Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

46 reviews

staceyinthesticks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Addiction, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Violence, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Mental illness, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Drug use, Grief, Medical content, and Physical abuse

Minor: Sexual content, Gun violence, and Suicidal thoughts

sapphoxes's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense fast-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: Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Miscarriage, Medical content, Grief, Child abuse, Animal death, Alcoholism, Addiction, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Drug abuse, Death of parent, and Classism

lolo_lew's review against another edition

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

3.75

Incredibly well-written, tackles tough and complex topics in an approachable and meaningful way. Highly recommend but contains content that might be sensitive to some.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Death, Child abuse, Classism, Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Mental illness, and Violence

Moderate: Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Vomit, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Abortion, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Sexual violence

phillybookish's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Grief, Alcohol, Classism, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Drug use, and Abandonment

Moderate: Medical content, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Death of parent

Minor: Pregnancy, Child death, Miscarriage, Violence, and Suicidal thoughts

bronzeageholly's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.75

Tackling this book felt like an immense task but I'm so so glad I completed it. 

For those who know David Copperfield, it is a close enough interpretation to make you go "oh no! I know where this is going! stop the ride!" at least once a chapter. But, in saying that, it is also a very unique concept, an incredible tale of the care system and opioid crisis in the US.

Each character was so well fleshed out, in particular Demon; his narratorial voice was so strong, moving, and hilarious. His thoughtfulness, his anger, his empathy are heartbreaking. The accounts of each of the characters moved me to tears many times; I wanted desperately to reach into the pages and swoop Demon and the others away to safety. 

I found the pacing quite difficult to get into and had to swap from the physical book to an audiobook around 1/5 of the way in. The lack of abstraction throughout meant that when there were descriptions of intense suffering my reading quickened ("I need to keep going to make sure they're okay"), and then would slow dramatically during the 'bildungsroman' areas. Because of this I had an on-again-off-again relationship with the book, however the audiobook helped immensely and I found myself unable to put it down for the last few hours.

The central themes of addiction, judgement, loss, and love are devastating and important, and I would implore every adult to read it. There are so many lines that I will hold with me forever.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Addiction, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, Medical content, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Classism, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Abortion, Bullying, and Kidnapping

dua_liepard's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Addiction, Bullying, Classism, Medical trauma, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Physical abuse, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Grief

Minor: Cancer, Homophobia, Suicide, Violence, Car accident, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Animal death, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child death, Gore, Racism, Pregnancy, Medical content, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

cityiguana's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny 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

4.5

This book is very good but honestly pretty tough to read.

Thank god it had a happy ending or I would have needed to up my Prozac prescription

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Child abuse, Addiction, Drug use, Abandonment, and Death of parent

Moderate: Death

Minor: Racism, Medical content, and Racial slurs

katrinarose's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

4.0

I struggle to rate this book, because I loved the writing style and the voice of Demon was so incredibly strong and authentic and believable, but I also wasn’t that excited to pick this book up, and it took me a while to finish. I thought the theme of the overlooked rural parts of the U.S. was interesting and thought-provoking, but at times almost turned into more of a history/sociopolitical lesson that felt out of context and forced. I wish the author had explained these concepts a little less and given the reader some more credit for being able to read in between the lines/use the story as a jumping off point for more of their own research. Overall it was a really good book just not one that sucked me in and made me love it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Classism, Drug abuse, Grief, Drug use, Medical trauma, and Death

Moderate: Cursing and Misogyny

Minor: Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, Racism, Miscarriage, and Suicidal thoughts

ellieswilliams's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny 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

Graphic: Addiction, Classism, Cursing, Death, Alcohol, Drug use, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Physical abuse, and Drug abuse

Minor: Car accident, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Racism, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Abortion, Self harm, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Vomit, and Violence

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