I have to admit that I have always struggled with Dickens, indeed with the Victorians in general, apart, of course, from my fixation with my boy Walter Bagehot. Bagehot, incidentally, rather despised Dickens.
But I stuck with the project and David Copperfield and the Kindle came to my rescue. One of the great strengths of the Kindle is the array of classics you can download for nothing and carry around for those moments when you can actually face them. Where else but my pocket can you find cheek by jowl Das Kapital and the King James Bible?
Dickens himself seems to have had a soft spot for Copperfield as the Preface to a later edition revealed,
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 good parents, I have in my heart a favourite child. And his name is DAVID COPPERFIELD.
Understand exactly where you are coming from. I have just downloaded about 12 classic books to my ipad and have just started ploughing through Don Quixote, biut wierd so changed tack to White Fang, not much better but persevering. Bring on Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer!
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