Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

277 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

wyabook234's review

challenging dark emotional reflective relaxing medium-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

4.75

When you read Demon Copperhead without knowing what classic Dicken's tale Kingsolver's own story was initially based on, it wouldn't make a difference in how you interpret Demon's journey as he goes through a series of broken and not-as-broken homes. In other words, it can be easy to separate the past and the present renditions based on well-written characters that you overlook, that they are just modern adaptations. So Kingsolver can be praised for further differentiating her characters as individual victims of their vices and the background of the opioid epidemic, even if the story beats of David Copperfield can be disseminated within the text. Kingsolver can be appreciated for how she places further emphasis on the subject of wayward children and the effects of drug addiction through the struggles of Demon in how he becomes a mature young man and realizes his future in life.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Child abuse, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent

Minor: Miscarriage, Suicide, Abortion, and Injury/Injury detail

bananastasia's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.25

The first half of this book was my favorite. I was very hopeful for Demon throughout until a certain point where he did not seem to want to help himself.

The whole point of this is obviously breaking this cycle of abuse that takes a firm grasp on people who are impoverished and these people are taken advantage of to an insane degree.

I wanted things to move a bit quicker as Demon got older and I think this would have had a greater impact if it did move faster. I also find issue with typing up all of the loose ends in a nice neat little bow. Sometimes part of moving on from your past involves leaving it behind completely, and I don’t think every single of the many characters had to be addressed at the end of this novel. All of this in mind, I have found myself recommending this book to a lot of friends so I must like it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Gore, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

yinzer_barbie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Trafficking, and Pregnancy

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

megan_harper's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Confinement, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Grief

theremightbecupcakes's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, and Abandonment

victoriaaurora's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Gaslighting, and Classism