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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
Despite a few minor flaws, I still consider Dickens to be a master at creating little universes full of eccentric, hilarious, and deplorable characters; and there's nothing I love more than diving into his worlds! What an amazing 5-day-long ride this book was!
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Dare I say...too many words
challenging
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Listened to the audio version, long listen but I think I enjoyed it more than if i had read. Previously reading Demon Copperhead made me look forward to what the text that had inspired it had in store. This had a wide cast of characters and those who Copperfield had interactions with were always so glad to hear of him or see him again. A life of adversities but not feeling down trodden was refreshing, as it helped to move the story along.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really enjoyed the parts of the book that dealt with his childhood and I was fascinated with how engaging the characters' voices felt even in mundane situations, something that made me feel confident I'd fly through the book, regardless of how big of a novel it is.
Now, once we got into his adolescent years and adulthood, the read started feeling quite lukewarm and besides some sequences I desperately wanted to see happen (David growing into a confident young man after all the suffering, standing up to his abusive step-father and aunt and Steerforth getting his karma for being a pos), everything else was just there. Still easy to read but just not engaging anymore.
Hated Steerforth from the moment I met him btw, hated even more the fact that David idolised him for so long.
Besides these 3 characters I hated (Steerforth, the step-father and aunt) all the new characters felt forgettable (besides his aunt, Betsey), while the old ones from his childhood did not grab my attention further, not even David.
Throughout the book I also hated the way Dora, David's first wife, was portrayed and his nickname for her, child-wife. I wanted to barf every single time.
That character's journey felt just so sad to me. She was capricious, 'simple', 'an innocent' and childish. Her only qualities displayed were her beauty and her cheerfulness (which would sometimes turn into a shortcoming, into childishness).
That implies this girl was an actual child, (which I don't care if it not might have been illegal, it's still morally wrong and disgusting) as she calls herself more or less 'simple' and not able to deal with the responsibilities of being a wife (MAYBE CAUSE SHE'S A CHILD??).
The worst thing out of all of this is that on her dying bed she's thankful that she gets to die then, when she's still precious to him, before she grows up and won't be as enticing as she is now, when her 'unworthiness' as a 'wife' would make him resent her.
I despise that with every single fibre of my being! That her life and death are so tied to this man. That she has no inner-life to depend on. That her worth is only as his wife and not as her own person. I hate it!
The way this character is used and represented in the story sullies the way I see the David's character, although he claims to have loved her. I never truly got to see anything real or deep enough about Dora to make me feel like she was anything but a shiny pretty thing.
The only reason I'm not giving this less than three stars is because I appreciated the writing style, it was more or less easy to read (even though uninteresting at times) and I deeply enjoyed the book while it was set during his childhood years.
Now, once we got into his adolescent years and adulthood, the read started feeling quite lukewarm and besides some sequences I desperately wanted to see happen (David growing into a confident young man after all the suffering, standing up to his abusive step-father and aunt and Steerforth getting his karma for being a pos), everything else was just there. Still easy to read but just not engaging anymore.
Hated Steerforth from the moment I met him btw, hated even more the fact that David idolised him for so long.
Besides these 3 characters I hated (Steerforth, the step-father and aunt) all the new characters felt forgettable (besides his aunt, Betsey), while the old ones from his childhood did not grab my attention further, not even David.
Throughout the book I also hated the way Dora, David's first wife, was portrayed and his nickname for her, child-wife. I wanted to barf every single time.
That character's journey felt just so sad to me. She was capricious, 'simple', 'an innocent' and childish. Her only qualities displayed were her beauty and her cheerfulness (which would sometimes turn into a shortcoming, into childishness).
That implies this girl was an actual child, (which I don't care if it not might have been illegal, it's still morally wrong and disgusting) as she calls herself more or less 'simple' and not able to deal with the responsibilities of being a wife (MAYBE CAUSE SHE'S A CHILD??).
The worst thing out of all of this is that on her dying bed she's thankful that she gets to die then, when she's still precious to him, before she grows up and won't be as enticing as she is now, when her 'unworthiness' as a 'wife' would make him resent her.
I despise that with every single fibre of my being! That her life and death are so tied to this man. That she has no inner-life to depend on. That her worth is only as his wife and not as her own person. I hate it!
The way this character is used and represented in the story sullies the way I see the David's character, although he claims to have loved her. I never truly got to see anything real or deep enough about Dora to make me feel like she was anything but a shiny pretty thing.
The only reason I'm not giving this less than three stars is because I appreciated the writing style, it was more or less easy to read (even though uninteresting at times) and I deeply enjoyed the book while it was set during his childhood years.
An extraordinary book. Beautiful, tender, touching, vulnerable, and heartfelt. I loved every moment with David Copperfield and shall cherish it forever more.
It was a long haul, but worth it. Charles Dickens' most autobiographical novel, and his personal favorite of his numerous works, describes his life from birth until his thirties when he was already a successful writer. There is much plot and many memorable characters. His villains stand out - the Murdstones, Old Creakle, Steerforth, Uriah Heep - and as villains will do, move the many storylines forward. But there are far more sweet, gentle and often hilarious heroes/heroines - Peggotty, Mr. Peggotty, Aunt Betsey, Traddles, the Micawbers, and of course, Agnes - who instill the book with its optimism and reflect Dickens' sympathy for the frailties of human nature. These unforgettable characters make the book, in spite of its considerable tragedy and sadness, an ultimately uplifting and inspiring read.