David Copperfield Group Read: Part 2

"Of all my books, I like this the best. It will be easily believed that I am a fond parent to every child of my fancy, and that no one can ever love that family as dearly as I love them. But, like many fond parents, I have in my heart of hearts a favourite child. And his name is David Copperfield."
-Charles Dickens 1869

Okay, I decided to split this hefty tome in half. The 1st thread will go through Chapter 29 and the 2nd Thread will begin on Chapter 30. Cool?
We have some fast readers in this group, so we might as well be ready freddy! I hope everyone is having as much fun as I am reading this beloved classic.

Because of plane flights I was able to get to chap. 44, so I'm a good ways along.

I don't think any spoilers follow, but be cautious if you don't want any. Uriah Heep still is giving me the creeps. I'm glad Traddles has become prominent in the story again - interesting that he has at the same time Steerforth is notably absent. Dora - oh my goodness, a well-drawn caricature, I guess. I want to strangle Jip all of the time, and her a good part of the time, although I can see why DC doesn't.

Betsey Trotwood has a great line about significant others, as she says to David: "You have chosen freely for yourself . . . {and} it will be your duty, and it will be your pleasure, too . . . to estimate her (as you chose her) by the qualities she has, and not by the qualities she may not have." Amen to that. If you can figure that one out, you can take a relationship a long ways. My SO and I are coming up on our 29th anniversary.

I am just about to start Chapter 50, and I am loving that Dickens is wrapping up all the various storylines. I also find Dora pretty hard to take, but at the same time, she is what she is and David certainly had plenty of time to see her true qualities, which he found delightful until they started to wear on him. She does love David, but just doesn't have much intellect and he is obviously growing away from her.

I am a big fan of Betsey Trotwood, although she has a few secrets of her own. In fact, Dickens creates the most interesting of characters, including the slimy Heep, the wordy Micawber, and the gentle Mr. Dick. What I am most looking forward to is the final resolution and seeing certain people get what is coming to them!

Hear, hear! Uriah would be number one on my "get what is coming to them" list. I love Mr. Dick - and I get a kick out of the wordy Micawber. For Micawber, I always think of that British actor who played the emcee in Moulin Rouge among many other parts - Jim Broadbent? He was Slughorn in Harry Potter, too.

I have finished David Copperfield and I loved how it ended. Every story neatly wrapped up, happy endings for the ones who deserved it and bad endings for those who didn't. Mark, thanks for holding this group read as I might not have picked up David Copperfield without the encouragement. I know many people are picturing Maggie Smith as Aunty Betsy but I am totally hooked on the image of Edna May Oliver in that role - she was in the 1935 MGM movie. At times I was a little annoyed at Micawber's verbosity, but over the course of the story I grew to love the character and the scene when they confronted Uriah Heep and Micawber drew a letter out of his pocket and started reading was hilarious!

I loved it, too, Judy. His ability to create so many memorable characters is amazing. Betsey trying to get Uriah to stop writhing was another funny scene, and I was cheering during the confrontation you mention.

I finally popped in over here, since I'm closing in on the finish line. This is such a good story and what memorable characters but boy, could it use some editing. Like someone pointed out earlier, he must have been getting paid by the word.

HEEP! is definitely one literature's most memorable slimeballs!

Dora is a bit shallow and babyish to me. Davy should have ended up with Agnes. Much superior in every way.

Judy- I could see Maggie Smith playing Betsey and rolling her eyes at Mr. Micawber! Way to funny!

I finally finished it, and I really love it! I think my favorite so far is still Hard Times, but David Copperfield is pretty high up on the list. It was, granted, quite long with a few draggy spots, but since I accept that for the style of the time I just pushed on through to all the good parts. Dickens is amazing at characterizations, isn't he?

Hi Rachel, you are so right, I think his characterizations are fantastic, and he comes up with the perfect name for each character as well. I am sure long after the plot of David Copperfield fades, I will remember the interesting personalities that I met in these pages!

Chapter 32- I am so touched by Mr. Peggotty's reaction to Emily's departure.

“Every night,” said Mr. Peggotty, “as reg‘lar as the night comes, the candle must be stood in its old pane of glass, that if ever she should see it, it may seem to say ’Come back, my child, come back!‘

A 'father's' love
~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 32:
“I’m a-going to seek her, fur and wide. If any hurt should come to me, remember that the last words I left for her was, ‘My unchanged love is with my darling child, and I forgive her!’ ”

I LOVE this paragraph. This is 'family' at its best; and Emily is not his 'daughter' but his niece and yet his love is 'father' for daughter...

Sometimes this work is quite tedious and then all of a sudden something wonderful happens. Wordy but enjoyable. Great character development and I love the way things are all interwoven.

Ha, I had forgotten that we had a second thread for this Group Read. Thanks for the reminder, ccookie. I finished this tome last night and I agree completely with your description: occasionally tedious and then all of a sudden something wonderful happens. Actually, for me, starting at about chapter 32, I couldn't put it down.

I ended up giving it 4.5 stars. The characters are unforgettable.

I love, love, love the chapter on the first months of David and Dora's married life.!! Laughed right out loud in the car listening to this one

Chapter 53...

I loved this sentiment...

"I think of every little trifle between me and Dora, and feel the truth, that trifles make the sum of life."

'Trifles make the sum of life'

And then, so sad.

Again, I say, parts of this book become quite tedious and then all of a sudden... something wonderful ...

I am just past chapter 55 -The Tempest. I found Dickens descriptions of the storm and the shipwreck to be picture perfect. I could see the sea and the sand, the rain. I could reach out an touch it! Man, this guy has a way with words!

> 5...I agree the scene with McCawber had me jumping up and cheering...bah....Heeeeeeeppp!

I haven't been participating on the Group Read thread because I was so far behind, but now I am on Chapter 49 and it seems at least a few are still reading.

I am mostly listening, and sometimes reading a chapter or two on my Kindle when that'd more convenient. I've never read this before and although many of the characters seem surprisingly familiar from other references, I find I don't know the storyline at all and so it is quite suspenseful.

At this point I am racing through and should be done in a couple of days.

I am still reading as well, but still on part one. I too have never read this book, but thought that I knew the story line. Turns out I didn't. I am reading the book, and not listening to it. I think that might be a good idea for me, to get a copy on my Nook, that way I could read it in more places.

I laugh with Mark as he did a group read of Jane Eyre a couple of years ago and it took me a year to finish reading that one. And yes, I posted a notice when I finished it. I hope this doesn't take me a year, but it has certainly taken me longer than a month.

Come on guys! YOU CAN DO IT!! I feel like one of those guys, yelling encouragement from the sidelines.
I'm glad that everyone still seems to be enjoying it, as they merrily saunter along...

I'm not sure I'm enjoying it...

Mamie, I'm laughing out loud. I was never sure I was really enjoying it either, but in the end that is how I evaluated my experience. I hope you cross the finish line.....

Done! Loved the characters and the descriptions. For me, that's where Dickens excels.

Ellen - It's reeeeaaaaallllllllly long, and I find myself wanting to slap the insipid Dora around a bit.

Hooray for Jim!

Mamie- Sorry it's been a bit of a drag for you. I didn't care much for Dora either but the other rich characters make up for her insipid ways. Keep on trucking...

Jim, I agree. Dickens is the master of characterization.

Well ..... I am not sure that Dickens is THE master of characterization, but he certainly was the first. No matter what I think about reading these early classics (I often find them slow going) I find myself admiring their authors. These people were innovators of the first order. The story of Jane Eyre is practically a cliche at this point in time, but when it was written it must have blown people's socks off. The same is true for Dickens. Even though I am not even half done with DC I can understand why people stood in line to buy the newspapers in which it was serialized. Reading this must have been like standing in line to see Avatar! When I think in those terms then I can understand the brilliance of Dicken's writing.

27> LOL! I actually agree. He developed the craft but others have certainly improved upon it. I do think he had a creative sense of humor and used that in creating memorable characters. And I agree about the impact of reading some of the classic authors, Jane Eyre being an excellent case in point. I am developing a list of "classics" that I'd like to read, feeling that I have an understanding of them now that I simply did not have when expected to read and appreciate them in high school.