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emmalong's reviews
516 reviews
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
baby’s first Dickens, and i’m really happy with where i started. david copperfield is obviously a beloved classic, so nobody really needs me to come on their timeline and convince them to read it. but i can definitely tell you what i thought of it. i wanted to read this one first because i adored Demon Copperhead, Kingsolver’s inspiration obviously rooted in David Copperfield.
we follow David and the chronicle of his life from his perspective as a newly orphaned young boy into young adulthood, but we hear the story from the vantage point of him later in life. i enjoyed this point of view as david had the power to foreshadow what was to come or leave the reader in the dark. a lot of the characters were very memorable. a loyal friend Traddles, a devoted nurse Peggotty, a beloved aunt Trotwood, an elusive Mr. Micawber, and the compassionate Agnes. i really loved a lot of these characters, but my biggest qualm with this book was that they were unfortunately sometimes flat. nobody ever really changed, good things happened to good people, and bad things happened to bad people. it’s a statement from the author, but not very realistic.
there were conversations mostly on class and humanity. what it was like to live during this time, what was important and valued, and what it meant and took to be a good person. i just wish the characters were able to be more dynamic, because i think conversations about gray morality would have fit in well in this story, and i would have loved to hear it from the author’s perspective.
overall, i’m so happy to have read this book. i rated it 4/5 stars, the writing was obviously stellar and the characters really engagign, i just wish they weren’t all stuck in boxes. i can’t wait to read more Dickens in the future!!