This is the novel Dickens regarded as his 'favourite child' and is considered his most autobiographical. As David recounts his experience from childhood to the discovery of his vocation as a successful novelist, Dickens draws openly and revealingly on his own life. Among the gloriously vivid cast of characters are Rosa Dartle, Dora, Steerforth, and the humble Uriah Heep. . . along with Mr Micawber, a portrait of Dickens's own father, evoking a mixture of love, nostalgia and guilt.