andrea2428's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
am_ber_bea's review against another edition
3.0
Loved the audiobook narration, but the story was just meh….
sav_003's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
angelofthe0dd's review against another edition
5.0
I've giving this book five stars for a few reasons. First, the story is excellent. It has moments of humor, sadness, elation, suspicion, and tenderness. Second, every character is well-defined and comes to life with his/her own distinct personality. I found myself loving the "good guys" and despising the "bad guys". Finally, the author's incredible grasp of the English language. By the end of the book, I know I learned at least 15 new words. This is a fantastic book!
viljaneito's review against another edition
4.0
Kauan tämän lukemisessa meni, mutta oli sen arvoista. Kahden kaupungin jälkeen suosikkini Dickensiltä!
zen_mode's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
5.0
acton's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jola_g's review against another edition
4.0
BETWEEN SORROW AND JOY
Charles Dickens
by Dorothy Parker
Who call him spurious and shoddy
Shall do it o'er my lifeless body.
I heartily invite such birds
To come outside and say those words!
I would like to avoid a close encounter with Dorothy Parker’s ghost at all costs – although I bet it is as witty and smart as she was! – so let us put down the curtain of silence on:
☛ My severe mid-novel crisis when I considered ditching David Copperfield.
☛ All the moments when I felt exhausted with Dickens’ verbosity. Some passages felt like padded with cottonwool of words.
☛ The annoying child wife, Dora, aka Little Blossom – a young woman who behaves like a five-year-old, calls herself ‘a silly goose’ and acts accordingly. Everyone but me seemed to be thrilled by her. I turned out to be immune to this mist of love and beauty.
☛ An abrupt ending. On the one hand, I could not wait for the finale because the novel truly dragged in the last chapters. It felt as if Dickens had been appointed a certain number of pages by the publisher and had to stick to it, which is actually quite probable, as David Copperfield was published as a serial first. On the other hand, there was something superficial in concluding the protagonist's love life so fast and easily. The novel appeared in instalments over a period of eighteen months and that can explain Dickens' haste in some passages and unevenness. Some chapters are like intricate medallions while others seem rough and messy.
☛ A series of unbelievable coincidences, like a stranger from England handing a newspaper with a description of the storm and its sad consequences to Mr Peggoty and Em’ly.
☛ Sometimes melodrama verges on the cloying.
Illustration by Glen Ketchum.
Let us not discuss these topics then but bask in the warmth and beauty of this novel instead. This warmth and beauty are facts, no matter how irritating some passages are.
Writing a review of David Copperfield (1850) is a task similar to squishing impressions from a five-week journey into a postcard. Suffice it to say, silence is tempting. Nabokov confessed in his Lectures on Literature: If it were possible I would like to devote the fifty minutes of every class meeting to mute meditation, concentration, and admiration of Dickens. Mute meditation might not translate well into an online review so let me tell you about the things that surprised and struck me the most:
✵ The musicality of Dickens’ prose which turns into poetry at times.
That was the biggest surprise! Just an example: “No, Copperfield!—No communication—a—until—Miss Wickfield—a—redress from wrongs inflicted by consummate scoundrel—HEEP!” (I am quite convinced he could not have uttered three words, but for the amazing energy with which this word inspired him when he felt it coming.) “Inviolable secret—a—from the whole world—a—no exceptions—this day week—a—at breakfast time—a—everybody present—including aunt—a—and extremely friendly gentleman—to be at the hotel at Canterbury—a—where—Mrs. Micawber and myself—Auld Lang Syne in chorus—and—a—will expose intolerable ruffian—HEEP!” Of course, it was Mr Micawber whose tirades sometimes drove me crazy. Another example of such lyrical, musical style is Em'ly's dramatic letter which sounds like a lament. Besides, some characters' sayings constantly recur like a refrain, for instance, Mrs Gummidge's: I'm a lone lorn creetur, which I adored!
✵ The theatricality of David Copperfield.
Most of the events take place in interiors, there are lots of dialogues, there is something theatrical in the way Dickens' characters behave at times - for example, the way Em'ly acts when Rosa screams at her. And the chapter in which the narrator tells us what happened to the characters afterwards: it looks like they were called onto the stage one by one to bow, receive applause and stand in the spotlight for the last time. It does not surprise me much that the number of theatrical and film adaptations of David Copperfield is vast.
✵ The psychological portrayals of characters.
Dickens nailed it. My favourites are unforgettable aunt Betsey Trotwood, Peggotty, a living proof that a loving heart was was better and stronger than wisdom (how could Dickens marginalise her in the last chapters!) and obsessively sentimental Miss Julia Mills (I felt livid when I read what happened to her afterwards according to Dickens, I refuse to believe in that!). And I must not forget about simple Dick - mad Dick - if I had not been Dickens' fan already, I would have become one immediately seeing how emphatically he portrayed a mentally challenged person in the times when people like Mr Dick were usually treated with disgust and fear. And Miss Rosa Dartle! No way I can forget her. I think she is one of the best and most controversial characters ever! Last but not least: Jip, Dora's spaniel and his complex relationship with aunt Betsey! As for David Copperfield and me, well, it was not a crush. He frequently irritated me and I cannot forgive him two moments of passivity: when it was revealed what had happened to Em'ly and during the conversation between Em'ly and infuriated Rosa which he was eavesdropping.
Illustration by Ron Embleton.
✵ Dickens' sense of humour.
I simply fell in love with it again. A lovely and unique blend of hilarity, irony, melancholy and compassion.
✵ The originality of David Copperfield as a novel.
In 1850 Dickens' book was probably assessed as genre-defying. It is not just a typical, predictable novel. There are elements of an autobiography, a social novel, a novel of manners, a bildungsroman. Besides, it includes a newspaper article, a few letters, Miss Mills' diary - a brilliant parody of a sentimental journal (Are tears the dewdrops of the heart?). Some parts are written in the present tense which was probably shocking then, just like the usage of the Suffolk dialect of the Peggottys (by the way, they were Dickens' favourite characters of the novel).
What was different from my first encounter with David Copperfield many years ago? I was about thirteen then. My reaction to the episodes from David’s childhood changed. When I read this book aeons ago I felt very sorry for the poor boy but it felt like an exciting adventure story at the same time. Now I found this part of the novel emotionally draining. David’s experiences made me even think of The Painted Bird by Jerzy Kosinski though of course, Dickens’ book is not as brutal. The grisly things that kept happening to David really hurt me, especially when he was abused by adults. Nevertheless, I think it was the best part of the book. It was written so vividly! No wonder George Orwell, reading David Copperfield at age nine, was sure the author was a child.
It is depressing to realize that the protagonist's misfortunes were based on the author's: Charles was employed in a blacking factory when he was twelve. I am not surprised Dickens was not able to talk with his family and friends about his traumatic experiences as a child labourer. In a way his situation was worse than David’s – the protagonist was an orphan while Charles’ parents were the ones who decided to send him to work. He could never come to terms with it.
I was surprised to find out that Dickens considered David Copperfield his best novel. Unfortunately, I beg leave to differ. Maybe the autobiographical background might have distorted his objectivity. Personally, I much prefer Great Expectations. David Copperfield was much more to Dickens than just another book. In his letter to John Foster from 21st October 1850 he describes the final touches: I am within three pages of the shore; and am strangely divided, as usual in such cases, between sorrow and joy. Oh, my dear Forster, if I were to say half of what Copperfield makes me feel to-night, how strangely, even to you, I should be turned inside-out! I seem to be sending some part of myself into the Shadowy World.
That is exactly how I felt when I finished the last page of David Copperfield. Between sorrow and joy.
Illustration by Felicita Sala.
Charles Dickens
by Dorothy Parker
Who call him spurious and shoddy
Shall do it o'er my lifeless body.
I heartily invite such birds
To come outside and say those words!
I would like to avoid a close encounter with Dorothy Parker’s ghost at all costs – although I bet it is as witty and smart as she was! – so let us put down the curtain of silence on:
☛ My severe mid-novel crisis when I considered ditching David Copperfield.
☛ All the moments when I felt exhausted with Dickens’ verbosity. Some passages felt like padded with cottonwool of words.
☛ The annoying child wife, Dora, aka Little Blossom – a young woman who behaves like a five-year-old, calls herself ‘a silly goose’ and acts accordingly. Everyone but me seemed to be thrilled by her. I turned out to be immune to this mist of love and beauty.
☛ An abrupt ending. On the one hand, I could not wait for the finale because the novel truly dragged in the last chapters. It felt as if Dickens had been appointed a certain number of pages by the publisher and had to stick to it, which is actually quite probable, as David Copperfield was published as a serial first. On the other hand, there was something superficial in concluding the protagonist's love life so fast and easily. The novel appeared in instalments over a period of eighteen months and that can explain Dickens' haste in some passages and unevenness. Some chapters are like intricate medallions while others seem rough and messy.
☛ A series of unbelievable coincidences, like a stranger from England handing a newspaper with a description of the storm and its sad consequences to Mr Peggoty and Em’ly.
☛ Sometimes melodrama verges on the cloying.
Illustration by Glen Ketchum.
Let us not discuss these topics then but bask in the warmth and beauty of this novel instead. This warmth and beauty are facts, no matter how irritating some passages are.
Writing a review of David Copperfield (1850) is a task similar to squishing impressions from a five-week journey into a postcard. Suffice it to say, silence is tempting. Nabokov confessed in his Lectures on Literature: If it were possible I would like to devote the fifty minutes of every class meeting to mute meditation, concentration, and admiration of Dickens. Mute meditation might not translate well into an online review so let me tell you about the things that surprised and struck me the most:
✵ The musicality of Dickens’ prose which turns into poetry at times.
That was the biggest surprise! Just an example: “No, Copperfield!—No communication—a—until—Miss Wickfield—a—redress from wrongs inflicted by consummate scoundrel—HEEP!” (I am quite convinced he could not have uttered three words, but for the amazing energy with which this word inspired him when he felt it coming.) “Inviolable secret—a—from the whole world—a—no exceptions—this day week—a—at breakfast time—a—everybody present—including aunt—a—and extremely friendly gentleman—to be at the hotel at Canterbury—a—where—Mrs. Micawber and myself—Auld Lang Syne in chorus—and—a—will expose intolerable ruffian—HEEP!” Of course, it was Mr Micawber whose tirades sometimes drove me crazy. Another example of such lyrical, musical style is Em'ly's dramatic letter which sounds like a lament. Besides, some characters' sayings constantly recur like a refrain, for instance, Mrs Gummidge's: I'm a lone lorn creetur, which I adored!
✵ The theatricality of David Copperfield.
Most of the events take place in interiors, there are lots of dialogues, there is something theatrical in the way Dickens' characters behave at times - for example, the way Em'ly acts when Rosa screams at her. And the chapter in which the narrator tells us what happened to the characters afterwards: it looks like they were called onto the stage one by one to bow, receive applause and stand in the spotlight for the last time. It does not surprise me much that the number of theatrical and film adaptations of David Copperfield is vast.
✵ The psychological portrayals of characters.
Dickens nailed it. My favourites are unforgettable aunt Betsey Trotwood, Peggotty, a living proof that a loving heart was was better and stronger than wisdom (how could Dickens marginalise her in the last chapters!) and obsessively sentimental Miss Julia Mills (I felt livid when I read what happened to her afterwards according to Dickens, I refuse to believe in that!). And I must not forget about simple Dick - mad Dick - if I had not been Dickens' fan already, I would have become one immediately seeing how emphatically he portrayed a mentally challenged person in the times when people like Mr Dick were usually treated with disgust and fear. And Miss Rosa Dartle! No way I can forget her. I think she is one of the best and most controversial characters ever! Last but not least: Jip, Dora's spaniel and his complex relationship with aunt Betsey! As for David Copperfield and me, well, it was not a crush. He frequently irritated me and I cannot forgive him two moments of passivity: when it was revealed what had happened to Em'ly and during the conversation between Em'ly and infuriated Rosa which he was eavesdropping.
Illustration by Ron Embleton.
✵ Dickens' sense of humour.
I simply fell in love with it again. A lovely and unique blend of hilarity, irony, melancholy and compassion.
✵ The originality of David Copperfield as a novel.
In 1850 Dickens' book was probably assessed as genre-defying. It is not just a typical, predictable novel. There are elements of an autobiography, a social novel, a novel of manners, a bildungsroman. Besides, it includes a newspaper article, a few letters, Miss Mills' diary - a brilliant parody of a sentimental journal (Are tears the dewdrops of the heart?). Some parts are written in the present tense which was probably shocking then, just like the usage of the Suffolk dialect of the Peggottys (by the way, they were Dickens' favourite characters of the novel).
What was different from my first encounter with David Copperfield many years ago? I was about thirteen then. My reaction to the episodes from David’s childhood changed. When I read this book aeons ago I felt very sorry for the poor boy but it felt like an exciting adventure story at the same time. Now I found this part of the novel emotionally draining. David’s experiences made me even think of The Painted Bird by Jerzy Kosinski though of course, Dickens’ book is not as brutal. The grisly things that kept happening to David really hurt me, especially when he was abused by adults. Nevertheless, I think it was the best part of the book. It was written so vividly! No wonder George Orwell, reading David Copperfield at age nine, was sure the author was a child.
It is depressing to realize that the protagonist's misfortunes were based on the author's: Charles was employed in a blacking factory when he was twelve. I am not surprised Dickens was not able to talk with his family and friends about his traumatic experiences as a child labourer. In a way his situation was worse than David’s – the protagonist was an orphan while Charles’ parents were the ones who decided to send him to work. He could never come to terms with it.
I was surprised to find out that Dickens considered David Copperfield his best novel. Unfortunately, I beg leave to differ. Maybe the autobiographical background might have distorted his objectivity. Personally, I much prefer Great Expectations. David Copperfield was much more to Dickens than just another book. In his letter to John Foster from 21st October 1850 he describes the final touches: I am within three pages of the shore; and am strangely divided, as usual in such cases, between sorrow and joy. Oh, my dear Forster, if I were to say half of what Copperfield makes me feel to-night, how strangely, even to you, I should be turned inside-out! I seem to be sending some part of myself into the Shadowy World.
That is exactly how I felt when I finished the last page of David Copperfield. Between sorrow and joy.
Illustration by Felicita Sala.
memita's review against another edition
4.0
A leitura deste livro durou cinco meses, não por ser chato ou cansativo, por não prestar ou ser uma história má, bem pelo contrário. Durou tanto tempo porque conhecer a vida de uma pessoa (neste caso, personagem), leva tempo. Não se vai tornar num dos meus livros preferidos da vida, mas tenho para com ele bastante carinho. O David, a sua família e os seus conhecidos foram desde o início uma companhia para mim, uma excelente companhia aliás. Por vezes não me apetecia pegar no livro, nem estava com disposição para voltar à história, mas ele estava ali, sempre atrás de mim, do quarto para a sala e da sala para o quarto. Desde a escrita maravilhosa do Dickens, ao seu bom humor, até ao excelente narrador que é o David, vou sentir saudades. E vai ser difícil colocá-los outra vez na estante. Foi uma jornada e tanto.