Rating: 
Summary: A Work of Masterpiece by the Master himself...
Review: Charles Dickens is synonymous with literary masterpieces... And rereading this book again since high school has given me a new appreciation for this author's work. He brings us humanity at every angle... the goodness and evil, love and hate, life and death is displayed in his writing. It's about a young boy who overcomes being orphaned and child labor to become a man of his "own account" and finding true love. Although, even after all the trials and tribulations that he goes through, he still remains pure and consistent. The good in him, since a young boy, remains in him as an adult. David Copperfield is amazing. He brings us many memorable characters and even more memorable scenes. Who could forget Mr. Micawber, Miss Betsy Trotwood and Uriah Heep? And the scenes from his early childhood to all that takes place in the Yarmouth seashore is unforgettable. More like a memoir than a fiction, this pseudo autobiography must have been close to the author's heart. Dickens himself said in his later years that David Copperfield is his "favorite child".What a wonderful book. I've cried and laughed, even though, I didn't think I would enjoy this book. I was thoroughly absorbed from the very beginning and couldn't put this book down. One of those books you should read once in your lifetime...if not twice. Julianne
Rating:
Summary: What characters! What a story!
Review: Oh, I loved it! I finished David Copperfield, finally, of but an hour ago. Oh, that is such a wonderful book! I hold Charles Dickens in a sort of reverence. He has the fascinating ability to spin a web of the most spendidly horrible (here, I refer to, the remarkably AWFUL Uriah HEEP) and the most splendidly excellent (here, I refer to, the exquisite and good-natured Agnes) characters, and then he completes his tale by adding the most unforgettable of ALL people, a main hero, such as David Copperfield. Never have I been so attached to a work of fiction, and I have read a lot. Oh, the things David so heroicly endured, turning him into a most superior man! I love the story! It's most powerful. It moved me to tears and sent me into fits of laughter so many times I can't count them on my hands. And I felt such rapturous joy when Agnes and David professed their love for each other that I could hardly contain myself, and here started to laugh and cry at the same time; and I felt such overwhelming sorrow over the death of Steerforth, for I rather liked the man, even thought he took Emily away; and I love Peggotty's character to death! She was such a glorious figure of devotion and heartfelt love for David; I felt he would not have survived Murdstone and other things were it not for her steadfastness and friendship (I dearly loved her button-poppings! I found them hilarious!). And the grand Agnes, how I worshipped her! She was so real, I can see her cordial eyes looking upon David with the love of a sister, the passion of a wife. It was the most admirable work, I am sure. Dickens made Uriah Heep come alive so vividly, I see him writhing about, with contortions like a caught fish. I see Traddle's hair sticking up on end like a porcupine's, I see Miss Mowcher waddling about, I see Steerforth, tall, dark, and handsome. Oh, how David did admire Steerforth in the beginning! How he did charm! For all the critics: yes, the book was sometimes boring, and at times it was dull. But can't you see the art in it? That all Dickens wanted you to do was enjoy it and fall in love with the characters? Yes, sometimes he got a little carried away but that's hardly the point. It was worth it, because I know I'll never forget a one of them. What more can I say? I want to read the book over and over again, never ending.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasantly surprised
Review: This is not a short book, but even so, it wasn't hard to read. Filled with amazing characters--sometimes too many--it never lets up. Uriah Heep is by far my favorite in the book, even though he's somewhat creepy. The amazing journey that David takes careens and curves through just about every situation possible. For me, this book was like a combination of "Great Expectations" and a few other Dickens novels. Also recommended: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, OF MICE AND MEN, and BASRK OF THE DOGWOOD
Rating:
Summary: A great book that deserves to be read more than once
Review: In an age when we have not much time to read one short book from cover to cover, few long books will ever be good enough to read twice; David Copperfield is one of them. It has, perhaps, the most unforgettable cast of characters ever assembled in a work of fiction: Mr. Micawber, Uriah Heep, Aunt Betsey Trotwood, the Murdstones, Mr. Dick, Peggotty, and, of course, David Copperfield himself. The story is simple enough to start. David's mother marries a man, Murdstone, who makes life hell for her and young David. David has the courage to rebel against the tyrant and is sent off to boarding school and later to a blacking factory. For readers who want to compare childhood rebellion to authority in the movies, Alexander's defiance of the Bishop in Ingmar Bergman's great movie, Fanny and Alexander, is equally dramatic and sad. David runs away and finds his Aunt Betsey Trotwood, who takes him in and supports him, with a little help from her wise/fool companion Mr. Dick. This is story enough for many novelists, but it is only the beginning for Dickens. David has yet to meet one of the great villains in literature, that "Heap of infamy" Uriah Heep. Uriah's villainy is terrible because it is hidden under a false pretense of humilty and service to others. The final confrontation between Heap and Micawber is one of the great scenes in literature. None of what I have said answers the question, Why read this book more than once? The most important answer to this question for the nonacademic reader is "for the fun of it." From cover to cover this novel gives so much pleasure that it begs to be read again. We want to revisit David's childhood and his confrontation with the terrible Mr. Murdstone. Mr. Micawber is one of Dickens's great creations and anytime he is part of the action we can expect to be entertained. When we pair Micawber with Heap we have the explosive combination which results in the confrontation mentioned earlier in this review. These brief examples only scratch the surface of the early 19th century English world Dickens recreates for the reader. Some other of Dickens' novels like Bleak House may be concerned with more serious subjects, but none lay claim to our interest more than Dickens' personal favorite "of all his children," that is, David Copperfield. Turn off the television, pick a comfortable chair, and be prepared to travel along with David Copperfield as he tells us the story of his life.
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Summary: An outstanding reading of this abridgement by Anton Lesser
Review: For those who don't have time to read for pleasure, or perhaps spend too much time reading as part of their daily job, audio books are a godsend. You can play them while travelling to work, and you're suddenly transported to another world, if they're any good. Fortunately this Naxos abridgement read by Anton Lesser is superb. I haven't yet found an actor better at handling both the male and female voices, old and young, rich and poor. It's so easy to forget that that is not a large-cast dramatisation -- it's just a a one-man reading, brilliantly executed. As a story, 'David Copperfield' means a lot to me because it means a lot to my Dad. Now 73 years old, he had a troubled childhood in and around London, and a difficult relationship with his stepfather. While Dickens needed to create some out-and-out baddies such as Uriah Heep and the Murdstones, many of his characters are basically decent folk, rigidly sticking to Victorian values, and I think this is how my father still sees the world. Much of the detail in this story is specific to England, but the basic human themes are universal. As a first pass at getting into 'David Copperfield', I would very strongly recommend this 4CD audiobook.
Rating: 
Summary: Why books should not be written in weekly installments
Review: Three major pitfalls are usually inevitable in the work of an author who publishes his novels in serial format for literary magazines, as Charles Dickens did. The first is that the medium does not allow for editing and revision upon completion of a first draft. The second is that the author is under the constant pressure of a weekly deadline. And the third is that the author is paid by the word. All three flaws are glaring in David Copperfield. If Dickens had been able to look over this novel as a whole, surely he would have made serious revisions to it. The dramatic tension of the plot is poorly calibrated. It peaks a half dozen times throughout the book, which only confuses the reader and leaves him feeling betrayed when the plot simply moves on to something else. What was the point of the climax in the early pages of the book, when Mr. Murdstone takes over Copperfield's happy home and begins to wreak havoc? Murdstone's character should have reappeared later in the book in more prominent fashion, as the evil foil to our hero, and he surely would have in a book that had been properly revised as a holistic work. There are certainly many memorable characters and scenes in this book, but there are also several that should have been left out. But writing fifty chapters keeps an author employed for fifty weeks, and that is why this book is 750 pages instead of 450.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful story and unforgettable characters
Review: I was absolutely charmed with the personality of David Copperfield, and I can easily understand why Charles Dickens called him his "favorite child" among his other creations. As David recounts the events of his life, starting from the day of his birth, his honesty immediately wins your heart. He is not afraid to share how naive and easily cheated on he was as a little boy; he readily admits it when he was being selfish; and if he did something less than smart, he tells the whole episode just as openly, without trying to make himself look better than he really did. Born to a very young and beautiful mother, six months after his father's death, young Davy enjoys happy life in a loving home - until his mother marries again. Mr. Murdstone, Davy's new father, who could have easily gained the boy's love and trust had he shown him some kindness, treats him instead as some wild, out-of-hand little monster who needs correction, discipline, and more correction. He soon gives up on the boy and sends him away to a boarding school where daily beatings are considered a most necessary part of education. When David's mother dies a year later, Mr. Murdstone decides that even this type of schooling is too good for the boy, and sends him to London, to work at a wine factory. David, only ten at the time, finds himself alone in the world. This book deserves to be read over and over again. The story is touching and beautifully written, and the characters are unforgettable.
Rating: 
Summary: A tale well told
Review: Dickens sets out to tell a complex tale about his life and narrates from the first-person in this very personal story. He manages adeptly to keep the story line fresh, surprising and his story-telling talent is superb. The Tempest Chapter was particularly well written, I thought. Copperfield has such a positive, reasonable outlook, despite episodes of ghastly poverty and tragedy, that it's nearly impossible not to empathize with him and respect his integrity. Because the reader genuinely likes Copperfield, David's setbacks and later good fortune really seem to matter. There are a great many, some may say too many, lines of dialogue in Dickens that no human would ever actually speak. The narrative is straight-ahead and traditional so that despite its length the pages of the novel fly by quickly. His young women tend to fall into stereotypes of beautiful objects of desire. However, his range of characterization elsewhere throughout the novel showed great invention. I didn't find Uriah Heep a truly compelling villain but was genuinely surprised by his destiny. Like many of Balzac's characters, the heroes of Dickens seem to weep sentimentally at the drop of the hat and yet are cool under pressure. There really isn't much below the surface in this novel -- Dickens is neither Proust nor Joyce -- but rather offers just basically a good engaging story. Dickens' power as a story-teller made him wildly popular in his time and esteemed in the 150 years since this novel was published. His heyday was a particularly germinal time for British literature and Dickens through his prolific writing certainly gave us the benefit of a workman like portrait of his era. It's a satisfying classic -- read it for the story line.
Rating:
Summary: A Novel with Heart
Review: David Copperfield was always a favorite of mine. It is wonderful, how, circling with the years, I can make my own retrospect and read it again from my older perspective. When I was younger, I too, wanted to complain that all of Dickens' heroines were the same, and now I realize how wrong I was. Agnes is good and beautiful and patient of course, but what about the heroine Aunt Betsey? What about Miss Mowcher, who gives David a piece of advice "from three foot nothing ... Don't confuse bodily defect with mental!" she exclaims, and this is advice we coudl still use today! What about Peggotty, who is true and good and occasionally silly? Then there are the women who are not so good: Mrs Heep, Miss Murdstone, Mrs Markleham (the Old Soldier) and Rosa Dartle? Dickens' characters are marvelous, but what I find most wonderful is the love that brings them together. Aunt Betsey takes David in, and is rewarded by the softening of her own heart; Mr. Peggotty seeks and finds his niece; Traddles finally marries "the dearest girl" and long-suffering Mrs Micawber will never desert her husband and something at last turns up Down Under. The characters who are courageous enough to choose love over pride are almost always rewarded at the end -- assuming that they survive, of course! (I'm thinking of Ham.) Perhaps it is just a novel, and those who have courage to love are not always rewarded in real life, but the idea is wonderfully satisfying.
Rating:
Summary: Good
Review: An excellent book, indeed. I must confess that, unlike many other commentors here, I had no feeling whatsoever for Dora- the born fool- and was not affected at all by her death, at which I was actually rather relieved, for I had wanted David Copperfield to marry Agnes all along. The book is very interesting and the plot is very conplicated. If you dislike reading, give this book no thought. If you love reading, you are certain to read the story multiple times.
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