Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

21 reviews

thebanhammer's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad tense 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

4.75

This book... this was a tough read but worth every word on the page. It is wonderfully written and deserves all the praise it garners. 

I will tell you that there are times when I question if the explicit detail is really needed or adds to the narrative. I am not saying it doesn't, but I am also not sure that it does. I am very much a person who is not opposed to explicit writing or even vulgar writing, but I do feel it needs to be done with intentionality and be an overall addition to the work. I am not sure those elements meet the mark in this particular story. 

That said, this was one of the better books I have read in a long time. I highly recommend it if you have the emotional capacity for a powerful story full of heartache and suffering. It is a rich story with amazing character development, beautiful prose, and excellent execution. The fact that it is a retelling heightens the narrative and is done so deftly that this story clearly stands entirely on its own merit—a very rare feat. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Classism

fpcat99's review

challenging 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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

putzkid's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

omged. the writting style was beautiful. the story was so goddamn depressing but so important, informative and entrapping. im both relieved it ended where it did and wanting more. but this was an amazing book. i love how she writes, very witty and odd and random and disturbing and messy and unstable but absolutely perfect for the plot. 
take away .25ths cause it was really upsetting and disturbing, but that still matters, just not my favourite thing, personally. 
please check all trigger/content warnings to be prepared :):). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Car accident, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Outing, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Classism

saskiahill's review against another edition

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

blau_elmo's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

Demon Copperhead is a masterclass of storytelling, anchored within a backdrop shocking in how realistic it is portrayed, telling an epic story of loss, trauma and the way people abused hardships to profit off ailing neighbours.

The characters in the book feel lifelike with their rich characterisation. The repeated motif of the ocean being seen as "salvation", one Demon is unable to reach until he had cleaned up his act, one given to him by Angus, was a particularly compelling one that rounded the whole story up.

One cannot discuss this book without talking about the opioid crisis. It portrays, in a very human way, how innocuous it had all begun, and how it had destroyed people's lives so easily off the backs of corporate greed. How purveyors of poison could so simply infiltrate vulnerable communities to make cheap profits off the backs of rural kindlings. People scorched.

Throughout the book, I found myself rooting for Demon, in spite of his less-than-optimistic attitude, for I saw how deserved his anger and frustration had been at every step of the way. I felt every anguish and injustice he had felt throughout the story, wishing he could have a break; one that lasted, I mean. Kingsolver is an expert at writing characters that stick with you.

Possibly my favourite contemporary read of all time now.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Violence

Moderate: Death, Sexual content, and Death of parent

Minor: Gore and Sexual harassment

bellsdixon's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, and Classism

Minor: Suicide

jillianselene's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

flwzspark's review

dark emotional 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Miscarriage, and Death of parent

dua_liepard's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Gore, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Medical content, Car accident, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

kshertz's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

What a deep read! It’s a deep dive into growing up in the 90s in the south during the Opioid epidemic. It truly explained what it meant to grow up in a small town and why they have continued to struggle to thrive even today. As a city girl, it was very eye opening. What a heartbreaking life. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism