David Copperfield

At long last I have finished Charles Dickens' David Copperfield. I am a very slow reader and so my Dickens intake has been very limited down the years. I think its only Christmas Carol, Great Expectations and Hard Times plus pretty much all of Oliver Twist that I've managed. I've now got through the biggest novel (880 pages). I mostly enjoyed it but Dickens really has all the time in the world. Quite autobiographical, it really is a masterpiece full of very memorable characters (Micawber, Uriah Heep, Mr Dick, etc). I'm sure a re-read would reveal all sorts of things I missed. I've also watched a version of the story that was on BBC many Christmasses back (Daniel Ratcliff, Maggie Smith, Trevor Eve,  etc, etc). Such productions can only sketch over the story. Traddles, for example, disappears.

Day Off Week 20 2025

Much more of a traditional day off this week. It was very sunny so I put on my summer t-shirt and enjoyed myself. Oddly I didn't do much walking but I did go out for a coffee and did some tidying up here. I also read a good chunk of Mere Christianity which I've never read. Also two more amazing chapters of David Copperfield. Almost at the end now. There was also some work on the computer getting ready for Sunday, etc.

Day Off Week 14 2025

It's a week ago now but I did have a nice day off on April 1 not caught out by any pranks. I've now reached page 745 of David Copperfield so the end is in sight. Also had a nice walk and a coffee and watched Univeristy Challenge from the day before which I had missed because of a meeting with the architect. We also watched the last of the interesting drama based on the story of Ruth Ellis. Also a bit of research for apaper I have to give next month.

Day Off Week 11 2025

I began my walk but once again deviated after havinga  coffee and found it hard to do all my steps but got there eventually. till very slowly reading David Copperfield. I am enjoying it but it is so long. I also started watchinga  Swedish TV drama. In the evening my niece Charlie was with us. She is doing the Flourish course at the seminary. I ended up serving the evening meal as Eleri was late home. We have had someone else staying here but justin and out. God day.

Day Off Week 9 2025

We travelled last week to South Wales but this week it was back to a more traditional day off. I did my walk in the rain, although I again deviated from the indtended path. I ready a large chunk of David Copperfield - still a long way to go. I caught up on the Univeristy Challenge from the day before and in the evening we watched the final two episodes of the latest Unforgotten. There was also work on a project for next week.

Day Off Week 7 2025

My day off last Tuesday was similar to recent ones except that when I went on my walk on the Heath I went off my usual track and ended up in the Caffe Nero in Highgate, which I've not been in for a while. While in Highgate, I popped into the Oxfam shop and spotted a nice Paul Gallico illustrated book. I read some of The small miracle and started on the papers for the Affinity conference at the beginning of next month but my main reading was again David Copperfield. I also watched the University Challenge I'd missed and, in the evening, a bit of Miss Austen.

Day Off Week 6 2025

 

So it was on with the t-shirt and trainers again yesterday to live out anothe day off. I carrie on reading David Copperfield, which I am enjoying and also spent time on a collection of obtuaries from The Times on various muaicians from the rock world. As usual, I walked across the Heath and had some coffee. I also did some blogging and in the evening watched an episode of Silent Witness, rather gruesome but interesting.

Day Off Week 5 2025

Proper day off today. Dressed for it in t shirt and trainers, I headed off for a walk on the Heath quite early and had an early cuppa too, reading David Copperfield. Read quite a bit of that through the day (it's brilliant, of course) but also found time to watch the latest University Challenge, do some blogging and write a letter for someone, etc. Got some cheese in Waitrose to write up on my cheese blog. Near the end of the day I had bottle of pear cider that I bought from Marks and Spencer. Very nice.Reading Dickens description of Copperfield and the waiter brought back a memory of school days and acting out the scene in class (Year 8?). I was the waiter and sought to extract as much comedy from it as I could.

10 Works of Fiction That Sustained Young David Copperfield

Before being sent off to school David used to love to read these in a room next to his bedroom, books left by his father. I confess I have only read two or three of these.

1. Roderick Random (Tobias Smollet|)
2. Peregrine Pickle (Tobias Smollet|)
3. Humphrey Clinker (Tobias Smollett)
4. Tom Jones (Henry Fielding)
5. The Vicar of Wakefield (Oliver Goldsmith)
6. Don Quixote (Miguel Cervantes trans Tobias Smollett)
7. Gil Blas (Alain-René Lesage trans Tobias Smollett)
8. Robinson Crusoe (Daniel Defoe)
9. The Arabian Nights
10. The Tales of the Genii (James Ridley)