Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

23 reviews

gabriellejon's review

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. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Chronic illness, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Abortion, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Grief, Drug use, Child death, Addiction, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Trafficking, Cursing, Death, Toxic friendship, Classism, Alcohol, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, and Physical abuse

abscott's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Death, Cursing, Bullying, Violence, Physical abuse, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism and Abandonment

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Excrement, Sexual violence, Racism, Self harm, Trafficking, Abortion, Homophobia, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Medical content, Sexism, Sexual assault, Child death, Chronic illness, Gore, Grief, and Gun violence

kola10981928's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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: Death, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Grief, Violence, Emotional abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Animal death

Minor: Cursing, Car accident, Chronic illness, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Blood, Hate crime, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness

kelsimarirobb's review against another edition

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Addiction, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Classism, Miscarriage, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Alcohol, Animal death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Trafficking, Mental illness, Death, Child abuse, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

hannahcstocks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Cancer, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Chronic illness, Dysphoria, Hate crime, Ableism, Abortion, Blood, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Medical content, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Excrement, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, and Medical trauma

Minor: Suicide and War

peam's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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

This is the kind of novel that dives into a world I would never have thought I would be into but once there didn’t want to let it go. It gave me a new perspective and a deeper understanding of the USA that I never gave a thought. I’m deeply grateful for that. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Alcoholism, Addiction, Child abuse, Vomit, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Sexual violence, Violence, and Death

Minor: Abandonment

shelfofunread's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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: Drug use, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Death

Moderate: Classism, Violence, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Sexual content, Self harm, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Death of parent, and Alcohol

jjrivera's review

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, Addiction, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Gun violence

poetsofsweetpea's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

3.5

It's pretty much what you would expect for a Appalachian version of David Copperfield.  The characters were big and believable. I'm not a fan of coming of age stories.  I especially find it difficult to watch characters make bad decisions.  There was too much of the darkness in the real world in this novel and I found it difficult to stay in it.  Everything in me told me to abandon this book. I did not.  It's well written and a story that should be told.  It's just not my thing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Terminal illness, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, and Vomit

kyrstin_p1989's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

The type of soul-aching sad that prohibits you from even crying, this novel pushes the boundaries of what we know and understand about the ravages that drugs, particularly opiates, have doled out to the people of Appalachia. Even though you can see the cycle happening before it ever does, you can’t help but love and root for Demon as an unlikely hero. The characters are beautifully and painstakingly crafted to reflect the complexities found in mountain folks. For some reason, it took me a long time to finish the book — but I’m so glad I did. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Alcohol, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Medical content, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Child death, Addiction, Alcoholism, Classism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Trafficking, Vomit, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, and Violence