time) as it's mostly just a sentimental Bildungsroman, but it's still Dickens which means it's great and lots of fun to read.(less)

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Sep 17, 2010 Bryan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Lovers of English literature

Shelves: highly-recommend, fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Definitely lived up to its expectations.

Most people have heard of this book many times, and have heard that it is quite an endeavor to read in that it is very long. The book is worth the read, as the insights into character, virtue, and honest diligence are engaging.

Reading it on audio helps in managing the considerable amount of time it requires to finish. I listened to the reading by Simon Vance and can recommend it. I gave it four stars.

I enjoyed so many of the aspects of the book. There we...more Definitely lived up to its expectations.

Most people have heard of this book many times, and have heard that it is quite an endeavor to read in that it is very long. The book is worth the read, as the insights into character, virtue, and honest diligence are engaging.

Reading it on audio helps in managing the considerable amount of time it requires to finish. I listened to the reading by Simon Vance and can recommend it. I gave it four stars.

I enjoyed so many of the aspects of the book. There were two very poignant moments that stood out to me: David as a small child walking across England. He had recently been orphaned by his parents, abandoned by his father-in-law, had to work six months in a work house in order to live hand to mouth, and then robbed upon setting out to find help. He set out to walk across England with the hope of finding his distant aunt (who had disowned him when he was born because he was "not a girl"). He had to sell all the clothes off his back in order to reach her. The scene illuminates the Christian phrase, "suffer the children."

The second moment I particularly remember is the ignominious and melancholy death of the highly intelligent Steerforth--seducer and effectual kidnapper of a young woman.
It happens when that kidnapped woman's ex-fiance sees a large ship being dashed against the rocky cliffs of England and the ex-fiance believes that the kidnapped woman is in the ship. He dives into the ocean after his lost sweet-heart, knowing that he has no hope of saving her, but also knowing that if he does not ry he will lose his heart. After diving into the ocean he is shortly beaten to death by the waves on the rocks.

Then, when the bodies come up to the shore after the storm is over, the bodies of those who were in the shipwreck come ashore. The woman was not among them--she was safe on land far away. However, Steerforth, was in the ship.

It's a remarkable story, a true tour-de-force from Dickens. I recommend it, especially to my artist friends who have a lot of time on their hands while working at their easels.
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Jun 18, 2010 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classici, favorites

Io Dickens non me lo ricordavo così. Avevo l'idea di una Londra fumosa, sporca e triste, con bimbi scalzi che corrono per levie pozzangherose e case austere di salda moralità vittoriana. Invece è tutta una macchietta. Ogni personaggio è una maschera comica, potrebbe andare bene per il Carnevale. Come dice la quarta di copertina, il massimo è Mr. Micawber, che parla come neppure Dante nella Divina Commedia. Ma anche la zia, che si stropiccia il naso in continuazione e scaccia gli asinelli, Dora c...more

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Feb 12, 2009 Julianne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

My overwhelming impression of this book is that it is Dickens at his most Dickensian. I don't mean that it is the best thing he ever wrote, the most literary or influential. (I have yet to read "Great Expectations" and have expectations it will be truly great.) However, I think in "David Copperfield," those qualities which distinguish every Dickens work are exemplified to an inordinate degree: funny names, sentimental domestic scenes, attention to detail, improbable coincidences, lots of action,...more

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About Charles Dickens

A prolific 19th Century author of short stories, plays, novellas, novels, fiction and non-fiction; during his lifetime Dickens became known the world over for his remarkable characters, his mastery of prose in the telling of their lives, and his depictions of the social classes, morals and values of his times. Some considered him the spokesman for the poor, for he definitely brought much awarenes...more

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“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” — 362 people liked it

“My meaning simply is, that whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all my heart to do well; that whatever I have devoted myself to, I have devoted myself to completely; that in great aims and in small, I have always been thoroughly in earnest.” — 278 people liked it

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