Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

63 reviews

camillaforte's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Reading parts of this book feels like army crawling through gravel, but Kingsolver is a master of give and take writing. She always knows just when to ease up a little bit to get you through. Demon Copperhead is heartbreaking, darkly funny and immensely insightful. 
I’m only knocking half a star off for the shallow purpose of marking that this wasn’t enjoyable for me at times, purely for personal reasons having nothing to do with the quality of the book itself.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Death of parent, Abandonment, Child abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Abortion, Blood, and Cursing

sby's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Grief, Drug use, Vomit, Addiction, Death of parent, Death, Child death, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, and Miscarriage

hsieh's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Kingsolver writes a masterpiece here, a pointed critique of how capitalism fails America and its poorest, through the lens of the struggles of its foster children, the opioid crisis, and how so many people stereotype the rural people of America's forgotten heartland. But Kingsolver is never piteous, never condescending: her characters seek only to be met face to face, understood as full people.

Speaking of, Kingsolver writes characters that could jump off the pages. I cherish, hate and mourn for them like they're my own friends. They're so real I had to double check this wasn't an autobiography. I feel empty now without them.

One of the things I appreciate most about this book, however, is that it never feels like tragedy porn -- a trap I felt books like "A Little Life" sometimes fell into. Each tragedy is crushing, but not without hope; there's always characters on the margins rooting for the protagonist, and his community, to succeed. I only wish their analogues in real life could find the same support.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Racism, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Xenophobia, Addiction, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Child death, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Hate crime, Abortion, Homophobia, Murder, Ableism, and Gun violence

opplecopter's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Violence, Grief, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Child death, Cursing, Death, Addiction, Blood, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Terminal illness, Vomit, Confinement, Cancer, and Abandonment

Minor: Animal death, Abortion, Car accident, and Pedophilia

natnatatx's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I really enjoyed this book despite its heavy themes.  It made me think about America’s habit of exploiting our rural workers, our inability to make our children a priority, and the insidiousness of the pharma companies that targeted small towns and created major addiction issues.
It found myself rooting for Demon over and over and despite many falls, watching him grow.
If you enjoyed Dicken’s David Copperfield, this book will feel familiar. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Homophobia, Infidelity, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, and Physical abuse

corinniebee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Abandonment, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Grief, Alcoholism, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Classism, Death, and Miscarriage

Minor: Pregnancy, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Excrement, Suicide, and Abortion

jesspresso98's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A few inconsistencies at the beginning of the book. But overall, a good story about addiction & generational curses

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, and Drug use

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, and Child death

Minor: Rape

gabriellejon's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Growing up in Appalacia meant seeing the truth written in this book with my own two eyes.

The pill mills, the overdoses, the kids in and out of foster care, the abuse, growing up too fast. This is a viceral book, with a happy ending. I cried many times. I had my own Dori. He died the same way she did. I miss him. I lost him 6 years ago and the pain never goes away. I have the same anger in my chest as Demon. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Chronic illness, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Abortion, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Grief, Drug use, Child death, Addiction, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Trafficking, Cursing, Death, Toxic friendship, Classism, Alcohol, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, and Physical abuse

mobymaize's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Demon Copperhead is a hard read. It isn't hard in terms of the actual language of it not making too much sense, but it's hard because you want Demon to stop doing so much shit. You want him to stop suffering, to get help before he loses everything. It's emotional, it's devastating, and, if anything, it is full of hope. Hope to become better, to recover, to mend oneself and become a person who, while still having traumas, is an actual person. Overall fantastic :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Abortion, Classism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Cancer, Child abuse, Death of parent, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Grief, Medical content, Trafficking, Addiction, Alcohol, Car accident, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Racism, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence

abscott's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Death, Cursing, Bullying, Violence, Physical abuse, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism and Abandonment

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Excrement, Sexual violence, Racism, Self harm, Trafficking, Abortion, Homophobia, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Medical content, Sexism, Sexual assault, Child death, Chronic illness, Gore, Grief, and Gun violence