Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

109 reviews

aliterarygoodtime's review

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Addiction, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Grief, Drug abuse, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

tctimlin's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative 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? Yes

5.0

On a scale of 1-5 this was a 6 for me.  Kingsolver is an incredible writer and she got the voice of our narrator perfectly.   She also gets the beauty and the ugliness of Appalachia perfectly (I have spent a fair amount of time working in that part of the world).  I loved the way she paralleled Dickens’ “David Copperfield” and uses it to write about contemporary issues like the opioid crisis in 21st century America.  Next time I read it (for there will definitely be a next time), I’d like to parallel read it with David Copperfield because in my memory, it lines up almost perfectly in character and plot.

---

Content Warnings

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

princessxnicole'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

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

sactownraces's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This book was a gut punch from start to finish. Having not read David Copperfield, which this book is a retelling of, I did not know what to expect. As Barbara Kingsolver discusses briefly in the acknowledgement, it is a look into the institutional poverty of the Appalachian region of the United States, and how coal and opiates have effectively ruined any chance for rural communities to thrive. Throughout every step of Demon's journey I wanted only the best for him, and to tell him everything would be okay, despite his self destructive actions reinforced by the world he's living in. 

I would highly recommend this book to better understand, as a city folk, how the 'other half' live so we can better influence the discussion at a national level.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Abandonment, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Alcoholism, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Self harm

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

---

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

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

---

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

erinsca's review

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

---

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

terrywho's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

David Copperfield in the time of the Oxy epidemic.

The only way I can think of describing this book is by calling it full of heart. This story was at the same time heartfelt and heartbreaking, and it made you unable to stop reading all the while dreading every new paragraph. 
This is a book about pain, grief and unimaginable hurt and yet it manages to never stew in that pain, even during the longest stretches of it in the narrative. It’s not a sad story for the sake of being sad, but it’s sadness serves a propose and highlights the cruelty of the world in such a way that sticks you even when you’ve closed the book. 

To summarize all my thoughts I’m just going to say that I’ve never read a book quite like it and I’m not sure I ever will.

**Added at the end because if mild spoilers**
A little personal note, and definitely not the most important thing about this book but my favorite part of it: I’m a comic book artist, and seeing the art form I love most in the world made to be the thing that opens up a kid’s words, a life-line that and allows him to see the first glimpse of what life could be, a way to understand a life that seems beyond your understanding, and a universal language to talk about you, your world, your comunity and your history never once failed to make me smile and love comics even more that I already did, which is something I didn’t think possible. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Abandonment, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Self harm, Death, Addiction, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Grief, Drug use, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Alcohol

Moderate: Miscarriage

phillybookish's review

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

---

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

milanaradic's review

dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad tense 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Addiction, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Grief, Trafficking, and Suicide