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grboph's review
- 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
Graphic: Drug abuse, Gore, Grief, Blood, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Classism, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, Cancer, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Outing, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Animal death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Terminal illness
Minor: Abortion and Dementia
ouireads's review
- 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
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Addiction
Minor: Terminal illness, Miscarriage, Racism, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
claudialucas99's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment, Child abuse, Miscarriage, and Racism
caseythereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Vomit, Drug use, Medical content, Alcoholism, Classism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Pregnancy
wardenred's review
- 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
4.75
At the time, I thought my life couldn’t get any worse. Here’s some advice: Don’t ever think that.
I'll admit it, this was a difficult book for me to read, and it's also a difficult one to review—not least because I feel that the things about it that made me struggle might be other readers' jam. For instance, the way it's written made me feel like I was reading a memoir rather than a fictional novel, except it was a memoir of a fictional person, and something about this discrepancy constantly pulled me out of the story. I do feel that for many other people, this style on the contrary can make the book more immersive. I also felt that some sections were really overwritten and could be made more impactful by tightening them up. But I'm also not sure if that's genuinely true, or if it's just my preference to more genre prose speaking.
I did learn a lot of new things from this book—about life in the Appalachians and about the opioid crisis. I related to a lot of the commentary about class and how rural people are looked down upon. Plenty of moments made me emotional in different ways, and I enjoyed the balance of utterly heartbreaking parts and the more hopeful ones, as well as the injections of dry humor in both. The depiction of poverty here is among the most powerful I've ever read. The book is really voicey, too, with a strong recognizable style, and that's definitely a strength—it's just that for me, personally, that voice was a miss for some reason.
Graphic: Drug abuse, Addiction, and Child abuse
Moderate: Homophobia, Death of parent, Bullying, and Racism
perfectsolitude's review
- 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? It's complicated
3.5
But it was a good book, generally. The prose is slow but engaging. We follow Damon, who grows up in poor circumstances in Lee County and goes through unimaginable hardships. Important themes are poverty, addiction, teenage pregnancies, death and foster care, and these are all elements that touch you as a reader. This book did something to me, yes, and I enjoyed the ride.
So why didn’t it live up to my expectations? For one, the middle part just drew me out a little. Also, the ending was a bit too rounded off for me. I mean, some things were so obviously build up that I was almost hoping the author wouldn’t end with. But she did. Additionally, I feel some characteristics or plot lines were kept too conceptual, while other parts were too long without need.
Kingsolver wrote one of my all time favourite books, The poisonwood bible, and even though Demon Copperhead is a different experience and not as good for me, she proved she can write books you won’t forget.
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Child abuse, Toxic friendship, and Addiction
Moderate: Miscarriage, Racism, and Pregnancy
lindseyas's review
- 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
Graphic: Cursing, Drug abuse, Racism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Drug use, Racial slurs, Miscarriage, Classism, Death of parent, and Mental illness
francestea's review
- 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
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Child abuse, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Racism and Homophobia
pigeon_'s review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Abandonment, Classism, Child abuse, Grief, Addiction, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Murder, Racism, Violence, Animal death, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Homophobia and Abortion
carriepond's review
- 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
Don't let the "Dickens retelling" scare you off if you haven't read David Copperfield or worry the book will be highfalutin-- I enjoyed the book immensely despite not reading its inspiration, and although brilliantly written, the novel is relatable and readable. This is in no small part to the truly compelling main character Kingsolver creates in Demon. Kingsolver's fierce love of Appalachia and its people shines throughout the novel, and she pours that love into her main character. Because we watch Demon from the moment he "got born," we grow to love him and understand him even when he makes awful, self-destroying choices. The love that Kingsolver makes us feel for Demon also serves as the perfect foil to the novel's angry and visceral critique of the myriad ways capitalism exploits and throws away rural people and how the systems that should offer them support and help fail time and again. Demon reels us back in with his charm and keen observations any time the social commentary starts to feel heavy-handed, which gives the novel's larger themes the room they need to root themselves into the reader's heart.
However, the parts of the book that really resonated with me were those that explore Demon's relationships-- with his fellow foster boy turned dear friend and co-creator, with his stand-in family the Peggots (especially Mrs. Peggot and June), his "sister" turned confidante Angus, and ultimately, with his home: "It's hard to explain how you can miss a place and want it with all your heart, and be utterly sure it will obliterate you the instant you touch down."
I loved this novel, and I loved Demon. Highly recommend this heart-wrenching but beautiful and nuanced portrait of rural America, the opioid epidemic, and "the kids who wake up hungry and in those dark places every day."
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, Death, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual violence, Racism, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Miscarriage, and Homophobia
Minor: Abortion