David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

 

Summary (from the publisher): This epic, exuberant novel is one of the greatest coming-of-age stories in literature, chronicling David Copperfield’s extraordinary journey through life as he encounters villains, saviors, eccentrics, and grotesques—including the wicked Mr. Murdstone, stouthearted Peggotty, formidable Betsey Trotwood, impecunious Micawber, and the odious Uriah Heep. Dickens’ great novel (based, in part, on his own boyhood and which he described as a “favourite child”) is a work filled with life, both comic and tragic.

Listen to Richard Armitage bring Dickens’ words to life, and you’ll understand why Virginia Woolf called David Copperfield “the most perfect of all the Dickens novels”.

Review: David Copperfield, narrated by David himself, tells his life story from his birth six months after his father's death until adulthood. As a child he is raised by his loving mother and a housekeeper, but his life takes a sharp turn when his mother marries Mr. Murdstone, who is exceedingly harsh in his punishment of young Davy and ultimately has him sent away from home. Ultimately, David is taken in by his great-aunt Betsey Trotwood but along the way he encounters a great cast of characters, many of whom are less than honest and true to the boy. 

I was particularly interested in the chapters of David as a child, suffering at the hands of his stepfather and then hoping his great-aunt will take him in. I also was very invested in all the chapters on Dora, his first love. His earnest love of her despite her many shortcomings was fascinating to me, perhaps because it is feels very foreign today to imagine a marriage between two very apparent unequal partners. It is interesting that this is the most autobiographical novel Dickens' wrote. As a reader, I must assume that he put such depth of feeling into the first-person narration because he quite literally knew what it felt like to experience many of the same things that young David experiences. 

I think it is very evident that this was originally released as period serials before it was published as a standalone book. It is a tremendous book in scale. It did drag at times for me because of its size. The book also has a relatively long cast of characters. As I listened to the audio version of the book, it was difficult at times to keep up with who everyone was. 

I listened to the audio version of this performed by Richard Armitage. Performed is an apt word as he very cleverly gave unique voices to all the different characters and put great life and feeling into the reading. This really brought the text to life. 

Stars: 3.5 stars

Related Titles: 

• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver