Demon Copperhead

[HelpMebeok]

Just finished it. Loved it so much. Anyone else?

Yes, best book I've read this year, really gripping read through the whole length and such a great narrative voice. I love Barbara Kingsolver, she is one of the best novelists writing today.

Haven't read any others by her. Which do you recommend?

I’m just reading this at the moment. I’m enjoying but finding some parts of it a bit slow moving.

Same OP. Finished last night and absolutely loved it. I would go as far as to say it's in my all time top 10 books. It took a while to get into it but then I was away. The writing was so clever and I loved the voice of Demon. Also so many well drawn smaller characters - Angus, June, Fast Forward, Tommy etc
What did you like about it?

Just finished the audiobook which has a brilliant narration, absolutely loved it too

This was serialised on bbc ‘book at bedtime’ a few months ago.
It’s probably still available on bbc sounds.
I liked it very much!

It's a masterpiece. It should at the very least been on The Booker Longlist.

Took me way too long to figure out the David Copperfield parallels. I read Demon on holidays, when I’d the time for the luxury of a long read.

the only other book of here I’ve read is The Poisonwood Bible, which I really enjoyed (a long time ago.)

The poison wood bible is an incredible book
loved Demon! So so good

She wrote The Poisonwood Bible, didn't she? I didn't like that - it wound me up, for some reason. Do you think I'd like Demon Copperhead?

I read this for my bookclub over the summer.

I had mixed feelings about the beginning because of the parallels with David Copperfield. Most of them were just distracting but I felt very protective over the "real" mother.

Once it got into the later parts and the reasons behind the poverty in the Appalachians and the opioid crisis, I started to enjoy it more.

When I finished, I reread David Copperfield.

Then I thought that I'd forgotten Demon Copperhead so reread it ready for bookclub and 2nd time round I enjoyed the book in its own right rather than thinking of it as a rip off of David Copperfield.

Full disclosure: I was away on holiday and didn't know the next book club choice so didn't have it with me. I listened to the audio books of both rather than actually reading them.

Love love loved it! I am a fan of BK in general but thought this was another level.

I've just finished it. I absolutely loved it. Demon was such a sympathetic character - it really put a human face on the opioid crisis for me.

I also thought that there were a lot of interesting and powerful female characters in the book - Mrs Peggot, June, Angus, and to some extent, Emmy and Dori, although they were obviously tortured in their own ways too.

It was such a great book - one of those that you feel bereft when you've finished it!

I loved it - deliberately read David Copperfield just beforehand and then I really enjoyed the parallels which were very precise! The plot was so tightly faithful that it was fascinating to look at how Kingsolver had to update aspects to make events fit, primarily Emmy’s story arc which doesn’t have the Victorian morality attached. The shocking parts are just as bad though, the realisation that poverty and exploitation haven’t really changed.
Also I learned that “rednecks” were mining rebels against Company soldiers! Being from South Wales, I feel a new solidarity!

If someone hasn't read David Copperfield (or even knows anything about the story), would Demon Copperhead still be as effective? I've never had any interest in reading David Copperfield really. But I did enjoy The PoisonWood Bible, and another by BK that I can't remember now, so Demon Copperhead does have a bit of pull for me. And yet I struggled with some of her others, and if it's hard to get in to, I'm not sure it's worth it.

I absolutely loved it. I'd also highly recommend The Poisonwood Bible, The Lacuna and Prodigal Summer, all by the same author.

I loved this book, definitely the best thing I've read this year. I was dubious because I'm not a big Kingsolver fan even with the Poisonwood Bible which I know people rave about. I think knowing David Copperfield adds an extra layer to the reading experience but is not essential at all. The book makes complete sense even if you've never read a word of Dickens.

I've never read David Copperfield, and loved this book. It's just a great read, you don't need to read any other book for similarities imo. I've watched a lot of dramas on the whole Opiod crisis, so I really enjoyed the theme of the book, and just the characters in general. I did look at the synopsis of her other books but couldn't see any I think I'd enjoy which was a bit disappointing.

I'm reading it and I think it's really good - I usually hate anything written using local dialect but in this case I think she caught it well.

The only thing is...I am always always conscious that I am reading the inner voice of a woman, not a young man. And also that the main character is idealised in terms of his insight, resilience etc. If the book had been written by someone who actually lived that life, it would be nothing like the book I am reading. But I suppose that is true of most books and it doesn't really put me off - it's just that my mind keeps going "Ha! Nope!" at regular intervals.

We read it at my bookclub and I was the only person who was very familiar with David Copperfield.

I had to read Demon Copperhead twice because the first time, the parallels were too much of a distraction.

Everyone else enjoyed it as a nook in its own right and we had plenty to talk about.

Enjoyed it as a book in its own right.

I’m listening to the audiobook of this via my library so had to wait a long time for it to come available. I’m finding it quite slow in places but I’m a very fast reader - or used to be when I spent more time commuting on public transport. I almost wish I had my old 50 minute each way tube journey so I could read this properly.

I had never read anything by BK before this, my DD bought it for me for Christmas.

I was also only vaguely aware of the plot of David Copperfield. I think I read a children's version more than 50 years ago and I remember there being a TV adaptation in the 70s, but in general I am not a Dickens fan.

However, I loved this book. I deliberately avoided googling the plot of David Copperfield so as not to get spoilers.

I am impressed that it gets your sympathy and understanding for people that you most usually hear being sneered at - e.g. hill billies and opiod addicts. It is harrowing at times but so worth it. I didn't find it at all difficult to get in to.

I couldn’t get into it because of the style of writing. I may give it another go. I did love Poisonwood Bible but none of of her other books but I’m not sure if that is relevant really.

I sometimes find books hard to get into if they're written in any kind of dialect. It takes me a while to tune into the speech.

My book club chose Demon Copperhead while I was away on holiday so I had to buy the audiobook and I think that helped. The narrator was excellent and he made the book accessible for me.