Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

144 reviews

slow_slow's review

challenging inspiring tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I grew up reading Christy, and I feel like this is a much less romanticized view of this portion of Appalachia. Extremely well written, it leaves the reader satisfied and wanting more at the same time. 

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Content Warnings

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

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

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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

abbeyjreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.75 rounded up

this was an absolutely beautiful read and i thoroughly enjoyed it, so i have very little criticism, but i have found that the criticism i do have all stem from having read this through the lens of adaptation. david copperfield is one of my favorite novels, it’s a story i have loved for as long as i can remember, so i am very familiar with its characters, its tone, its story beats. and this hit a lot of those notes! but there were a few missteps that ultimately resulted in .25 deduction on the rating. 

this is not “inspired by” in the sense that it has the zest and spirit of the original content, this is a tried and true retelling. every major story beat is reworked and seamlessly woven into its new setting. nothing lost its power here, the highs felt high and lows were as low as you were framed to expect from the original. my two biggest qualms were the characterization and utilization of Mr. McCobb (Mr. Micawber) and Miss Betsy (Betsy Trotwood), and some of Demon’s character development.  

Mr. Micawber and Betsy Trotwood are two of the BEST CHARACTERS in the original work and have such an astounding impact on david and his character; he becomes more hopeful and resilient because of them and their influence and they are both deeply impactful to him. these two entirely lost their footing here. Miss Betsy is really only seen in two chapters - and while she maintains a lot of her personality - she is really more of a distant force in demon’s life who places him where it is necessary for other characters to cater to him in the ways she did in the original. Mr. Micawber is a dubiously delightful character who you don’t respect as much as you admire - he can’t hold anything around him together but he can hold himself and that’s what matters. he is a beacon of positivity and - while an ultimately naive and deluded example - to david’s young and impressionable mind he is a bright spot in what has always been a sorry life. the mccobb family leaves no lasting impression upon demon here and if they left anything on the page its a sorry taste in your mouth. it just felt like two deeply impactful and memorable characters were squandered. 

this directly results in demon’s character and development evolving in an entirely different way. in the original, david is an ultimately cheerful and - sometimes naively - optimistic young man who persists in being a gentleman and a dreamer and an all around good human. obviously, demon’s story unravels with different elements that result in him exploring some much more personally dark places. instead of being subjected to squalid environments and lurid company, demon’s surroundings are a direct result of his own choices and vices. i did find demon’s narration to be charming and he does in time come full circle towards his expectations, but david’s original character is something that sticks with a reader. he is so resolute. so immovably good. i thought about david for months after finishing it, and demon will occupy a very different headspace for me. 

regardless, this was effortlessly beautiful and harrowing. it may have felt off kilter to me in very slight moments, but this drew me in so deep. i was so invested. and even though i knew what was coming - waiting for each beat to hit, each iconic moment to be reimagined - i was always surprised by how fresh it felt. 

if this did anything well - and it did, it did almost everything well - it found the hope, and it maintained it. dickens work has stood the test of time for a reason, and this knew exactly why. it held on to its spark of originality among a landscape that has been tirelessly traversed for almost 200 years. it was new eyes on an old soul. the world has not stopped turning, but the heart of this story will stay the same in every new century it sees. 

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Content Warnings

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

barbarella85's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

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

rinku's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative 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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Grief, Child abuse, Violence, Drug use, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal death, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Bullying, Animal cruelty, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Car accident, and Miscarriage

Minor: Abortion

mistercrow's review

challenging dark emotional 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: Addiction, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Grief, Cursing, Death, and Death of parent

Minor: Self harm, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Classism, and Violence

amanda_reads13's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring 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

Demon Copperhead (Damon), son of a drug addicted young mother, takes us through his life as he fights to survive all that life throws at him. 

Demon is the voice of the impoverished, opiod addicted, abandoned people of Appalachia. His voice is incredibly unique and his story tell one of resilencey, loyalty, and pride. This book never stops as he ensures foster care, child labour, the broken education system, addiction, and crushing losses. This book is messy, emotional, and intense. This story could have been very bleak, yet within the pages is a tale of hope with a touch of humor. 

The book is so beautifully written and the setting plays almost like a secondary character in how intertwined and vivid it is. 

Demon is an immensely flawed, but likable character. We're rooting for him to succeed. He ensures abandonment, abuse, homelessness, addiction, and so much loss. His life forces him to grow up so fast, otherwise he literally would not survive. Yet, through all he endured, he does just that, he survives and perseveres. 

We are introduced to so many other interesting and captivating characters along the way. They all played such an important role in his life. Maggot, the lost soul just trying to survive while being so different. Tommy, the soft hearted man who pulls himself up against insurmountable odds.  The Peggots, the kind hearted neighbours who help as much as they can. Dorie, the lost girl who could never be saved. Angus, the girl who supported him no matter what. His teachers, who encouraged and supported him to follow his dream of drawing. This is such a memorable cast of characters. 

Unfortunately, the author does lean very heavily on the stereotypes of the Appalachia region. Every stereotype you can think of about that region happens Demon in this book. I wish that there would have been a little more breaking stereotypes rather than amplifying them. That said, I did think that Demon was a very interesting and captivating character.

With so many heavy topics addressed in this book, it does veer towards feeling preechy or like a lecture at times. 

I really liked the ending.

Demon has fought his battles and won, what comes next is left to the imagination, but it ends in a note of hope.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Violence, Addiction, Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical trauma, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, and Toxic relationship

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

nami4793's review

dark emotional hopeful 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Violence, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent

bookbih42069's review

challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring 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

This book is excellent. The voice of the narrator is strong and salient, Kingsolver handled complex issues deftly through rich characters who develop over the course of their lives in ways that force us to reflect on similar figures in our own lives. There is so much empathy in this work, it is surely a new American classic. 

The main character is easy to root for, flaws, challenges, and all. As a reader, it is easy to be caught in the wave of events with him with a growth in understanding. I think everything was intentional, which I mention because I read some other reviews before posting this to cover my take on some themes in the reviews. I would say this book is HEAVY so totally get the “not in the mood” notes. The ending felt satisfying, and truthfully I saw the hints dropped throughout the story so I personally think it made perfect sense and I appreciate where things were left. As a reader, you  really get dragged through the harsh events of Damon’s life right along with him. His perspective is the  perspective of the book , so his mentions of past events made sense to me, as people we reflect on  formative moments. Finally, this does cover topics many of us are familiar with intellectually, but the beauty of fiction is the opportunity to insert oneself into a world in a way more geared towards empathy enrichment than what non-fiction can do, or maybe it’s just Kingsolver. 

TL;DR- amazing book you should definitely read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Sexual violence, Trafficking, and Drug use

Minor: Trafficking and Suicide