David Copperfield
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4.6 • 186 Ratings
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Publisher Description
The novel traces the life of David Copperfield from the time of his birth to his mature manhood, when he is married and familiar with the vicissitudes of life. His early years are enjoyable with his mother — who was widowed shortly before his birth — and with her servant, Peggotty. Life is happy for David until his mother decides to marry Mr. Murdstone; afterward, life becomes unbearable for David. He is soon sent to a miserable school where he becomes friendly with James Steerforth, a fellow student.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Charles Dickens named David Copperfield as his favorite of all his books. And we agree: This riveting semiautobiographical novel is an absolute must-read. Born to a poor, widowed mother in a 19th-century English village, the book’s hero eventually grows up to be a successful writer—encountering no shortage of hardship, adventure, romance, mystery, and triumph along his epic journey. Dickens’ writing is so evocative. He makes us ache for young David throughout his childhood of abuse and neglect, and he makes us treasure precious moments of care and tenderness just as much as his hero does. And Dickens surrounds his plucky protagonist with an ensemble of unforgettable characters that have become famous in their own right, from the two-faced villain Uriah Heep to the eternally optimistic Mr. Micawber. At turns deeply tragic and sidesplittingly funny, David Copperfield is as relatable today as it was in the Victorian era. It’s the kind of book the word “classic” was invented for.
Customer Reviews
Slow story but superb writing
What can I say about this magnificent work that has not been said before?
One have to be aware that this book was written 175 years ago.
It was published as a serial or periodical between May of 1849 and November of 1850, and then as a book in 1850.
Charles Dickens is one of my favourite authors, but I confess that only recently I started re-reading his works in the original language (I started with “Tales of Two Cities”, then “Great Expectations” and “Oliver Twist”, so I do have a long way to go).
I read his books translated into Portuguese over 40 years ago, and I believe that those books were abridged - I could be wrong, but I doubt very much.
I always felt envious of people complaining that Dickens was an assignment at school. As I grew up in Brazil, in my time we were only required to read Brazilian or Portuguese literature (and there are plenty of wonderful Brazilian classics).
Anyways… back to Dickens…
This book wordy and long. And it does feel long.
I have several free editions as in e-books (Apple Books, Kindle & Kobo) as well as two different audiobooks, one narrated by Richard Armitage (and how formidable that is! But only available on Audible) plus a hardcover and a paperback.
I kept switching editions just to see the difference on my progress.
The progress in percentage seemed never to change. Now, as for the hardcover, it was a pleasure seeing those pages flipping and “feel” how much I had progressed.
The writing is terrific and so is the development of the storyline.
This is a story that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the main character, from childhood to adulthood.
It’s said that David Copperfield is also an autobiographical novel, with events following Dickens's own life.
This novel, as in “Great Expectations”, was written fully in first person narrative. And the storytelling is very engaging, which makes everything feel so real and believable. Plus the characters are very rich and interesting, although not all very likeable.
Thanks to the writing, I was easily transported to that era (Victorian England).
There are some heart breaking moments, as well as a good number of humour.
This is a book to be enjoyed in slow paces, as it was meant back then. A bit today, a bit more tomorrow, but I wanted to read it at once, if I could.
My favourite parts were the first 30% and the last 20% of the book.
My next re-read will be either Bleak House (published after this one) or Hard Times, my top 2 favourite books by Dickens.
David Copperfield
So old but so current. Good for the heart and hard to put down
A great classic
Another wonderful classic by Charles Dickens. The phrases and wording a little hard to understand but well worth it.