'Never,' said my aunt, 'be mean in anything; never be false; never be cruel. Avoid those three vices, Trot, and I can always be hopeful of you.'
It is because David Copperfield (Trotwood, to his aunt) embodies these virtues that his character and this book are uplifting when so much of the story is filled with sadness. Despite all the hardships he experiences and all the hardships he sees in life around him, his nobility endures. He not only has the strength to see him through many challenges of heart and pocketbook, he lends his strength to those around him who are in need.
The writing is sometimes deeply heartfelt and sometimes buoyantly humorous, but always engaging. Well, maybe not ALWAYS, but much of it is excellent and thought-provoking. I don't think Dickens would fault me for drifting off a time or two in his lengthy classic (which I later regretted). To quote:
"I never thought, when I used to read books, what work it was to write them.' 'It's work enough to read them, sometimes,' I [Copperfield] returned. 'As to the writing, it has its own charms, aunt.
Dickens always introduces us to unique and engaging characters in his novels, and this novel does not disappoint. I was glad to finish this book, but like him, sad to say farewell to those heroes, and even villains, I had spent so much time with and who he so aptly described.
'Clever! She brings everything to a grindstone,' said Steerforth, 'and sharpens it, as she has sharpened her own face and figure these years past. She has worn herself away by constant sharpening. She is all edge.'
He is not unaware of his own faults and failings in his journey to manhood.
'Mr. Creakle cuts a joke before he beats him, and we laugh at it,—miserable little dogs, we laugh, with our visages as white as ashes, and our hearts sinking into our boots.'
There is Dickens' usual commentary on the nature of society and evils it is prone to and the evil its individuals are prone to, as well. His observations are always prescient, and truths, universal.
'"Satan finds some mischief still, for idle hands to do."' 'Egad, Doctor,' returned Mr. Wickfield, 'if Doctor Watts knew mankind, he might have written, with as much truth, "Satan finds some mischief still, for busy hands to do." The busy people achieve their full share of mischief in the world, you may rely upon it. What have the people been about, who have been the busiest in getting money, and in getting power, this century or two? No mischief?'
'It may be profitable to you to reflect, in future, that there never were greed and cunning in the world yet, that did not do too much, and overreach themselves. It is as certain as death.'
Of course, he sees much goodness, too.
'From my swoon, I first awoke to a consciousness of her compassionate tears, her words of hope and peace, her gentle face bending down as from a purer region nearer Heaven, over my undisciplined heart, and softening its pain.'
He has much to say on love and marriage...love and the undisciplined heart, what marriage is founded upon, and the changes and adaptations one must be prepared to make. Things no one knows about or, at least, understands until they have had the experience. Not even Dickens' profound and emotional words can discipline our hearts.
I would love to revisit this novel in the future, understanding what I know now..."yet knowing how way leads on to way..."
Review by R. E. Admore, author of "Mist and Amethyst"
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Reviews with images
Kindle owners: should you buy this for $1.99 or get the free version?
An important literary work that's also a joy to read.There are a few Kindle versions, including a free one and this $1.99 one.I have both, and the only difference is the $1.99 version includes the 38 images by Hablot Browne from the original serial installments (19 monthly installments of 3 chapters each, released during 1849-1850, with 2 images per installment) and the first edition of the book (1850). Browne did the illustrations for 10 of Dickens' novels.The images in the Kindle version are low-resolution scans of the original images (or perhaps scans of other scans).On the Kindle Paperwhite, I don't think the images look very good, and some detail is hard to make out on some of the images. On the 10" iPad running the Kindle app, the images are much easier to see, both in their original size and when blown up to take up almost the full screen. However, the low-resolution images don't look very crisp on the high-resolution iPad display.I'll attach pictures of the same image on the Paperwhite and the 10" iPad (running the Kindle app) in hopes they'll help give you a better idea what you're getting for $1.99 on either device.Note that you can see all the images online for free. (I'll put a link in the first comment.) However, the site I link to doesn't tell you where each image belongs in the book, which chapter it goes with. I guess that's the biggest reason I can think of to pay the $2 - the Kindle book has each image embedded in the place where it appears in the print version of the book. The images are of historic significance, each one adds to the story (the artist was working with Dickens), and I enjoy them a lot.Just set your expectations low if you're getting it for your Paperwhite.
Top reviews from other countries
Rebonth Ram
The quality and packaging was really good
Reviewed in India on March 16, 2024
