Reviews tagging 'Death'

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

738 reviews

iordanmoore's review

dark emotional funny hopeful 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

4.5

I loved the narrator’s voice! A retelling of David Copperfield but through the modern lens of being in Appalachia and also dealing with the opioid crisis. Despite all of the troubles life deals Demon, he’s a main character you can’t help but root for and I loved his relationship with Angus.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Animal death, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Vomit

mmp1002's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

christaleebee90's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense 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

Wow. I’m still a little awe struck by this book. 
I purposefully gave it time. I didn’t rush through it. And I’m so glad. 
Every moment of this book deserves time and attention. Analysis and introspection. Empathy and compassion. Horror and respect. 
It’s a tragically beautiful story about the parts of our country and world we’d rather ignore. 
Everyone should read this. No Dickens schema required. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Violence, and Death of parent

narcolex's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

This book will break your heart, put it back together, and break it again. I was fully on board for all of it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death of parent and Sexual harassment

Minor: Racism

alicroz34's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

People love to believe in danger, as long as it's you in harm's way, and them saying bless your heart. 

We kids roamed wide, sometimes as far as the old coal camps with the little row houses like Monopoly, except not all alike anymore due to idle mischief and the various ways a roof can cave in. 

The microwave he'd bought her with the blue lit-up clock said 4:21. Nine minutes to go. I didn't want to be in that kitchen, and I didn't want to go back to the farm. I sat still, trying to be nothing and nowhere, watching my minutes tick out. 

And I'd have to go on living with what an asshole I'd been to her, especially at the end that I didn't know was the end. Last time I'd seen her at the house, did I even say goodbye, or let her hug me? I can't tell you. I've tried and will go on trying to see those last minutes again, pounding on them sometimes like it's the door of a damn bank vault, but if there's anything in there at all to be remembered, it's not coming to me. Access denied. 

Instead, I get to remember every single thing about the funeral. That day sits big and hard in my brain like this monster rock in the ocean, waiting to wreck me. I wish to God it would leave my brain. It stays. 

The people in the church looked like strangers. Some or most I'm sure I'd met before, but I wasn't seeing faces, just the rock-hard hearts. All of them thinking Mom brought this on herself, and was getting the last ride she deserved in that cheap white casket. A mean side to people comes out at such times, where their only concern is what did the misfortunate person do to put themselves in their sorry fix. They're building a wall to keep out the bad luck. I watched them do it. 

At the start of the service they did that song about Amazing God, and I felt exactly the opposite: I once could see but now I'm blind, was found but now I'm lost. 

It hit me pretty hard, how there's no kind of sad in this world that will stop it turning. People will keep on wanting what they want, and you're on your own.

... so this Mouse individual had to be from a galaxy far far away. Filly she said, which is a girl horse and made no sense until she clarified it was a town, Philadelphia. 

It's hard to explain how you can miss a place and want it with all your heart, and be utterly sure it will obliterate you the instant you touch down. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction

Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Grief, Abortion, and Death of parent

Minor: Animal death

gfiore11's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

3.75

This is undoubtedly a great piece of literature, so I’m not really sure why I can’t give it a higher rating. The character development is unparalleled, and Kingsolver has some truly remarkable nuggets of beauty and wisdom nestled in her prose. However, I couldn’t help feeling like I wasn’t sure why the protagonist was writing this book, and I wasn’t convinced that this would be his voice. Also, I felt that there was unnecessary suspense and foreshadowing for a book that is all about growing up and institutional poverty. Could edge into the realm of preachy at times too. I’m happy it ended on a hopeful note - I think the characters deserve that. 

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Domestic abuse

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Abandonment, and Classism

loslibrosdesami's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Miscarriage, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Classism

amelmore's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Death of parent, and Abandonment

sallyrooneystanclub's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

I honestly don't think this book lived up to the hype. There were excellent sections but mostly i wanted it to be over. Important themes to explore however. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, and Death of parent

madmadmaddymad's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective 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

This is one of the best books I’ve ever listened to. Highly, highly recommend the audiobook. I love the narrator, and the style. 

My favorite line is when he was talking about gossiping in the bathroom and the person you’re talking about is in the stall right next to you. “We can hear you.” And how it feels to be living in the mountains in Virginia and the butt of every American joke. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Death of parent, and Classism

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Grief

Minor: Emotional abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, and Trafficking