Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

52 reviews

amaribph's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

I truly loved this book. One of Kingsolver's best. It is a brilliant retelling of David Copperfield, but it reads well even if you're not familiar with that classic.

I was very moved by Demon's plight. Even though it was very emotionally difficult to read, I feel grateful to have learned so much through Kingsolver's gorgeous writing about that part of our country, the terrible faultiness of our foster care system, and the opioid crisis.

It was long, but I felt it was well-paced, well-edited, and not at all too complicated or technically challenging. I can't say it's an "easy read" because the subject matter is dark and sad, but the writing itself is very well organized and easy to follow.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Rape, Bullying, Cursing, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Death, Death of parent, Sexual content, Grief, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

haleypaige91's review

dark emotional funny 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Drug use, Classism, Pedophilia, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Drug abuse, Death, Child abuse, and Toxic relationship

nreyno's review

challenging dark emotional informative 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Gun violence, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Drug abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy

sjtowry's review against another edition

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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Classism, Racism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Pregnancy, Violence, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Trafficking, Vomit, Addiction, Abortion, Abandonment, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, and Toxic relationship

sjanke2's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

This is a challenging book, both in the sense of Demon's stream-of-consciousness voice and the trials he endures. But after 50 pages, one's brain adapts to Kingsolver's writing style. The audiobook narrator helped in developing a stride. Demon goes through so much, and there's a balance of both good and bad influences in the side characters. I also appreciated Kingsolver's strong stance on the war wreaked upon Appalachians by land grabbers, mining companies, and Big Pharma. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Pandemic/Epidemic, Alcohol, Child abuse, Cursing, Gaslighting, Grief, Self harm, Animal death, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Violence, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Blood, Emotional abuse, Rape, Medical content, and Physical abuse

Minor: Gun violence, Trafficking, War, Abortion, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, and Sexual violence

bobbij94's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional

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

2.75

Mixed feelings about this one...I was very much immersed in this novel and honestly couldn't get enough. I personally enjoy this style of narration. I appreciate that this book sheds light on issues of poverty, trauma, and addiction.
I knock down some stars because something in this gives me the ick. Lots of stereotypes that goes from bad to worse. Very sad story that is the reality of thousands of Americans. 

Sad. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Animal death, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Abortion, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Grief, Sexual content, Violence, Drug abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, and Racial slurs

tubesock's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

A lot of drug use, death and depression

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Drug use, Sexual content, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Gun violence, and Drug abuse

kayleajayne's review

challenging dark sad tense slow-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

4.0

This was a crap sandwich to read. There’s like a sliver of a pickle of hope at the end, but I have to say, I had to push myself and drudge through to read it. I am not anti-trauma in books. And Kingsolver’s writing is so beautiful and poetic, even when talking about poverty in Appalachia. It is like a punch to my gut memories my from small rural town America that is eaten up by drugs. I knew this story before she wrote it. It’s the story of my best friend who drowned the night she was married because of substances. The story of her mother who turned tricks for speed, and ended up murdered. The story of too many people dying young because the one job in town is the only thing that pays, and they would rather you be uneducated so they can take advantage of you. To deal with the horrible life of poverty, these young people self -medicated. I wanted to escape from this story, but I couldn’t. For all its pain, it needs to be said. It was the story of my generation and how so many things wrecked us, and only a few of us are left with the pieces while big pharma finds a new way to hook and screw people on the daily. If you don’t want truth, don’t read this. If you want to escape, it’s not here. That being said, Kingsolver fully earned her award for this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Violence, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Death, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Drug use, Grief, and Sexual violence

Minor: Gun violence

hsieh's review

adventurous dark emotional 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

5.0

Kingsolver writes a masterpiece here, a pointed critique of how capitalism fails America and its poorest, through the lens of the struggles of its foster children, the opioid crisis, and how so many people stereotype the rural people of America's forgotten heartland. But Kingsolver is never piteous, never condescending: her characters seek only to be met face to face, understood as full people.

Speaking of, Kingsolver writes characters that could jump off the pages. I cherish, hate and mourn for them like they're my own friends. They're so real I had to double check this wasn't an autobiography. I feel empty now without them.

One of the things I appreciate most about this book, however, is that it never feels like tragedy porn -- a trap I felt books like "A Little Life" sometimes fell into. Each tragedy is crushing, but not without hope; there's always characters on the margins rooting for the protagonist, and his community, to succeed. I only wish their analogues in real life could find the same support.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Racism, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Xenophobia, Addiction, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Child death, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Hate crime, Abortion, Homophobia, Murder, Ableism, and Gun violence

leticiasmugala's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcoholism, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Child abuse and Bullying

Minor: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Rape, Animal death, Gun violence, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts