thewillowwood's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
I think this is a good book overall, but I think the format of the book as a whole novel doesn’t do it any favours. One can tell that this was meant to be read over various instalments, more like an episodic thing than one concise novel. in order to finish this book in a timely manner I had to force my way through it, and I believe I would have enjoyed it more over a longer period of time. An interesting book, but be warned that it is an investment of time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Death, Grief, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexism, Classism, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Child death
Minor: Slavery, Infertility, Pregnancy, Racism, Ableism, Antisemitism, and Colonisation
saraza3's review against another edition
Nothing of interest happens in the first half, I don't expect that to change.
mandapandaca's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
meginhumboldt's review against another edition
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Very clear good vs evil wound into the narrative of David's often hard life with a cast of eccentric characters
taylor_rains's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, and Death
leniverse's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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? No
5.0
lindaunconventionalbookworms's review against another edition
5.0
I don't even know how to review this excellent book! It is full of fleshed out and believable characters, some of whom I would love to meet. Of course, it is a brick of a book, but it is so totally worth reading, the story starts with David's birth as it had been told to him, and continues on from there, where he stops and pays more attention to some moments than others.
David's naïvete is so enchanting, and if he was real, I would want to take good care of him. The way he interacts with others is always curtuous and respectful, until someone does something to him or his beloved that makes him lose that respect!
There are a lot of characters, and most of them come and go - and are all fleshed out and seem real. Not many foils at all, and that multidimensionality makes the whole story even more interesting and captivating.
I felt like I was immersed in London with David, the descriptions of places and houses were done so vividly it seemed like I was walking next to him, and sitting next to him when he was talking to other characters.
The language is simple, Dickens is in no way trying to lecture his readers, even if he did tell his readers about social difficulties and problems.
His innocence made him so attaching it was hard on me when the book was over - even after 970 pages!
This is storytelling at it's finest - I recommend this to all of my booklover friends!
David's naïvete is so enchanting, and if he was real, I would want to take good care of him. The way he interacts with others is always curtuous and respectful, until someone does something to him or his beloved that makes him lose that respect!
There are a lot of characters, and most of them come and go - and are all fleshed out and seem real. Not many foils at all, and that multidimensionality makes the whole story even more interesting and captivating.
I felt like I was immersed in London with David, the descriptions of places and houses were done so vividly it seemed like I was walking next to him, and sitting next to him when he was talking to other characters.
The language is simple, Dickens is in no way trying to lecture his readers, even if he did tell his readers about social difficulties and problems.
His innocence made him so attaching it was hard on me when the book was over - even after 970 pages!
This is storytelling at it's finest - I recommend this to all of my booklover friends!
electrozombie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0