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David Copperfield

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David Copperfield

By: Charles Dickens
Narrated by: Simon Vance
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About this listen

 David Copperfield is the quintessential novel by England's most beloved novelist. Based in part on Dickens's own life, it is the story of a young man's journey from an unhappy and impoverished childhood to the discovery of his vocation as a successful novelist. Among its gloriously vivid cast of characters, he encounters his tyrannical stepfather, Mr. Murdstone; his formidable aunt, Betsey Trotwood; the eternally humble yet treacherous Uriah Heep; the frivolous, enchanting Dora; and one of literature's great comic creations, the magnificently impecunious Mr. Micawber - a character resembling Dickens's own father.

In David Copperfield - the novel he described as his "favorite child" - Dickens drew revealingly on his own experiences to create one of his most exuberant and enduringly popular works, filled with tragedy and comedy in equal measure.

©1923 Public Domain (P)2009 Tantor Classics Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Fiction

Editorial reviews

At 34 hours in length, this is quite an undertaking, but there's no one better qualified than Simon Vance to lead us through this audio journey. He parses the author's long sentences well, pausing sufficiently to make the details easy to follow while still maintaining a quick enough pace to keep the story going. Most enjoyable is his voicing of the myriad characters who appear in the narrative - and characters they certainly are. Vance times their occasionally hilarious exchanges especially well. All of this is delivered in a manner that suggests that Vance revels in Dickens's prose and sly humor, and the listener cannot help but revel along with him. Three cheers for Vance - and not the least for his stamina!
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I like to dip into traditional classics, because it makes me feel like I'm "improving" myself. When I found this in my Audible library (maybe I got it in a sale?) I decided to read it. I went into it with trepidation - the last Dickens I read was the ridiculous A Tale of Two Cities, but this book surprised me. It's quite lovely, and an easy listen - Simon Vance narrating certainly helps.

I can see why this is a classic

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I loved this - so beautifully written, and an engaging tale with fantastic characters throughout. Wish I could do it all again!

A wonderful life story.

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David Copperfield is a favourite of mine and this audio version definitely does it justice.

The narrator has an understated style but still does a fantastic job of bringing all of Dickens's characters to life.

*Spoilers!*


His depiction of Dora completely changed my previous (rather uncharitible) perspective on her character and made me understand how David fell in love with her childlike charm.

Daniel Peggoty was exactly as I'd imagined, as was his sister, David's Aunt Betsy, and the foolish and melodramatic Micawbers. Traddles's kindness and good nature shine throughout. The narrator's take on David himself hits the perfect balance of sincerity and gentle self deprecating humour.

All in all this is a lovely audio version that remains true to the classic tale.

A favourite classic told well

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Everything perfectly wonderful. The readers voice is amazing. I love all his recordings. I love Charles Dickens too!

Narrator’s fabulous voice. Wonderful story.

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