Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
 Easily in my top five books of all time April 22, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Possibly in my top three.
I'm a reasonable Dickens fan but this stands head and shoulders above his other works, in my opinion. If you're used to modern fiction, you'll definitely take a little time to adjust to the writing style but once you're in you'll be a hooked.
That said, I still find it the most accessible, enjoyable and frankly emotional of all Dickens' books. Genuinely funny, moving and inspiring - it's got to be a five star, two thumbs up full on recommendation.
The fact that you can get it for under two quid makes it one of the literary bargains of all time.
 Very good January 20, 2008
Copperfield is Dickens' masterpiece and it is his semi-autobiographical approach which makes the work doubly fascinating. The similarities between Copperfield and the historical Dickens- which are numerous- add a potency and extra interest to the narrative.
Still, it is the wonderful likeability and absurdity of so many of the characters in DC which really make the story. Barkiss, Peggotty, Ham and Agnes are wonderfully virtuous and kind- if uncomplicated in their different ways.
Heap and Steerforth- who share in common their eventual villainy- are, by no coinicidence, contrastingly complex, unfathomable throughout and misguided.
However, the problems of simplicity are evident in Dora: Dickens acknowledges limits to the virtuosity of simplicity. Her downfall is nevertheless tragic, but we know it is in the interests of David's long term happiness to marry Agnes.
Dickens' achievement in the book is his profound sympathy for the human condition: there is virtue in every rank, but virtue takes many forms. Moreover, Dickens shows how inextricably he perceives one's life as constructed around the lives and fortunes of those one encounters in youth. It is striking that Copperfield's life is essentially determined by those he encounters in his formative years. The most important and complex role and character is that of his Aunt, almost an eccentric fairytale godmother character, whose contibution almost suggests her metaphysical condition as a kind of guiding light. She rescues David and looks after him when noone else will. The tenuous conditions upon which humans succeed and fail are clear because of her role.
The book is memorable, complicated and profound: it immortalised Dickens himself as well as his characters.
What a surprise August 13, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I'm ashamed to say that this is the first Dickens I've ever read, despite my English degree. It was a very pleasant surprise to find that this book was engrossing and thoroughly enjoyable. Dickens really does stand out from other readers of his era, not least because of the humour of his work. A very good read.
MAGNIFICENT NOVEL February 29, 2004
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
This book is amazing and touching. Normally I would not attempt to read such a big book but I felt like a challenging read and I can not put it down. It is the story of David's life and I would recommend it to anybody since it is the only novel that has ever brought a tear to my eye. For me, this is not a book that I can read and return to a library, I need a copy of the magic within. The language may be difficult to understand at first but if you are patient, you will get the hang of it and it will be many times more rewarding. When reading a book, I like to read the story and come to the end of the book so that I know how it ends but with David Copperfield, of course I want to come to the end, but I also want to make the book last. I have been reading it for a month now and I still have 1/4 of the book to read. Because it is taking to long, it feels to me as though I am following David slowly through his life and I believe that is how this novel should be read.
Excellent July 17, 2000
13 out of 16 found this review helpful
This CD is an absolute must for long car journeys, over five hours of superb narration by Anton Lesser brings the characters to life and draws you into young David Copperfield's world so well that you may be tempted to fill up the car with petrol and drive repeatedly around the M25 over the weekend just to hear it again.
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