I enjoyed Frederick Davidson's reading of "Martin Chuzzlewit", so I was looking forward to his version of "David Copperfield". But the digital audio quality on my download was subpar. Even in the enhanced format it sounds a bit tinny, like a radio broadcast. The narration is perfectly comprehensible and one gets somewhat used to it after a while, but I still found it detracted from the listening experience.

If you want to believe, along with Dickens' heroine Agnes, that "Love and truth always trump hate and lies" and "Greed and dishonesty are always self-defeating though excess," then this novel will warm your heart. The sentimentality of contemporary novels labelled "heart warming" usually makes me cringe, but Dickens gladens the heart in prose that, sentimental and melodramatic as it can be, somehow doesn't gag the listener.

I love David Case's narration style, but I know many Audible listeners do not, so know that this is one of his recordings where in places can be heard his breath intake and that he undertakes many character/caricature voices. That does not bother me, but there were other small sound quality problems with my download: occasional slightly audible background noise, drops in volume, and what sounded to me like speeded up sections. These didn't spoil the listen, but made me wish that I had downloaded the Robert Whitfield version since he is equally wonderful at reading Dickens.

But if you are a David Case fan, he delivers an over-the-top performance of Mr Micawber's "Heap!" speech which seemed to me as funny as any classic Monty Python sketch. Case also brings to life Aunt Betsy, who is, I think, Dickens' most interesting female character.

I would not have enjoyed reading this novel half as much as listening, even with the sound glitches.

This narrator is simply the best. I enjoyed every minute of this book.

Dickens has a sharp eye for the best, the worst, and the absurd in human nature, and narrator Frederick Davidson brings every character to life as never before. Because Dickens' work relies more heavily on dialogue than prose, Davidson's talent is unleashed to its full extent here, with a stunning result. As with Shantaram, another of my all-time favorite listens, this audio version of David Copperfield is one of those rare gems, better heard than read.

A masterful work of art. I've always found Dickens difficult to read (so many words!), but, give me a good narrator, and I can listen for hours and hours. A great story with a talented narrator is a wonderful combo!