I first read this to Ted many years ago. I remember we were out, Monterey maybe, sitting on a bench, he had his head in my lap when I read "I am born." Good times! ( )

Written in 1850, Dickens' 16th major work, and 8th novel, is a solid four-star work. Combining the picaresque bildungsroman from Dickens' early period with the more complex character studies he was becoming known for, it's perhaps his best book to this point. Perhaps because parts of the novel are autobiographical, David starts to feel a bit real in a sense that perhaps no other character in his canon had perhaps yet reached. There's a wonderful array of supporting characters and a real sense of forward movement and thematic unity. I'm ultimately more in tune with Dickens' last works, but David Copperfield is another rung on Dickens' ladder to immortality. He's not a Tolstoy or a Flaubert, and we shouldn't expect him to be. He treats character more as something to be chronicled than to be dissected. Nevertheless, there are many great, detailed little moments in David's life, and the world around him, that suggest the continuous development of this great author. ( )

Amazing. Memorable characters. One of the best books I've read. ( )

I enjoyed listening to this version of David Copperfield and have come to realise this is the best way for me to ‘read’ (listen) to classic books.The audio narration by Richard Armitage was very good, however some of the accent choices were questionable. I was put off Dickens at school having to study Hard Times for O level, but I am glad that I have finally finished another book by him. I was familiar with the story beforehand having seen several tv adaptations of it. ( )

Dickens' most autobiographical book, David Copperfield follows David from infancy to adulthood, complete with a colorful cast of characters: Betsy Trotwood, Mr. Dick, The Micawbers, the Peggoty family, including little Em'ly, Agnes and Mr. Wickfield, Steerforth and Traddles, Dora, Mr. and Miss Murdstone, and the snake-like Uriah Heep. We see David grow from a troubled childhood into a mature, if naive, young man. Life events round out his character.

It took me 68 years to finally pick this book up, and even now it only occurred to me to read it because I was between books, and there it was, on the shelf, 2 volumes of a Harvard Classics collection of 20 volumes that I purchased at an antique store decades ago. My volumes were printed in 1917, which only added to my enjoyment.

At first, I could barely get through the text, as David's early life was so miserable. Is this what the next 900 pages would be like, I wondered? Fortunately, Dickens had David's fortunes turn around, first with a reconnection to his aunt (and Mr. Dick), and then with steady friends, such as Mr. Wickham and Agnes, his loyal friend Traddles, Peggoty and her family, and even Dora, who loved him despite her childlike nature.

Dickens' writing is in top form in this book, and his heart is clearly in this work. Many descriptive paragraphs were stunningly beautiful (like the storm scene near the end). This was a lovely story, all around. Maybe my favorite Dickens. ( )