Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

1153 reviews

desiree_zeuxis's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

5.0

Everybody warns about bad influences, but it’s these things already inside you that are going to take you down. The restlessness in your gut, like tomcats gone stupid with their blood feuds, prowling around in the moon-dead dark. The hopeless wishes that won’t quit stalking you: some perfect words you think you could say to somebody to make them see you, and love you, and stay. 

Oh this book pulled at all of my most tender parts. Poverty, mother hunger, parental addiction, rehab. Kingsolver is a wonderful writer, I couldn't stop saving every line for later. This is absolutely going on my favorites shelf of which there are less than 10 books. 

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, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, and Abandonment

Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Medical content, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

rat_s's review against another edition

dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

kelsieyohe'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

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

sineadw9's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

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

5.0

This book gradually blew me away. Demon is such a clear, compelling, resilient, tragic, tender protagonist and it all comes out in how Kingsolver captures his voice. She perfectly embodies “show, don’t tell” in how the narration shows you so much about living and the lives in Appalachia. Definitely a gut-punch of a novel that I’m so glad to have read. I just finished it and already miss Demon.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, and Classism

sorbz's review against another edition

dark emotional funny inspiring sad fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

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

steph_ha's review

challenging dark emotional 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

Wow, what a story. I’m blown away by the entire tale, and impressed with the authors skill to make a novel deeply educational. Demon uses the most vivid and thoughtful imagery in his narration. Not from quite as far west as Appalachia, I could see every moment of the story and visualize the characters. Highly recommended. 

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, and Trafficking

Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, and Pedophilia

jenna_x_w's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional 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, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Classism

Minor: Death of parent

revmomeis's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective tense 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

4.5

This is a brilliant novel that has been on my  bookshelf for quite a while, and I'm so glad I finally picked it up. I was immediately drawn in by Demon's story and couldn't wait to find out how it played out. It's a tough novel to read - not a happy-go-lucky book - and at times I got impatient while things in Demon's life continued to be difficult. But I really enjoyed the read and was sad when it was over. It makes me want to read David Copperfield!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Drug abuse

Moderate: Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

amyjeanpei's review against another edition

dark hopeful 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: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, and Death of parent

ben_cabrera's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

Demon Copperhead was a roller coaster of emotions. The book is set in underserved areas of Appalachia and while the book isn’t non-fiction, there are many real aspects to it, ie. Opioid crisis, poverty, foster care system, etc.

It’s definitely a book I can’t stop thinking about and I highly recommend it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Drug use