For the last month or so, I have been spending every weekday morning and afternoon on the drive to and from work listening to an excellent unabridged reading of Charles Dicken’s DAVID COPPERFIELD.  Though I am not quite done with it yet, I can safely say it’s one the best books I’ve ever read, and even better than GREAT EXPECTATIONS.  Here is a short list of reasons why it’s so good:

1. CHARACTERS – This is said to be true of every Dickens book, but there are so many indelible characters in DAVID COPPERFIELD they could — well–they could fill a book!  There is David’s Aunt, who hates donkeys on her property, and Mr. Macawber, who is always in debt, and, worst of all, the agonizingly insincere, toadying, plotting, treacherous Uriah Heap.  There is a woman dwarf who makes an appearance that seems like a walk on, only to re-appear with an awesome, heart-rending speech about her position in life.  Every character is memorable and fully realized, and seem familiar to me today in 2008 as they were when the book was written in 1850.
2. PLOT  - Unlike GREAT EXPECTATIONS, which had a good plot and was full of observations on the past, COPPERFIELD has tons of plot twists and turns, challenges for our hero, surprises, and sad moments.  It really keeps you on your toes.  And it all feels “real” and not just heaped on there for the sake of keeping you reading.  No wonder it’s been made into a movie several times.
3. HUMOR – This is a very funny book, a laugh out loud funny book, with great funny stories, and clever bits of business, and it never detracts from the story.  Dickens was a funny guy!
4. HEART - DAVID COPPERFIELD is a story about love, and family, and committment, and mistakes, and serious lessons about life.  Parts of this book will bring you to tears.  The speeches are excellent and very natural and very true.

I recommend this book to everyone, and can’t wait until my daughter starts reading it in Middle School so we can can read it together.  It is really something special.  Let’s face–I’m hooked.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 10th, 2008 at 2:42 pm and is filed under Books. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.