Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

179 reviews

sarasreading's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

Rating this book is hard. There were parts that were an absolute 5 stars for me, and there were times I was struggling to keep going with it because it was almost too depressing, and kept dragging on. I started losing my investment in the story because it was becoming pretty hopeless for a while, and I thought the rest of the book would continue on that way. Thankfully I became invested again and it ended up being a very good read. I've never read David Copperfield, but this book does make me want to pick it up and compare.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, and Death

Moderate: Sexual harassment and Racism

marypaz13's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Finally finished it!!

I can see why this one the Pulitzer.
Book about addiction. A book about losing hope but at the same time not being able to give up.

Demon is such a lovable character, flaws and all. That poor kid. I didn't necessarily hate the other characters, they were just there. I liked June, definitely eldest sister vibes, the one that grew up to fast. Agnes was that one in a million, the one that was able to make it out. And we all have that Maggot in our lives, the one that's always too childish no matter how old.

When I started this book, I had the misconception that it took place in the the 50's/60's, but once it mentioned some pop culture things, I realized it was definitely 70's to the present (at least the early 2000's) -- I don't remember the book actually mentioning the year.

Love that art is the outlet that was used.

This book served as a history rabbit hole for me. Had no idea about the oxidation clinics, had to google it. Crazy shiitake!! Like, the idea was inconceivable until I read about it. No wonder the whole "war on drugs" was such a big deal.

And the whole hillbilly/redneck thing. The idea that the term alone is derogatory yet people don't realize that it is.

Such a great read. I did a hybrid read; started with the book ended up with the audio. Which I did like the narrator, I felt he encompassed Demon's character to a T.

P.S. I may add more to this review, maybe, idk.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Drug use, and Death

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Abandonment, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, and Classism

Minor: Sexual harassment, Vomit, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy

aliterarygoodtime's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Addiction, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Grief, Drug abuse, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

tctimlin's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative 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

5.0

On a scale of 1-5 this was a 6 for me.  Kingsolver is an incredible writer and she got the voice of our narrator perfectly.   She also gets the beauty and the ugliness of Appalachia perfectly (I have spent a fair amount of time working in that part of the world).  I loved the way she paralleled Dickens’ “David Copperfield” and uses it to write about contemporary issues like the opioid crisis in 21st century America.  Next time I read it (for there will definitely be a next time), I’d like to parallel read it with David Copperfield because in my memory, it lines up almost perfectly in character and plot.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Classism, Emotional abuse, Death, Miscarriage, Drug use, Trafficking, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Medical trauma

slow_slow's review against another edition

challenging inspiring tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I grew up reading Christy, and I feel like this is a much less romanticized view of this portion of Appalachia. Extremely well written, it leaves the reader satisfied and wanting more at the same time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Abandonment, Alcohol, Bullying, Classism, Violence, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Suicide

princessxnicole's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, Addiction, Grief, Drug abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

abbeyjreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

4.75 rounded up

this was an absolutely beautiful read and i thoroughly enjoyed it, so i have very little criticism, but i have found that the criticism i do have all stem from having read this through the lens of adaptation. david copperfield is one of my favorite novels, it’s a story i have loved for as long as i can remember, so i am very familiar with its characters, its tone, its story beats. and this hit a lot of those notes! but there were a few missteps that ultimately resulted in .25 deduction on the rating. 

this is not “inspired by” in the sense that it has the zest and spirit of the original content, this is a tried and true retelling. every major story beat is reworked and seamlessly woven into its new setting. nothing lost its power here, the highs felt high and lows were as low as you were framed to expect from the original. my two biggest qualms were the characterization and utilization of Mr. McCobb (Mr. Micawber) and Miss Betsy (Betsy Trotwood), and some of Demon’s character development.  

Mr. Micawber and Betsy Trotwood are two of the BEST CHARACTERS in the original work and have such an astounding impact on david and his character; he becomes more hopeful and resilient because of them and their influence and they are both deeply impactful to him. these two entirely lost their footing here. Miss Betsy is really only seen in two chapters - and while she maintains a lot of her personality - she is really more of a distant force in demon’s life who places him where it is necessary for other characters to cater to him in the ways she did in the original. Mr. Micawber is a dubiously delightful character who you don’t respect as much as you admire - he can’t hold anything around him together but he can hold himself and that’s what matters. he is a beacon of positivity and - while an ultimately naive and deluded example - to david’s young and impressionable mind he is a bright spot in what has always been a sorry life. the mccobb family leaves no lasting impression upon demon here and if they left anything on the page its a sorry taste in your mouth. it just felt like two deeply impactful and memorable characters were squandered. 

this directly results in demon’s character and development evolving in an entirely different way. in the original, david is an ultimately cheerful and - sometimes naively - optimistic young man who persists in being a gentleman and a dreamer and an all around good human. obviously, demon’s story unravels with different elements that result in him exploring some much more personally dark places. instead of being subjected to squalid environments and lurid company, demon’s surroundings are a direct result of his own choices and vices. i did find demon’s narration to be charming and he does in time come full circle towards his expectations, but david’s original character is something that sticks with a reader. he is so resolute. so immovably good. i thought about david for months after finishing it, and demon will occupy a very different headspace for me. 

regardless, this was effortlessly beautiful and harrowing. it may have felt off kilter to me in very slight moments, but this drew me in so deep. i was so invested. and even though i knew what was coming - waiting for each beat to hit, each iconic moment to be reimagined - i was always surprised by how fresh it felt. 

if this did anything well - and it did, it did almost everything well - it found the hope, and it maintained it. dickens work has stood the test of time for a reason, and this knew exactly why. it held on to its spark of originality among a landscape that has been tirelessly traversed for almost 200 years. it was new eyes on an old soul. the world has not stopped turning, but the heart of this story will stay the same in every new century it sees. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Cursing, Violence, Grief, Miscarriage, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Child death, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Murder, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship

abbywj's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Cursing, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Child abuse, Death, and Pregnancy

Minor: Racism and Abortion

avroc's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Classism, Death, Grief, Trafficking, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

rinku's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative 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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Grief, Child abuse, Violence, Drug use, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal death, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Bullying, Animal cruelty, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Car accident, and Miscarriage

Minor: Abortion