Delightful Dickens listening

Would you consider the audio edition of David Copperfield to be better than the print version?

For me, the audio edition of David Copperfield was every bit as good as a book. I think Dickens in particular lends himself well to audio interpretation. The special magic of the audio version for me is that it recalls that comforting feeling I had as child; of listening to my parents read a story and being carried away into another world.

What was one of the most memorable moments of David Copperfield?

It is impossible for me to chose a moment that was more memorable than others. David Copperfield is one continuous rollercoaster ride of joys, sorrows, hardships, heartbreak, tearful departures and joyous reunions. The cast of characters include some of the most memorable villians, noble women, cruel step-fathers and loveable unfortunates ever penned. It is first class Dickens.

What about Peter Batchelor’s performance did you like?

Peter Batchelor is perfect for Dickens. He is an entire cast of voices. His sure control of tone, mastery of timbre and accents are a delight. Being a baritone, Batchelor's only difficulty comes when playing women and children. Uriah Heep will make anyones skin crawl. The dialogues are particularly brilliant. In these, Batchelor needs to switch between characters, finding exactly the right voice for one and then answering immediately in another. It is dazzling stuff but the virtuosity is never at the expense of the narrative. One imagines this was the way Dickens himself would have read for his friends; revelling in the characters; growling, squeeking, lisping, mimicking accents and enjoying every minute of it.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Dr. Stong is married to Anne, a very beautiful and much younger woman. Uriah Heep has contrived to cast suspicion in the mind of the doctor that his wife had taken a young lover. Deeply in love with his wife, he is willing to let the situation fall into silence in order to keep her. Never confronted, Anne is neither guilty nor innocent. It is then revealed that Heep is a villian. This provides Anne Strong with an opportunity. The words that pour forth are some of the most beautiful and deeply moving in any book I have read.

9 people found this helpful

Fitting rendition of a classic

Peter Batchelor does more then justice to Dickens' epic fictionalised memoir. As a first-person narrative it is ideally suited for the intimacy of the audiobook format, and Batchelor is throughout at one with the material, his deep baritone rolling on with unflagging verve through the yarn's decades. Unavoidably he recedes a little on the female parts, particularly the vapid ingenue Dora, but his range and variety on the male characters is vast. My favourite was the Cockney climber Uriah Heep, but the country boatman Dan Peggotty's tones were rich and dark as gravy on the ear. Dickens' themes of upbringing and maturity are woven densely through the story, which is studded with moving moments as well as richly comic scenes, mostly involving the hapless Mr Micawber. After 32 hours the end left me wanting more.

8 people found this helpful

Wonderful Listening Experience

Would you listen to David Copperfield again? Why?

No, I already know the outcome, but as I read it, I did replay several scenes because they were so delightful.

What other book might you compare David Copperfield to and why?

not sure because this was my first experience at listening to fiction. I usually listen to history, biography or other non-fiction

What does Peter Batchelor bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

wonderful expression...he does the voices of the different characters that brought the book alive. I can't believe how much of a listening "page turner" it was..because of Dickens's always-interesting and entertaining characters. Had I simply read the story, I don't think I would have imagined a lot of the characters's voices...This narrator was really perfect for this novel.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

well, you can't because it is so long.

Any additional comments?

This was my first time listening to non-fiction. I do a two hour commute every day (both ways) and I can't recommend this book enough. At first I was concerned that maybe I would forget the previous day, so I checked out a copy from the library to review sometimes a little bit before the next time...but I only had to do that a couple of times.I even did my weekend 3 mile runs with this in my iPod! Another first for me...I highly recommend this book.. In fact, I am going to purchase another Dickens book read by this narrator.It is one of my favorite books so far from audible...and I've been a member for over three years.

5 people found this helpful

Run on narrator

Turning this version in for one with a different narrator. This one was hard to focus on-monotonic.

2 people found this helpful

A great classic and well read.

Say what you will about Charles Dickens’ novels But I love them and this is one of my favorites. I understand that one’s opinion about the narration is a bit subjective but I thought this particular narration was excellent. And that made a big difference for me.

2 people found this helpful

very interesting and well read

Would you listen to David Copperfield again? Why?

yes, I will listen to it again. this was one of the best read books I have heard so far, I would highly recommend it!

What does Peter Batchelor bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

he really made the book enjoyable, very talented reader

5 people found this helpful

A good story ruined

This is a very poor narrator. He rendition of women speaking set me on edge. Go for a different narrator if you want to enjoy this wonderful Dickens novel

1 person found this helpful

fantastic performance of the classic

Dickens, the great linguist and storyteller, as read by a great performer. So much easier to listen to than to read.

1 person found this helpful

Terrible Recording

Audible always has the highest quality recoding and performances. I have never given any of the 100 books I’ve listened less than 3 stars but this one gets a zero across the board because the recording quality and performance was terrible.

What a disappointment I was really looking forward to hearing this story.

1 person found this helpful

great narration, poor audio quality

The narrator was great, but it was a pretty quiet recording and there were quite a few moments when it was clear that recording stopped and started, and there were some strange volume inconsistencies. But I paid 97¢ and it was a good deal for that price.

1 person found this helpful