Reviews with content warning for Panic attacks/disorders - Demon Copperhead

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.

Content Warnings

abbeyjreads's review against another edition

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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.

Content Warnings

sjtowry's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny 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

Content Warnings

gabriellejon's review against another edition

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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.

Content Warnings

lorit1227's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny informative 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

Content Warnings

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