Customer Reviews

David Copperfield

5 star:		(76)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

David Copperfield, Dickens' favorite child, is an experience. Forget what your high school teacher or college professor told you. Forget all the terribly bad film representations of this book. Forget the glib one-liner reviews about Dickens people being caricatures instead of characters. READ this book. This book is one of the few Real Books in this world.

The great storm scene alone will thunder forever in your memories. You will encounter with Copperfield:
* the evil, chilling Uriah Heep,
* the mental and physical destruction of his mother by a Puritanical,untilitarian step-father,
* the always in-debt Mr. Mawcawber who somehow transcends his economic and egocentric needs into something noble,
* the betrayal of Copperfield by his best friend and Copperfield's shattered emotions by this betrayal,
* the ruination of another close friend's reputation, and her step-by-step climb back out of the mire,
* Copperfield's own passionate step into marriage while too young with an irresponsible, yet innocent child-woman, her death,
* Copperfield's own rise from poverty and orphanhood into worldly success but empty life until mature love rescues him.

Dickens has a real gift for creating people that irritate you, yet gradually you come to love them - just like folks in real life. If you never have read Dickens, come meet David Copperfield. You'll find that your impressions of David from the brief snippets by critics, teachers, reviewers, professors and know-it-alls completely different than the Real Thing.

In an age when we have not much time to read one short book from cover to cover, few long books will ever be good enough to read twice; David Copperfield is one of those books. It has, perhaps, the most unforgettable cast of characters ever assembled in a work of fiction: Mr. Micawber, Uriah Heep, Aunt Betsey Trotwood, the Murdstones, Mr. Dick, Peggotty, and, of course, David Copperfield himself.

The story is simple enough to start. David's mother marries a man, Murdstone, who makes life hell for her and young David, who has the courage to rebel against the tyrant and is sent off to boarding school and later to a blacking factory. David runs away and finds his Aunt Betsey Trotwood, who takes him in and supports him, with a little help from her wise/fool companion Mr. Dick. This is story enough for many novelists, but it is only the beginning for Dickens. David has yet to meet one of the great villains in literature, that "Heap of infamy" Uriah Heep. Uriah's villainy is terrible because it is hidden under a false pretense of humilty and service to others. The final confrontation between Heap and Micawber is one of the great scenes in literature.

None of what I have said answers the question, Why read this book more than once? The most important answer to this question for the nonacademic reader is "for the fun of it." From cover to cover this novel gives so much pleasure that it begs to be read again. We want to revisit David's childhood and his confrontation with the terrible Mr. Murdstone. Mr. Micawber is one of Dickens's great creations and anytime he is part of the action we can expect to be entertained. When we pair Micawber with Heap we have the explosive combination which results in the confrontation mentioned earlier in this review.

These brief examples only scratch the surface of the early 19th century English world Dickens recreates for the reader. Some other of Dickens' novels like Bleak House may be concerned with more serious subjects, but none lay claim to our interest more than Dickens' personal favorite "of all his children," that is, David Copperfield. Turn off the television, pick a comfortable chair, and be prepared to travel along with David Copperfield as he tells us the story of his life.

Taking my own recommendation, I have just finished reading David Copperfield for the third time. I was surprised by how moved I was by the ending. Without spoiling the story for the reader, it is safe to say that David's life is completely transformed by the tragedy he experiences. David is sadder, wiser, and better; and so is the reader for having read his story.

Writing a review of Dickens is very daunting. What can you say that's new? The greatest minds and writers of each generation are compelled to offer their opinions of his writings. Well, I feel compelled as well, simply because his writing has moved me so much.

I have come to Dickens late in life, right on the cusp of 50 years of age. When younger, I feared him to be cloying and contrived and it never took more than a page or two to confirm these fears. Besides, for English speaking readers, "Charles Dickens" is such a household word, his works so well known, it's almost as if he comes pre-read.

In a happy circumstance, I recently picked up a copy of "Great Expectations" on a whim, which has been in my girlfriend's bookshelf forever (isn't a copy of some Dickens' novel always close at hand?). A raced through Great Expectations and moved quickly to this novel, David Copperfield.

I won't re-hash too much what millions have felt and said about Dickens, except to say that it was a real thrill to feel that rush of excitement again about a writer - that tremendous feeling that makes you want to tell everyone you know about your discovery. I can't ever remember feeling this much concern for a group of characters before in any novel. In David Copperfield, Dickens created a character driven page-turner of over 1000 pages.

No writer before or since has been able to create an emotional bond between book and reader the way Charles Dickens could. One of the great pleasures of the book is the depiction of Uriah Heep, a villain that ranks up there with the demons of Milton or the murdering kings of Shakespeare. His power of others is astonishing and very creepy. The book is full of great characters, though, and for me one of the most memorable was James Steerforth: one of life's charming, natural winners. Dickens insight into this character is phenomenal, subtle, and somehow haunting. Steerforth is one of those characters that will forever seem "modern" and knowable.

For pure descriptive writing, a reader could search the classics of literature forever and not find anything to best "the storm scene" near the end of the book. Nothing I could say will come close to the feeling of reading these particular pages. I don't know anyone that has read this book without commenting on its power.

There must be other readers out there like me, thinking Dickens one of those classic writers from another age; worth knowing about but not worth reading. For those readers considering David Copperfield, I envy you. You are about to make one of those exciting discoveries that make life worth living. --Mykal Banta

One of the best things you can say about reading this book is that you feel like dancing a jig when you are done. Mostly because if you read the unabridged version, you've read over a thousand pages. But the ultimate best reason for reading this book is to appreciate Dickens at his best. I didn't have to read David Copperfield (DC) in high school or college. I had to read Great Expectations, which I hated, until after I graduated college read it again and fell in love...but that is besides the point. The point is, I chose to read DC. No one should be made to read this book, because by forcing them to do so, you take away its value. David Copperfield is about David's (or Charles Dickens...as some say) life and the trials he had to go through to become the hero of his life in his own eyes. I'm sure I don't get the subtle hints or clues or symbolisms that one is supposed to take away from great literature, but the one thing that does get conveyed to me from this novel is Dickens' cynacism, sarcasm and often times, wicked humor. All things I love in a conversationalist. It was the reason I was able to complete such a lengthy novel and why I have reread it many times since. Dickens was a superb author with excellent timing and poignant observations of his day, but to me, he's a great comic, which is how I will remember him. Read this book, take your time, enjoy its pages, and all the meaning you'll need you'll discover along the way.

Oh, I loved it! I finished David Copperfield, finally, of but an hour ago. Oh, that is such a wonderful book! I hold Charles Dickens in a sort of reverence. He has the fascinating ability to spin a web of the most spendidly horrible (here, I refer to, the remarkably AWFUL Uriah HEEP) and the most splendidly excellent (here, I refer to, the exquisite and good-natured Agnes) characters, and then he completes his tale by adding the most unforgettable of ALL people, a main hero, such as David Copperfield. Never have I been so attached to a work of fiction, and I have read a lot. Oh, the things David so heroicly endured, turning him into a most superior man! I love the story! It's most powerful. It moved me to tears and sent me into fits of laughter so many times I can't count them on my hands. And I felt such rapturous joy when Agnes and David professed their love for each other that I could hardly contain myself, and here started to laugh and cry at the same time; and I felt such overwhelming sorrow over the death of Steerforth, for I rather liked the man, even thought he took Emily away; and I love Peggotty's character to death! She was such a glorious figure of devotion and heartfelt love for David; I felt he would not have survived Murdstone and other things were it not for her steadfastness and friendship (I dearly loved her button-poppings! I found them hilarious!). And the grand Agnes, how I worshipped her! She was so real, I can see her cordial eyes looking upon David with the love of a sister, the passion of a wife. It was the most admirable work, I am sure. Dickens made Uriah Heep come alive so vividly, I see him writhing about, with contortions like a caught fish. I see Traddle's hair sticking up on end like a porcupine's, I see Miss Mowcher waddling about, I see Steerforth, tall, dark, and handsome. Oh, how David did admire Steerforth in the beginning! How he did charm! For all the critics: yes, the book was sometimes boring, and at times it was dull. But can't you see the art in it? That all Dickens wanted you to do was enjoy it and fall in love with the characters? Yes, sometimes he got a little carried away but that's hardly the point. It was worth it, because I know I'll never forget a one of them. What more can I say? I want to read the book over and over again, never ending.

This book was one of the best books I have ever read (and I read a lot!). I've been into classic books lately, so I decided to get it from the library. It is the longest book I have ever read (I LOVE long books!). The characters are so cool. You HAVE to read this book if you like reading, but don't read it if reading bores you out. I'm in seventh grade and it wasn't hard to read at all (I didn't read a shorter version). Uriah Heep, James Steerforth, Lil Em'ly, Agnes and so many others are the best!!! Go buy it NOW!

Both critics and Charles Dickens himself generally class
"David Copperfield" as his "greatest" novel. The strains of autobiography and the rich array of comic and tragicomic characters give the reader the best of Dickens' wit and social outrage. As the years go by, though, people begin to speak of David Copperfield as a "set piece", a bit of Victoriana different in format but not in importance from a very natty
but a bit days-gone-by bit of antique furniture. This view misjudges the novel. This book presents a rich set of characters in a complex novel, deeply satisfying and in many ways still a very modern work. It's very hard to write about "good" and "evil" without descending into morality play, but this novel succeeds. The story is broken into three
"threads": a young boy, orphaned early, endures an unhappy childhood refreshed by periods of happiness (and comedy);
that same boy goes through late adolescence, and comes "into his own"; and finally, the narrator, now a man, sees the resolution of the various plot threads built through the early parts of the novel. Many Dickens themes are played out here--the superiority of goodness to affluence, the persistence and affrontery of fraud, and the way in which social institutions frequently hinder rather than advance their stated goals. The book does not read like a polemic, though--it reads like a bit of serial fiction (which in fact it was).

If you are hunting a good, solid read about values and
curious characters, David Copperfield stands ready to show you his world.

This is my favourite novel by Dickens and one of my all time favourites.Some of his best known characters are here:the ever optimistic Mr Micawber,the stout hearted Aunt Betsy,the slimy toad Uriah Heep,the troubled Steerforth,faithful Pegotty, honest Ham,the nasty Murdstones, and so on.Even Jip the dog is brought to life with real character.No one has created such characters as Dickens.They are a sheer delight.Dickens has a wonderful sense of humour, which shines in this book.He also has a very readable style of writing.He can be overly sentimental, but this was expected by 19th century readers.Agnes, David Copperfield's second wife and true love is just too good to be believed.We can forgive Dickens these irritations, because he gives us the most memorable characters in literature.Also, there is a great deal of sympathy and affection for ordinary human beings and their foibles in his work.This is a novel which can be read over and over again during a whole lifetime, giving much pleasure with each reading.

David Copperfield is one of the greatest novels ever written. It is a wonderful story filled with memorable characters of tremendous depth. Anyone who says that the book is too long or has too many characters lacks the attention span and mental presence necessary to enjoy the work of an author other than Dr. Suess. David Copperfield evokes every emotion imaginable in the reader at some point. Read it!

P.S. To all of you high schoolers who are always writing reviews about classic books and giving them single stars and whining about how you were forced to read the books and hated them, STOP. No one wants to read your stupid reviews. Maybe you should try reading something on your on sometime. Then you might actually find reading enjoyable.

This book seems to have polarised its many online reviewers. I'm not really surprised. David Copperfield is Dickens at his very best and occasionally (but only occasionally) at his worst. It is a long book; the sentimentality is poured on with a shovel; there are long passages that don't seem to take the plot anywhere. But it has some of Dickens' greatest characters; the plot is powerful and driving; and the first person narrative (unusual for Dickens) makes the story particularly involving. Overall, it deserves to be considered one of Dickens best books. The major low for me was the 'child wife' character - dreadfully unreal and irritating. But the contrast to this was Steerforth, who I rate as perhaps the most interesting and believable character Dickens has ever created. Unlike so many of Dickens' cartoon villains, Steerforth walked the all too human line between good and evil so beautifully that, like David Copperfield, one could hardly help loving him even when we are despising him. Uriah Heep may be the character most reviewers mention, but it is Steerforth that makes David Copperfield my favourite Dickens novel.