David Copperfield is the story of the titled character's life; a fictional autobiography. He starts from his birth and takes us through all the ups and downs of his remarkable existence: from childhood challenges, broken relationships, and grievous losses to the blessings of redemption, family, friends, prosperity, and justice. I'd love to say more, but don't want to ruin it for you.
Being a huge fan of Charles Dickens and having several friends recommend this book as his best, I had great expectations* going in to this one. And, in typical Dickens style, he delivers delightful eloquence with comedic flair (this may be the funniest Dickens book I've read, to the point that I was reminded of Dave Barry's style). The characters are a strength; many have a host of delightful and hilarious idiosyncrasies, and several have honorable self-sacrificial attitudes. It's a funny, edifying, and humbling read. And it's easy to identify with the narrator as he recounts the terrors we experience as children, the hardships of profession, the delights of love and friendship, and the agonies of evil, brokenness, and injustice in the world.
While good, it's not all gold. It's long and the pace is uneven: the first third is excellent, the next sixth slows down considerably, and the final portion is (mostly) good but sprinkled with slow parts. Several 'coincidental' encounters in the novel seem highly improbable; though that gave the book a romantic element and helped tie loose ends, it tarnished it somewhat. Finally, there weren't as many quotable lines as his other works. Overall, though, this is a good one.
Rating: A
*couldn't resist
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