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marypaz13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I can see why this one the Pulitzer.
Book about addiction. A book about losing hope but at the same time not being able to give up.
Demon is such a lovable character, flaws and all. That poor kid. I didn't necessarily hate the other characters, they were just there. I liked June, definitely eldest sister vibes, the one that grew up to fast. Agnes was that one in a million, the one that was able to make it out. And we all have that Maggot in our lives, the one that's always too childish no matter how old.
When I started this book, I had the misconception that it took place in the the 50's/60's, but once it mentioned some pop culture things, I realized it was definitely 70's to the present (at least the early 2000's) -- I don't remember the book actually mentioning the year.
Love that art is the outlet that was used.
This book served as a history rabbit hole for me. Had no idea about the oxidation clinics, had to google it. Crazy shiitake!! Like, the idea was inconceivable until I read about it. No wonder the whole "war on drugs" was such a big deal.
And the whole hillbilly/redneck thing. The idea that the term alone is derogatory yet people don't realize that it is.
Such a great read. I did a hybrid read; started with the book ended up with the audio. Which I did like the narrator, I felt he encompassed Demon's character to a T.
P.S. I may add more to this review, maybe, idk.
Graphic: Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Drug use, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Abandonment, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, and Classism
Minor: Sexual harassment, Vomit, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy
joensign'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
3.0
Graphic: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Classism, Death, Child abuse, and Death of parent
Moderate: Miscarriage and Injury/Injury detail
tctimlin's review
- 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? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Child abuse, Classism, Emotional abuse, Death, Miscarriage, Drug use, Trafficking, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Medical trauma
acorny's review
- 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
Graphic: Drug abuse, Death of parent, and Addiction
Moderate: Trafficking
Minor: Miscarriage
slow_slow's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Abandonment, Alcohol, Bullying, Classism, Violence, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Suicide
princessxnicole's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, Addiction, Grief, Drug abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
abbeyjreads's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Classism, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Cursing, Violence, Grief, Miscarriage, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Child death, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Murder, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship
abbywj's review
- 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
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Cursing, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Child abuse, Death, and Pregnancy
Minor: Racism and Abortion
bigolscrewup's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Good people don’t give up on the ones they love
4/5 ⭐
I've always wanted to read Barbara Kingsolver's works before and there were times where I've tried to get "The Poisonwood Bible", only for it to be sold out in almost every place I could get it in my place. So when I got my hands on this book, I thought "Finally!!".
I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the book, which was heartbreaking at times, exploring Demon's life from the beginning, which was one hardship after another. I loved the way Peggots took care of him and his mother, the trips to cities, trying to teach him things he wasn't willing to listen, living with Angus. It was fascinating to learn about the lives of people living in the mountains of southern Appalachia region. Reading about the struggles of addiction and the long torturous road to sobriety depicted in the story was a deeply moving experience, it offers a poignant reflection on the struggles faced by people grappling with substance abuse, as well as the importance of support and compassion in the journey towards recovery. It sickens me that various pharma companies used the ignorance of people in those times to exploit and profit off of their pain. It makes me wonder this could be happening still in small communities.
I found myself losing interest in the middle, especially his teenage years, which were filled with lots of people and lots of problems and lots of stupid decisions. There were times I wondered where the story is going. Also, there were times, I couldn't understand why different people in the story were making these ridiculous decisions at various points in the story, but maybe that's the difference between people who are addicted to something and people who aren't, that they are not aware that there's another way. Thankfully the story picked up momentum at the end, which honestly redeemed my opinion of this book.
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Abortion, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Bullying, Addiction, Miscarriage, Grief, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent
barbarella85'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Death
Moderate: Vomit, Violence, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Sexual content, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Cursing
Minor: Miscarriage