Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

133 reviews

katiesbookmarks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny inspiring sad tense 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

3.5

Read this for a book club - definitely not something I would have picked up on my own. So much packed into this story, all of it tough and funny and heartbreaking. I enjoyed it but wished it was shorter, also wish the author had included a few trigger warnings at the beginning. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, and Sexual content

Moderate: Sexual violence, Death of parent, and Abandonment

readwatchhike's review against another edition

challenging hopeful sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This book was incredible. It was a tough read, but I am SO GLAD I read this book. When I got to the last 100 pages, I just couldn’t put it down. Barbara Kingsolver showed Demon’s world with incredible detail and brought reader’s on an incredible journey.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Sexual violence

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

chloelmills's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted 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

My god, this book is breathtakingly beautiful, sad, funny, tragic, full of hope, joy, loss and pain, and just when you think you get it, it veers you in another direction, the story never takes you where you think it’s going, sometimes in the best ways and sometimes in the saddest. Such brilliant writing. Plainly put, this book is exceptional. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Colonisation

Moderate: Homophobia, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy

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

iwish_ihadmoretimetoread's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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 book was so incredibly hard for me to read. It’s one of those books that will stay with you for a lifetime. It ripped my heart out in so many ways, I still feel the bleeding wound in my chest. It’s raw, real and gut-wrenchingly beautiful in a very tragic way. One of the best books I’ve read in my almost 29 years on this earth.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

bornwithyarn's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Gun violence, and Sexual violence

gracemcbee's review against another edition

challenging 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

3.0

Check trigger warnings. I thought the first half was more lighthearted, but towards the end it got super dark and by then I was already halfway done and wanted to finish it. Some parts were super uncomfortable to read and felt kinda creepy - like the Linda phone calls. Lowered from 4 to 3 stars because of who he ended up with at the end.

Am I the only one that thought it was uncomfortable he ended up with someone he considered his sister for very formative years of his life???

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Incest

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

3.0

This book was hard to read and painful from the perspective of someone who spent teen years in dark, addiction-driven, poor, abusive spaces. It was relentless in its pain and offers very little in the way of joy, and that to me does not equal an amazing book. There were bits that were poignant, but amidst a shroud of crudely overwritten idioms they sort of beat you over the head. This sits in the category of poverty p*rn for me, the kind that wins big awards because literary circles like to feel like they’ve witnessed suffering in a way they’ve never seen before. That said, the re-imagining of David Copperfield was executed masterfully and bridged a gap between two worlds that is impactful and well-crafted. As an achievement in appreciation of a classic milestone in literature, it is well-executed. Standing on its own it was not enjoyable to experience and I felt it stank of self-importance as a piece centered on the devastation of the opioid crisis. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Trafficking, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

intravenous drug use

heroin use

extreme poverty

children in danger

fentanyl use