Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

37 reviews

perfectcupoftea's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful lighthearted sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Homophobia

c_dmckinney's review

dark emotional hopeful informative sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

bwilliams24's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Abortion, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism

moonbasket's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

5.0

This book is upsetting and stressful. It is not for the faint of heart, but it is a well crafted story about a minority demographic in the Appalachian mountains. As a Tennessee queer, this story was extremely important to me. It was also very well written. Check the content warnings for your triggers, but if it's within your tolerance, I highly recommend this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Gun violence, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Abortion, and Pregnancy

snarkycrafter's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

Wow. This was a great piece of literature that was a very difficult read. It hurts some really hard, and dark, topics and themes. 

I did not look forward to reading some parts of it and had to read it in small bursts. It took me liber than usual to get through it. BUT, it was worth it. It’s decidedly worth the read…just difficult and painful to process. Definitely take a look at the trigger warnings because…damn. 

Anybody will tell you, the born  of this world are marked from the get out. Win or lose. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Cancer, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

arayo's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Self harm, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Cancer, Homophobia, Racism, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Vomit, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Abortion

ellecam's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.5

truly the ending with him and angus tainted the book, annoyingly cliche and dumb

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and Classism

Moderate: Cancer

Minor: Abortion

deparme's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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, Death, Drug use, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Vomit, and Trafficking

Minor: Animal death, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, and Toxic friendship

kylemhaggerty's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

melbell016's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

5.0

This is a really good retelling of David Copperfield. Granted, I never read it, but the modern themes in this book make this a compelling story. 

It gives a good window into life in Appalachia, into poverty, into an unforgiving world that keeps beating you down. This is truly a modern classic. 

This is a sad and painful read, but it is worth reading. And it’s a good window into

how Purdue really destroyed people’s lives.

I also like the end of the acknowledgments section. Very poetic. “For the kids who wake up hungry in those dark places every day, who’ve lost their families to poverty and pain pills, whose caseworkers keep losing their files, who feel invisible, or wish they were: this book is for you.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Moderate: Miscarriage and Rape

Minor: Animal death and Racism