Customer Reviews

David Copperfield (Penguin Classics)

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Somehow, I'd graduated from college - with a degree in English, no less - and had never had to read a single thing ever written by Charles Dickens. I read quite a bit on my own, but still found David Copperfield to be the height of ambition - my copy was 1001 pages long, and I hadn't ventured into a book over a thousand pages since I'd read The Stand at age 12. I cannot imagine that I am alone in completing my education and sidestepping Dickens altogether, so I think it's important I share my experience. In truth, the only reason I chose David Copperfield over, say, Great Expectations or Hard Times was the passing comment made by Jeff Daniels in The Squid And The Whale - dismissing a Tale of Two Cities as "minor Dickens," saying David Copperfield was "much richer."

It is rich. I tend towards modern fiction nowadays, fiction that, unexpectedly, takes you deep inside the heart of its characters sometimes bewildering behavior and humanity. What strikes me about the complex nature of the characters in Copperfield is the way it seems that no effort at all has been used to distinguish each of them, yet there is no doubt as to how vivid they are. Each character speaks in a tone that is a perfect elucidation of who they are - you can hear, just in the dialogue, the calm wisdom of Agnes, the parasitic obsequiousness of Uriah Heep, the punctilious rambling of Micawber, the pleasantries that barely mask the aggression of Miss Dartle, the rigid boredom of the Murdstones, the spoiled impishness when Dora speaks (so precise I heard her voice in cloying and nasal babytalk in my head). It's a delicate balancing act to keep this level of detail so hidden in his work, and it makes the plot machinations speedy and exciting. The varied heights in this book astound - moments of drama, whimsy, intrigue, romance abound, and the book is even prone to its bit of slapstick - midgets falling over into umbrellas, or extreme umbrage taken when donkeys appear on lawns.

What I mean is that it's easy to know you "should" read David Copperfield, but as anyone who's ever had a reading assignment knows, that doesn't necessarily make it something you'd want to do. I know, in a way, that David Copperfield is considered a standard - a book Tolstoy and Virginia Woolf, for example, hold as the pinnacle of English fiction - but then again, I slogged my way through supposed classics in school that, over time, have turned out to appear dull and unsurprising. David Copperfield is so underread these days that I had no idea what to expect, no notion of the amazing surprises within, the sublimely addictive cadence of Dickens' prose, the dazzle of his language. Reading it for no particular reason, then, was a triumph all around - a book that doesn't require a degree to "understand," that moves breezily through its pages, and that teaches a thing or two (or twenty) about the rich heights capable in fiction. It's as rich and winning as you've heard and then some.

** This review is a synthesis of the three Charles Dickens books that I've read: A Tale of Two Cities (Penguin Classics), Great Expectations (Penguin Classics), and David Copperfield (Penguin Classics). The rationale for reviewing in this manner is to provide a foundational point of reference for those new to Dickens' work.

In the last two years I have read, in this order, Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, and David Copperfield. All three of these books were exceptional reads, and if you are thinking about dipping your toes in the waters of Charles Dickens you can't go wrong with any of them. However, notwithstanding the fact that these three books are all in the upper echelon of world literature, I have no difficulty in distinguishing between them and coming to the conclusion that they are properly ordered, from "most best" to "least best": David Copperfield, Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations.

It seems generally to be the case that, for those who have read just one of Dickens' books, Great Expectations is the book most people have been exposed to. And most people who read Great Expectations love it. The genre is probably best described as romance meshed with individual tragedy among numerous characters. However, perhaps the strongest part of the book is the manner in which the secondary characters present a contrast to the primary story. I liked the book very much, but I think it suffers from two flaws not present in the other works reviewed here. First, the characters are not as believable as in the other two works. Second, the plot follows an unlikely path, especially in the end. Concerning this second point, it should be noted that Dickens struggled with the ending of this work, and I think it shows.

Tale of Two Cities ranks second in this group in my mind. This book is a combination of political intrigue, romance, and personal triumph. I rank this book above Great Expectations for the sole reason that the characters in this book are so strongly developed. I don't think I have been exposed to more memorable characters in any book I've ever read. The story is interesting, too, because it takes place against the backdrop of a historical event, the French Revolution. I think Dickens had an easier time writing a convincing plot in this story than in Great Expectations because he had the aid of a real historical event.

Great Expectations and Tale of Two Cities are both excellent books, but David Copperfield is simply the best piece of literature I've ever read. To be sure, I'm only 24 and have only read 10 pieces of classic literature since my high school years. However, David Copperfield so outdid anything I've read that I feel more than comfortable in recommending it as certainly one of the best books of all time. Dickens did a remarkable job of capturing a wide variety of human emotions and mindsets. He was aided in this by two things. First, the length of the book gave him space to fully develop his sentiments. Second, the book is written in a first-person autobiographical voice, which I think made capturing sentiments much easier than in attempting to narrate them in the third-person. Further, because the book chronicles David's life from childhood through middle-age the reader is exposed to a wide variety of human thoughts. The characters, for the most part, are more believable and the plot is generally good; I took offense to only one chapter in the whole book.

Now, if you haven't read any of Dickens' books, I don't recommend starting with David Copperfield. I would start with Great Expectations and work through a couple others before David Copperfield. In terms of the plots, David Copperfield is much more similar to Great Expectations than Tale of Two Cities. So if you loved Great Expectations I think you will be well satisfied with David Copperfield. The plot from Tale of Two Cities is the odd-ball of this trio. In any case, all three of these books are great pieces of literature... enjoy.

I had read the Chinese version of "David Copperfield" when I was about 14, and enjoyed it very much, though it didn't leave much trace in my mind after I grew up. I was glad to be able to enjoy it a second time recently. This time I read the English version, that is, the original work of the great writer Charles Dickens. I was immediately subdued by Dickens' mastery of the language. Reading the book is just like having someone very talented in telling stories talking to you. The rhythms in the language of this book are simply beautiful. Very, very beautiful. Although there're a lot of long sentences in this book (the longest one seemed to be the one in the chapter of Copperfield's wedding, about 2-3 pages for a single sentence. Can you imagine that!), it seems very natural to read -- just like having someone very smart, very passionate and very eloquent talking to you. Although it's about 900 pages, although it's a novel published more than 150 years ago, it's not boring at all to read! I was taken by the story at the first page, and continued enjoying it during these several months, and finished the last page tonight with a satisfied smile, as if I had just finished a gorgeous banquet! No wonder Dickens was deemed one of the best English writers ever! He really had a wonderful mastery of the language, and was really good at telling stories!

My favorite Dickens novel, and one I pull out again every few years for a re-read. I'm probably drawn to it at least partly because of Dickens' own partiality to it - he was quoted as calling it his "favorite child", and much of the material is said to be inspired by his own life experiences. It's the kind of tale rarely told anymore: just a simple, unvarnished, yet detailed portrayal of a life. Reading it is like perusing the diary of a person much like ourselves - someone who just lives his or her life from day to day, peppered with their own small dramas and adventures, with few things particularly tremendous or earth-shattering on any large scale, except to that person. The Story of Me, so to speak. Again, not the kind of story told very often anymore, presumably due to our need for more far-reaching plot lines and reading experiences that take us out of our normal range of experience. In the Victorian period, however, the serial novel - produced in bits via magazines - were the fad of the day, so readers looked forward to everyday goings-on of the young David Copperfield, whom we get to know, literally, from birth.
In what I think of as classic Dickens (and later, Alger) fashion, David as a young boy finds himself at the mercy of adults who should care for him but do not, and after a miserable childhood is eager to make his own way in the world, and this is when his life truly begins. Along the way he meets some of the most memorable of the many unforgettable characters with whom Dickens has populated his novels: David's loathsome stepfather and step-aunt, the Murdstones, the hysterically loquacious Micawber, David's dear nurse Peggotty, the frivolous Dora and her fiercely silly dog, the sensible, understanding Agnes, and the detestable Uriah Heep, among many others - Steerforth, Emily, Tommy Traddles, Ham, Mr. Peggotty, Mrs. Gummidge...the list goes on, each character more delightful than the next. Amidst the minutiae are the very real dramas of every day life - a young woman's ruined reputation, a mismatched marriage made and endured, the ever-hovering threat of poverty and disgrace in a tenuous world, betrayals in both love and commerce, and every small experience of love, struggle, and redemption are played out here.
For me David Copperfield will always be a treasure of a story, one that spotlights how each of our lives, no matter how seemingly small or unremarkable, are truly enormous oceans of experiences unique to each one of us.

I've read many books over the years that, literary-wise, have knocked my socks off and have influenced my life: Moby-Dick, Anna Karenina, Quiet Flows the Don, Walden, Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Milton, Johnson, etc. But this has always remained my favorite book, and a book I pick up every now and then and re-read over and over. Dickens has always been considered second to Shakespeare and this is a prime example. It is such a joy to read! Does anyone get any joy out of reading anymore? It's so funny: "Mrs Micawber was quite as elastic." and "...we can NOT live without something widely different from existing circumstances shortly turning up." There's a reason Nabokov loved Dickens; he was a brilliant writer. The person who is just starting out with Dickens has my envy! You have the funniest novel ever written, Pickwick, ahead of you. You have Bleak House; you have Nicholas Nickleby; The Old Curiosity Shop; Oliver Twist; Great Expectations... All of them. Start with David Copperfield. The English language has so many great writers but I feel Dickens is second only to Shakespeare...

There is not much to add, as David Copperfield has been reviewed over and over again. Yet I will add my little morsel nevertheless.
The basic story is very simple - a young boy undergoes all sorts of misadventure (evil stepfather, false friends, too early marriage etc.), but, through moral rectitude, honesty, naivity and being good - natured, overcomes as if by magic all obstacles. The bad ones are mostly punished and the good ones rewarded. The characters are mostly from central casting - the cynical, heartless aristocrat, the evil advocate (or at least his helper), the honest and simple fisherman, the gruff aunt with the heart of gold.....
The magic of this book is not in the storyline with its simple moral, no, it lies in the descriptive power of the author. Rarely have descriptive passages been rendered so well - there are few other authors which can enthrall the reader with simple descriptions of a storm, the appearance of a person or similar over many pages.
This is, on my not so very sublime level, an excellent read, there is not a moment of dullness, it is an emotional read and even though the outcome is preordained, the book remains gripping to the end.

If you are used to reading contemporary fiction (as I am), this will be slower and harder to get into that you may be used to. I gave it the chance and it has become one of my favorite reads ever. Great characters, a compelling story and beautifully told. Easy to see why this is a literary classic.

I love walking, I love London, I love words, I loved this novel. Carrying David Copperfield around with you is having something luscious to dig into whenever you have a moment to read. You can pick it up, and continue David's journey with him, meeting all these wonderful characters. Some virtuous, some greedy, some cheap, some poor, some evil, but all flawed, even our poor hero. I love when David gets drunk for the first time, and makes a fool of himself before his precious Alice. It's great the way David literally walks all over London, and beyond, in the rain, in the snow, even to Canturbury! And in the end, it's all about love. Corny, but true.

I have read three other Dickens books so far - Great Expectations, Tale of Two Cities, and Oliver Twist. I can firmly say that this is this book that has had the largest impact on me as a reader and as a person so far.

As I read this book, I noticed that it contains many elements of those other novels that Dickens wrote. It has the social commentary of Oliver Twist, the thematic complexity of Great Expectations, and the gripping and emotional story of Tale of Two Cities. I will also throw in the fact that I think Copperfield has the best humor out of all these books.

In David Copperfield, Dickens tells the quintessential tale of Growing Up. I am sure that you all have read a book that involves some sort of "coming of age" theme where the main character matures and develops throughout the novel. But this story tops them all. With this book, Dickens brings us the most colorful cast of characters that he's ever conceived. They each have their own personalities, motives, interests, and even senses of humor. The beauty of it all is that many of the characters that David meets, you have met in your own life, too. While they are in no means simple archetypes, they can surely be related to real life. A few of my favorite characters are the deceptive James Steerforth and Uriah Heep - two large influences on some of the choices David makes. And we should not forget the virtuous Agnes - his "Good Angel."

Through this cast of characters, Dickens shows us that a large part of growing up and experiencing life is defined by the people that you meet and the friends that you surround yourself with. Dickens shows masterfully that you must be careful whom you trust and whom you let influence your life. He also shows the importance of relying on family and your closest allies during your darkest times.

Through fateful interactions with these characters, David grows up. He learns about the world, love, and human nature. He witnesses the miracles of life, and the tragedies of death. In turn, the reader matures and learns about such things as well. We see the world clearly through David's eyes.

Even though the story is being narrated in retrospect by an older, wiser David, we still experience events how David experienced them the first time. The chapters where we observe David's childhood very accurately allow us to see the environment through a child's trusting eyes.

Unlike other main characters of Dickens books such as Oliver Twist and Charles Darnay, David is susceptible to making mistakes in life and being naive. David is a good and honorable person with a moral conscience, but he is just as susceptible to the vices of this world as everybody else. But this is part of growing up, too, isn't it?

As you journey with David through his life, there will be times when you laugh, feel happy, and feel very angry. And then there will be times when you will have to put down the book for a short time and reflect on the events that occured. This is a rich book, with several plots and characters to keep track of. There are certain chapters that are more exciting than others. But, if you voyage till the end with David, you will in turn be richly rewarded.

The historic Penguin with explanatory notes and crisp delineation of the illustrations. The notes are well organized and straightforward, and you will need them.A writer it is said, only gets to spin his own tale once, my feeling is that Dickens does that here with the unforgettably grittiest descriptive narrative scenes in all of Victorian literature.