Reviews tagging 'Excrement'

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

16 reviews

erinsca's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Addiction

Moderate: Sexual content, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Child abuse, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Rape, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Violence, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Excrement, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Abandonment, Death, Alcoholism, Abortion, Bullying, and Addiction

soyboysimon's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny sad tense slow-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

Knew from the first line that it was going to be a good read. "First, I got myself born." Demon is clever and witty and full of heart from that first sentence to the last. This book will make you cry, laugh, cringe, and shout for joy, sometimes all on the same page.

I won't say that it was easy to read(it took me a month), but it was definitely fun to read. Who cares about sentences making sense and following grammar rules? Not Demon.

Great book! Hits some hard topics but in a way that shines light on the problems and makes me feel more knowledgable about them. My takeaway from it is that no matter where life starts you out, there are always choices to be made and consequences to be had. Maybe sins are most of the time passed down from the generations, but maybe they don't have to be. The cycle can be broken. Ain't no hill for a climber.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cursing, Excrement, Vomit, Animal death, Alcohol, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Abortion, and Alcoholism

Minor: Suicide, Stalking, and Car accident

winglesswarrior's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Animal death, Death of parent, Excrement, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Death, Classism, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Cursing, Drug use, Grief, Confinement, Drug abuse, Toxic friendship, Addiction, and Domestic abuse

brogan7's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny reflective tense medium-paced

4.5

A tremendously difficult book and also more than can be put into words on whatever you call the other part of that, the half that's about redemption and healing and understanding the human heart.
There were parts I thought Kingsolver missed, tonally, like she didn't seem to understand what he might feel when

Dori died, besides "bad," "felt awful,"--she invested so much in his resignation she missed some of the despair.
And also his shame during the addiction part, that seemed to be on "light," and also the Emmy part, it's like she knew all the facts but she didn't know how to line them up emotionally, which, thank god or it would have been unreadable...<\spoiler>
I am still processing this book. It is so... gentle, painted with the lightest touch, I can't exactly say which audience it's most meant for, being it's such a harsh story, and then told with such hope, a hope I think most within those experiences would not believe in.  <Spoiler> To think that all of them survived?  Emmy, Maggot, Tommy and Demon?  Who would believe that?  Not to mention Angus, whose threats were all vague and unrealized...I don't buy that for a second...<\spoiler>
The part I most appreciated was the Black teacher in the school, the explicit teaching of the book, the rage and the reclamation of the Hillbilly identity.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Grief, Homophobia, and Death

Moderate: Death of parent, Excrement, Vomit, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Classism

sjanke2's review against another edition

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

corinniebee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-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: Addiction, Drug use, Abandonment, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Grief, Alcoholism, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Classism, Death, and Miscarriage

Minor: Pregnancy, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Excrement, Suicide, and Abortion

abscott's review against another edition

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

deetabz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Addiction, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Excrement, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Animal death, Child abuse, Classism, Cursing, Death of parent, Medical content, Racial slurs, Racism, and Grief

Minor: Car accident and Pregnancy

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

mreads03's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

This is an incredibly hard and emotional book but it's worth the read. It addresses personal and social values in a way that is infrequently discussed in our age. It shines a direct and unflinching light on the effects of poverty and the opioid crisis in modern rural America. It's going to be one of those books you walk away from and think about for years to come.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death of parent, Excrement, Violence, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Classism, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Vomit, Abandonment, Abortion, Alcohol, Colonisation, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Sexism