David Copperfield

This is a tough book to review. It's also a fairly tough book to read. The language is typical Dickens: inaccessible and verbose. The plot isn't terribly tough to grasp. As food for discussion and dissection, this book is tops. As a pleasure read, not so great. It's 900 pages long, so there's that. Plus, it's just not that interesting from a plot perspective. It's about a guy who grows up. Sometimes he's poor, sometimes he's not, and it's all about how he gets from rich to poor to rich to poor to rich again. I admit that there's a decent amount of good old Victorian humor, and the characters in the novel are terrific. Mr. Micawber and Aunt Betsey have got to be two of the funniest characters ever written. Overall I am forced to admit that David Copperfield is a really good novel. The writing is great, the characters are wonderful, and the depth of the thing is just unfathomable. However, the real question is "is it fun to read?" The answer is...yes, with a few caveats. It isn't as easy to read or as pleasantly engaging as modern novels, particularly works of Young Adult Fiction. Furthermore, reading DC requires quite a commitment, since it's so long. However, if you have the patience to read a very long novel, and if you enjoy Victorian literature and aren't expecting Harry Potter levels of plot engagement, DC is a very rewarding and worthwhile read.

Rating: 8/10
Read this book if: You need an infusion of British class struggle while you wait around for the next season of Downton Abbey.
Don't read this book if: You can't handle long works of literature, big words, or books that require analysis and discussion to be fully appreciated.