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Kingsolver creates an immersive Appalachian environment and the title character is vivid and compelling. We watch the orphaned Demon trying to survive his childhood and young adulthood while the surrounding community is likewise abandoned to mass opioid addiction, death, and poverty. It is a difficult but fascinating story, with Kingsolver managing to find clever ways to weave in history about the area and the beginnings of the opioid epidemic.

Fantastic.

#WeeklyForcast

I want to finish Demon Copperhead.
Then I want to read the first book in The Night Eaters trilogy by same women that created The Monstress.

Hopefully there will be time to start Solitaire.

The first to fall in any war are forgotten. No love gets lost over one person‘s reckless mistake. Only after it‘s a mountain of bodies bagged do we think to raise a flag and call the mistake by a different name, because one downfall times a thousand has got to mean something.

(Picture is from the documentary All the Beauty and the Bloodshed)

I had to do the harder English, which was a time suck, reading books. Some of them though, I finished without meaning to. ...
Likewise the Charles Dickens one, seriously old guy, dead and a foreigner, but Christ Jesus did he get the picture on kids and orphans getting screwed over and nobody giving a rat's ass. You'd think he was from around here.

Around the time I topped and cut my first tobacco, we noticed the cigarette ads stopped playing. No idea why. If we'd known it was people thinking tobacco was dangerous for kids even to see on TV, with their eyes, we'd have found that dead hilarious. Our schools had smok- ing barrels. Teachers smoked on their breaks, kids at recess.

The writing, story and attention brought to both poverty and the opioid crisis make this a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read.

I didn‘t dislike this, I‘d say I enjoyed reading most of it and found the characters and world compelling and interesting. The reason it‘s a so so and not a pick is that I‘m a bit 🤷‍♀️ about why doing a retelling of David Copperfield with a lot more darkness and the humour all but completely removed was the plan. I‘d have thought the point of retelling Dickens was to balance darkness with humour?

I‘m finding this to be too immersive and I only want to read it, so I returned the Donal Ryan to the library for now. I know it‘s there so I can grab it at another time 😚

Going with a pick, but did not love this like most. Honestly bored in places.

This is an accomplished story by a seasoned author. I totally see why people are loving it. But truth be told, I was rather bored with it. I‘m still giving it a thumbs up because it is a quality book, but perhaps just not a big success for me. 🤷‍♀️

24 Feb-2 Mar 23 (audiobook)
Wow! This blew me away. I loved the narration by Charlie Thurston - hearing Demon‘s voice added certain depth for me as someone unfamiliar with the Appalachian accent. Kingsolver tells a similar story to Dopesick and Empire of Pain but through the narrative structure of David Copperfield. She also manages to weave in some of the history of the Appalachian mountains and the impact that has had. I thought it brilliant.

In this extraordinary book, author Barbara Kingsolver reimagines the story of David Copperfield in modern day Appalachia, with heartbreaking results. This was a slow read for me because Damon's voice was so vivid and alive, and he was a child so alone in the world--I had to brace for impact before diving back into the story each time. This book has the emotional impact of a novel-length Jason Isbell song--exquisitely painful and beautiful at once.

Finally!! 11 books so far this year, and my first 5 star read 😍

Kingsolver brought her unforgettable character, Demon, to life to show readers a firsthand perspective of living in and loving Appalachia. Though I haven‘t read David Copperfield (which this is based on) I am blown away by the storytelling which sheds light on the opioid crisis, poverty, generational trauma and more for those who may stereotype “hillbillies”. I love this book, a lifetime favorite. Highly recommended, from this hillbilly reader.

Absolutely loved this, complex and heartbreaking but so compelling, I couldn‘t stop reading!
5 ⭐️

I'm not sure why I was so on the fence about trying this book. I'm clocking over 100 pages a day, don't want to put it down. This might be my first 5 star book for the year 😊🥳

Grabbed some books for the weekend in case my date doesn't work out

A harrowing journey but I rooted for Damon throughout the entire book. It helped that I've been sick and could dedicate long hours of reading to get through this 500+ page book in a couple of days. The writing is beautiful, filled with tragic situations but I kept hopeful throughout the book. I highly recommend.

“But I was still stuck outside of full adulthood, blowing smoke under its door, eyeing the windows with a cement block. It‘s all we want, we ragged boys of the world. To live as men.”

I loved this. Loved that it was told in Demon‘s voice. It was heartbreaking and hopeful, compelling and tragic. I both wanted to yell at Demon and give him great big hugs.

This is my #doublespin for February @TheAromaofBooks

Book + tea 🫖
Sunday reading time with my cousin while our boys play outside

Of these 3 which do you recommend. All of my books lately have been mediocre. I need an outstanding book.

Delicious, heartbreaking, mesmerizing, couldn‘t put it down. Narrator‘s unique voice and perspective kept me reading this truly painful story. I wanted to read it again while I was reading it.

Finally my turn with Demon again! Had to give him back to the library without finishing, sadly. But I‘m glad I can take the time to savor it this time.
Had a nice little evening with a lemon poppyseed muffin and chocolate super berry burst in my #muglove from @AmyG ☕️

BK has so much empathy for humanity and so much insight into how complex we all are. Just wonderful. I sometimes wished she‘d brought the same nuance to her political messages, as there‘s a lot of explaining.
I‘m reading David Copperfield in parallel and can highly recommend the experience.

Loved, loved, loved this book. From start to finish! It‘s only February, but this one will most certainly be in my top 3 reads of the year. I started with the audiobook and highly recommend this media. Midway through I switched briefly to the ebook and found it a bit more difficult, but the ‘voice‘ of Demon ran through my mind the whole time. Finished it via the audio version. Charlie Thurston‘s narration is wonderful.

"This novel exists because I‘m Appalachian and fed up with the way mainstream media portray us as dumb jokes or objects of #pity. (If we show up at all.) I‘m committed to honest representation of the beauty and complexity of this place." -- Barbara Kingsolver talking about Demon Copperhead, inspired by David Copperfield. Makes me want to read Dickens again. #InQuotes
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
#ReadThisNotThat instead of Hillbily Ellegy

This has been a good one so far. Hoping to finish today.

I‘m a fan of Kingsolver, but for me this is definitely not her best. It‘s a bit too slow to develop initially, but when it hits its stride, it‘s a compelling story of a life impacted by parental loss and opioids. I also didn‘t care for the plot choice at the very end. Through much of this, I liked it a lot, but overall I was a little disappointed.

So far this is David Copperfield meets Dopesick and I am absolutely hooked by the close character writing here.

Hate to say it but soft pick. First half I was swept away by story, writing, characters. I grew up in timber country and so many similarities it made the read uncomfortable. My brother could be Demon but it was meth and not the hopeful ending. But in the 2nd half I felt hit over the head w/ the social/political message. I felt like it took over from the great characters Kingsolver had created.I‘ve already read Empire of Pain and Dopesick. ⬇️

This book is a retelling of David Copperfield, set in Virginia's Appalachia region. Through its wry and often hilarious narrator, it takes an unflinching look at child abuse, poverty, addiction - and how these issues are community problems rather than individual failings. It is a brutal story at times but it ended softly. There is tragedy, there is hope, there are problems, there are people fighting tooth and nail to make things better. (1/2)

I made it! Loved the end, but I need to do some thinking to make the words come out review-shaped. Coming soon :D

Busy life has meant I'm down to the wire on finishing Demon Copperhead before it's due. I think the rest of the day will be quieter. Wish me luck!

I feel like I‘ve been beaten over the head one too many times by Kingsolver in this novel. 😖 Lecture tone was off putting at times and it just didn‘t feel very nuanced. In sum, opioid addiction is bad, the care system is bad, and Appalachian culture is unjustly maligned.

I haven‘t read David Copperfield, so perhaps that would have made the experience better.

A great review:
“But Kingsolver does so much more than just use the concept of “David Copperfield” for inspiration. She places the barren tree of Dickens‘ outline on her page and fills in the foliage with the struggles of modern-day Appalachia.”
https://www.ajc.com/life/arts-culture/kingsolver-transforms-dickens-classic-into...

I started the year with this novel and it‘s possible it‘ll be the best read of 2023. Written with deft insight into the Appalachian culture so awfully crippled by an opiate crisis - mostly recognized by the drug OxyContin, the story is told from the razor sharp wit and tragedy of young Demon born in Lee County, Virginia. The writing makes you laugh and also cry, there‘s so much depth and character it keeps Kingsolver up there with the best! 5⭐️‘s

Fantastic and immersive trip through the opioid crisis, and what's it like to truly be poor in the country. Strong symbolism around the ocean/water provided a steady and bright canvas that allowed the characters to go dark and be confused as they found their way through their stories. So many great characters, including the mountain setting itself.

This is great, sprawling, epic storytelling. Kingsolver takes all the best parts of the Dickens original and shapes them into an incisive critique of US society, the capitalist drivers of pharmaceutical corporations, and indeed the broader economy. Demon‘s life is littered with trauma and misfortune, manufactured by social and economic deprivation. In spite of this, there are glimmers of hope all throughout this novel.

Cor. That was a long and intense read. But very good, so despairing and sad, quite awful to read in parts.
I do adore her writing.

I wasn‘t going to buy this book. Really. But then I started seeing all these amazing reviews. Thankful for an amazing discount at work because it came home with me today. This is definitely a #blameitonlitsy purchase 😂

Getting a little reading done before heading out for a day of exploring on Kauai, HI. No way I‘m asking my sweetie to haul my hardback tome around! Friends letting us stay in their studio for 12 days. A respite for both of us after my month of radiation treatments for breast cancer. I think it is as rough on the partner/family as it is on the patient. So I won‘t make him haul my book on his back! I do have books on my phone. 😂😂😂

Love love LOVED this!! If Kingsolver hadn‘t already been one of my favorite authors, this would have made her so. So incredibly good! Demon‘s voice is one of the greats (and audio narrator Charlie Thurston brought it to life beautifully). I literally clutched my chest after the last line out of pure love and also sadness that it was over. (Much to my surprise, I actually kind of want to read David Copperfield now!)

Book 13

Demon Copperhead is a novel that's an in-depth character analysis of the title character, written by him. Demon grows up in Appalachia with a mother who's an addict and eventually overdoses; he spends the rest of his childhood in foster care, unwanted by the only people he knows. It's extremely well-written, clever, and witty, but it's lengthy. His voice doesn't retain the same level of charm into adulthood.
4.5

“A good story doesn‘t just copy life, it pushes back on it” Most definitely a five star pick, but my head hurts and my heart aches. Beautifully written, “the wonder is you could start with nothing, end with nothing, and lose so much in between”.

It‘s rainy outside, and I‘m inside having a relaxing reading day. My problem is my concentration, however, so I‘m going back and forth between books.