Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

14 reviews

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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dark emotional funny sad fast-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

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I really wanted to love this book more than I did. Kingsolver does an excellent job at drawing out difficult themes (addiction, failings of the foster system, competitive sports, bad influences, death, grief, change) but honestly the narrative dragged at points in the same way Dickens does meaning it falls short of a higher rating. Addiction isn’t glamourised as it is in many similar texts, but neither is it addressed in the depth it could have been given the storylines? There is also moments of sexuality which felt unnecessary and uncomfortable at times. Though that said, the exploration of gender and identity is very strong in this book and I found myself especially drawn to Angus and Maggot as ambiguous and challengers of thè expectations placed on them. Overall, this was enjoyable and I felt sorry for Demon at times but it was about 6 hours too long

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Loveable characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative 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

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challenging dark reflective 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

Wow. What an incredible work of art. Demon Copperhead is a slow-paced, winding narrative of the life of someone who was born into a life of hardship. The book is extremely long, and loses a tad bit of steam a little over halfway through, but that just might be my impatience with the character. Demon Copperhead spends about 100 pages to tell a year of Demon's life, give or take a bit. The first half of the book I absolutely loved, as you see how a child has to handle the life that has been thrown at him. For the second half, I was frequently exasperated with Demon, and I think it's because, at that older age, it is no longer him rolling with the punches thrown at him for no reason, he is actively making dumb choices. That was hard to get on board with, and I didn't feel much pity for him. In fact, I wanted to abandon him for squandering his jackpot. However, the book overall a masterpiece, and I will not remove stars just because a person makes their bad decisions.

I am also astounded how wonderfully Kingsolver got the details of the time period. Yes, I lived almost exactly during the same time period as Demon (regarding we are almost the same age), however, the tiniest details clue the reader into the authentic experience. This book is as good as a history textbook for this anthropological time. 

I have always heard, "write what you know," and as I was reading this book I thought, "Wow, Kingsolver has to know Appalachia." Lo and behold, unbeknownst to me, yes, she is from Appalachia. As a culture, I think we need to be so thankful to have this area and time preserved through this book. While not from Appalachia, I spent some time growing up in a very rural area, and it is a unique take to have authentic storytelling coming from these type of places. One of the most frustrating things about being a rural citizen is feeling like its you against the world, and the concentrated population sometimes gets too much of a say in how you should live your life or how you should think. This trickling down through Hollywood et al does the rural folk no favors.

Another thing I was absolutely amazed at what Kingsolver's capability of nailing such an authentic voice of an Appalachian boy up through his 20s in the 90's/00s. I think that would be rough for me even as someone who was a teen in the 90s/00s, and then take into account that Kingsolver was a well established adult during that time period.  So, bravo to her. I have so much admiration for her storytelling.

If you begin Demon Copperhead and do not find yourself liking it after a few chapters, please do yourself a favor and stop. This story does not pretend to ever be something else than what it is for the entire 560 pages. Once again, it was a little too long in my opinion, but at the same time, this would be a great book to physically own, and realize you are reading vinyettes. These chapters read like short essays "On Life" by an orphan. I think I would have preferred to read this as slowly as it is paced, maybe a chapter or essay every night over a few months. Instead, I started at my typical speed of nightly, plus dedicated my whole weekend to it at a breakneck pace, and found myself still with hours left to read. Although I loved it, I wanted it to be over.

So, prepare yourself for the reading journey. It is an excellent book but extremely long.

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challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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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: Complicated

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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dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

What a deep read! It’s a deep dive into growing up in the 90s in the south during the Opioid epidemic. It truly explained what it meant to grow up in a small town and why they have continued to struggle to thrive even today. As a city girl, it was very eye opening. What a heartbreaking life. 

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