Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

51 reviews

al_xwith997's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny 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

Having read Shuggie Bain, it has a similar sense of ache and longing for these characters to have good things finally happen to them. Watching their lives fall apart, it is entirely heartbreaking. The depiction of them at their worst is harrowing, and the desire to help them from a readers perspective is difficult to grasp. I cannot recommend enough. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Self harm, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy

amandak's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Stalking, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

kindrarae's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.5

So long, so sad, so horrifyingly honest.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Racial slurs and Terminal illness

kylemhaggerty's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

beklovesbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad

4.0

I can see why it won a Pulitzer. Remarkable imagery, authentic voice, themes mostly came around to neat closure. 
Unfortunately, there were excessive graphic descriptions of drug use and sex. Every imaginable locker room crude sexual innuendo. It’s too bad the very good descriptive capabilities of the author was applied to trash you don’t want in your mind as well as nature and life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Death of parent

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Abortion

br3nda's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This is a 3.5 star read for me. I was disappointed that I did not fall under the "best read of the year" or "a 5 star read". I honestly don't get what all the hype is about.

*****SPOILERS at this point


This book is way longer than it needs to be. So much of Damon's story could have been condensed. It felt like we were reading (I listened to) every day of every week for the few years of his life. It was like reading his daily diary.
I was happy that Damon found a way through all that he was living but there was nothing happy in this story. I understand that life was no picnic for the rural areas of mining country but surely there was something to be happy about? Additionally, this story made every character sound ignorant of any the perils of opioids. 

The story is very predictable... of course a small-town boy that is in the crappy foster system finally finds a good place to stay and then a sport he is suddenly good at and becomes a temporary star because he blows out his knee and gets addicted to drugs and goes downhill from there, but in the end he magically is reformed and finally gets to see the only thing on his bucket list... the ocean (eye roll).

This is my first book from this author but I don't think there will be others. It just was not there for me.

I can definitely give 4 stars to the narrator Charlie Thurston. Excellent job at telling this story. Only thing is you need to practice on the female voices. (shrug)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Abortion

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship

haleyanne's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense 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

4.0

really good and important but incredibly difficult to read because of the heavy subject matter. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Trafficking, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

carrigoitia's review against another edition

challenging dark funny tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Truly one of the most incredible books I’ve ever read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Chronic illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Blood, Vomit, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Cancer, Pedophilia, Racism, Self harm, Suicide, Medical content, Car accident, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, and Colonisation

puffinthedog's review against another edition

emotional 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

An achingly sad but beautifully written novel that touches on the effects of generational trauma, substance use disorders, domestic violence, poverty, and grief. Kingsolver handles difficult and often incredibly stigmatized issues with honesty and respect. Her characters are multi dimensional and handled with care. As someone with almost a decade in recovery from an opiate use disorder, this book brought me back to the fear and bodily sensations that so often accompany active addiction in a way that no other book has. Realistic and devastating but without being trauma or inspiration porn. 

It was a book that I was sad to finish and maybe for that reason I do wish she had spent more time covering the pain of early recovery and realizing all of what you had been numbing, but this book is such a masterpiece as it is that maybe adding anything else would have only lessened the work. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Homophobia, Misogyny, Suicide, Terminal illness, Medical content, Abortion, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Fatphobia, Homophobia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Medical content, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

adairkm's review against another edition

inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Classism

Minor: Animal death, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Racism, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail