Yes, you heard me: David Copperfield. As in Charles Dickens. It’s not some new release, people. It was written in 1849-50 as a serial, and you can read or listen to the whole thing for free through any number of websites dedicated to the classics. I listened on my LibraVox.org iPhone ap (it was 35 hours long!). Again, as I work my way slowly though a list of classic literature, I’ve been delighted at my discovery. Who knew the classics were so good? Maybe that’s why they’re classics.
Charles Dickens said that of all his characters, David Copperfield was his favorite. The book follows little Davy from his difficult childhood through maturity. Oh, the characters! Naive Dora, who I didn’t like at first, but she turned out to be so honest and sweet that it was impossible not to love her – even though anyone could see from the first time he met Agnes that she would have made a better wife. Uriah was such a good villian, and I shuddered at the descriptions of his mannerisms right along with David. In today’s language, Dickens might say Uriah creeped everyone out. And then there were those horrible, horrible people at the beginning who took advantage of David’s mother and ruined his early life, and his faithful nurse Peggoty and her extended family who lived in the old grounded boat on the seashore, and the terrible betrayal by his best friend. I always sit at my sewing machine to work while I listen to audiobooks, and I had to stop and get the tissue box at the moment when David finally realized that it was Agnes all along, and they were both so overjoyed, and as they embraced, David had a vision of the little ragged boy he once was.
There’s something fulfilling and important about good long stories about real people and life, especially when at least some of the bad guys get what they deserve and most of the good guys have a happy ending. Charles Dickens was truly, truly a master. I want to read everything he wrote (already read Great Expectations…one of many), but I suspect David Copperfield will remain the favorite, as he was with Dickens.