Welcome to Litsy!

Brilliant. Just absolutely brilliant. This story will be living in my thoughts rent free for quite a while!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Found this one at our local bookstore! Anyone read it?

#TBR

📚🤎🍁🍂

Putting down bookish roots in my new locale. Got a library membership and checked out my first book today at Elgin Public Library, where they still hand-stamp the due date. 😍📖💙 This definitely makes me feel a bit more local, even though it‘s the next town over from my neighborhood. And there‘s something about having a hefty novel to read that helps me settle into a new house. ☕️

I just couldn‘t believe the narrative voice. It felt contrived and borderline hillbilly-fetishized, like a JT Leroy novel or AU Dickens fanfic.

I just finished the audio of this wonderful book.
You could not ask for a better narrator.
This book is so heartfelt. So real. Such a tearjerker. It's spot on for it's timeframe too.
I am so glad I listened to this one. I still want to read it too.

Barbara Kingsolver-author
Charlie Thurston-narrator

I'm trying it again. Listening to an audio in the mornings and reading another book in the late afternoons. Last time it was pretty easy.

Demon Copperhead-audio

21 hours, 3 minutes
@barbara.kingsolver @harpermusebooks @harperaudio

An Appalachian take on "David Copperfield"? I'm not familiar with either so can't speak to that. I can say it's a damn good read (no surprises there)! The fact it's told from Demon's POV makes BK's tendency to preach less of an irritant than in some of her other books. I'd heard the words "opioid crisis" before but had no idea of the scale (or source) of the problem: that was an eye-opener! My heart hurt for Demon and his folk. Nicely done, BK!

This story follows a boy from childhood to adulthood and all the experiences he had in the south. It‘s packed with characters you‘ll love and hate at the same time. The story was so heartbreaking from most vantage points. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finished this one! Took me a while to read, I found myself only being able to take in a little at a time. This was a modernized retelling of Charles Dickens‘ David Copperfield. Demon is born to a teenage mother struggling with drug addiction, and later takes you on his journey through foster care. His whole existence is based on survival. It was beautifully written. I found the aspects of opioid addiction and institutional poverty devastating.

Finally reading. It was last year‘s Christmas gift. Current IRL Book Club selection. Combining the audio with the actual book.

A pick but it will break your heart over and over. Kingsolvers writing is so amazing . You can‘t help but root for Damon Fields doing the best he can while losing his mom , evil foster parents & sinister adults , grinding poverty & addiction in Appalachia. There is some light by the ending, her writing about addiction & treatment so accurate as to be triggering.Still, very glad I read it. Quite a novel!

A retelling of Charles Dickens‘ David Copperfield against the setting of rural West Virginia

Appalachia ✨ Rise and Fall ✨ Cycles of Abuse

I won‘t lie, it‘s very long, and a bit boring at parts. But the heart of the story draws you in and keeps you reading.

Totally deserves the hype

Wasn‘t sure how to rate this one bc, tbh, I didn‘t finish it. Wasn‘t a bail per se- I ran outta time with the library. But that is such a rare occasion that I can‘t help blame it a little on the book itself. It was good, and something I‘d usually go for, but probably the wrong time for it…the story was rly bringing me down and just didn‘t feel worth it. I‘d like to get back to it sometime, maybe when the waitlist is not so long.

Powerful, riveting, heartbreaking. Kingsolver at her best, absolutely fantastic, every sentence is gorgeous with nothing extra and nothing missing. I read this in hardback, and listened on #audio so it could go with me wherever I went. Loved both! #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

36th novel of the year!

Such a good book! Barbara Kingsolver is a beautiful storyteller. I‘ll be thinking of Damon for a long time.

Tackle the TBR 🤓📚
What are you reading?
#boleybooks #demoncoppperhead #barbarakingsolver #bookbeast #bookjoy #bookbuds #bookchat

I wasn‘t expecting to finish this today, but I got going and couldn‘t put it down. Faithful to David Copperfield without being slavish, and it will break your heart over and over. Kingsolver makes you stick in there, and really SEE without making you feel preached at. After my trip to WV this summer where “Foster Parents Needed” signs were everywhere I wish everyone could read this book with an open heart.

Ok, I‘m finally ready to dive in! I‘ve had this book in my pile since last year.

This is what I would say if I could, to all smart people of the world with their dumb hillbilly jokes: We are right here in the stall. We can actually hear you. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

9/2023

This was a long and eventful journey of Damon Fields. The read was never boring or dragging. Kingsolver wrote a wonderful book about poverty & how it affects kids growing up. When I got to chapter 30 and it was all positive I was hoping the book to end but I was only half way thru the book. The last couple chapters were fantastic. Chapter 64 was what I expected & hoped for for Damon (and Angus).

⭐️⭐️⭐️ I finally read a Kingsolver, y‘all. I only did it for the Pulitzer, as most of her subject matter doesn‘t draw my attention. Pretty stereotypical of most Appalachia books, it seems, just with exceptionally exquisite writing. That said, it could‘ve done with some editing down. Devastation after devastation for 500+ pages grows monotonous. I understand the accolades, but I didn‘t love it.

I asked my husband to give me this book for Christmas, and he did. I love Barbara Kingsolver and knew it was going to be a good one! Then it started receiving more and more accolades! Sadly, other books that I chose to read for various book clubs and challenges got in the way. But now, my IRL bookclub chose it for next month‘s selection! So, I am definitely going to read it!

#anticipated5⭐️read #bookbinge

I am reading three books. The tagged book, TJ Klune‘s “Under the Whispering Door” and Shobha Rao‘s “Girls Burn Brighter”. I would recommend all three books.

#sundayfunday @ozma.of.oz

First, I got myself born.”

#firstlinefriday
@ShyBookOwl

I haven't read David Copperfield in over 25 years, and my memory is bad, so I couldn't compare the two, but this novel stands just on its own merit. The story is enthralling, and the main character is endearing. My only point of contention was that some aspects of addiction were portrayed inaccurately. I don't have enough experience with life in Appalachia to know if the book portrayed those fairly, but it struck me as sympathetic.

“I probably think more than the normal about water, floating in it, just the color blue itself and how for the fish, that blue is the whole deal. Air and noise and people and our all-important hectic nonsense, a minor irritant if even that.”

Not necessarily a “beach read” but this line had me all up in my feels for Demon & his desire to see the ocean. It‘s so true! Also, the author note in this “An Ethereal Visit” was so heartfelt! ❤️❤️

Another novel, another sad story. TW: drugs, opioid abuse, bad foster home situations. Demon seems like a good kid overall, but life sure has stepped in at every chance to try to screw him over.

What a really good, really sad book. I loved it, but it broke my heart many times over.

I have to say the ending wasn‘t what I expected. If you‘ve read it I assume you understand.

#booked2023 #AModernTakeOnAClassic.

For those who have read David Copperfield, how much does this resemble the Dickens?

August is all about #booker. Long list announced August 1.
1 Booker
2 Booker
3 Booker
4 Booker
5 Booker
6 Booker
7 Booker
8 Booker
9 Booker
10 Booker
11 Booker
12 Booker
13 Booker
14 BuzzWord ( Weather ) Wolf Winter
15 Simon Savage Pick ( Between the Wars) The World And All That It Holds
16 Book Spin (YouTube)
17 TBR Jar (Fates and Furies)
18 Library
19 Library
20 Library
@TheAromaofBooks

I am not able to read this because I think it would break me- but Barbara Kingsolver is a favorite author so I had to listen to her incredible interview on the Ezra Klein show. sharing here for anyone else who might want to hear it.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ezra-klein-show/id1548604447?i=1000621...

Demon on books … ‘that Holden guy held my interest. ‘

This is a long book, and so good. Still reading 😁
Demon ♥️💔

I just got this email today from Barnes & Noble saying that my preorder has been delayed because the publisher changed the release date. I‘m okay with waiting for it. I don‘t remember what the original release date was and I don‘t read preorders right away. I have plenty of books to read anyway. I don‘t think I‘m going to run out of books to read.

I enjoyed this new take on Dickens favourite child and unlike the original I was rooting for Demon such a tough time and an uplifting ending.

Found the section about oxy and addiction particularly interesting and wow how did they get away with it.

Valuable insights into life as a hillbilly including claiming the name back for yourself.

“We both lay back down, and she looked at me in the eyes, and we were sad together for a while. I‘ll never forget how that felt. Like not being hungry. “

This book is so quotable, I‘ve highlighted so many passages on kindle.
Here‘s one…

#Weeklyforecast @Cinfhen

Still reading Demon Copperhead, the most engaging read I‘ve had in a long time. Loving it 👍🏻♥️

Happy reading all ♥️
Hi Cindy X

Sadly, book club was not much in discussion mood; though this book gave me a ton to think about, I really didn‘t want to talk about it either. “Too long, too much drug use.” Someone did ask, “But isn‘t that the point? That if you‘re a user, you can‘t get away from it?” And aren‘t we privileged, as readers, to be able to just shut the book?
Anyone else see the mind blown 🤯 emoji here?
June Storm Wichita KS

I felt like Demon had led a 100 lives before he even turned 18. An excellent piece of storytelling. I found it hard to keep going at times as the content is so grim in places but also this is the skill of Kingsolver to confront you as a reader to the sad and devastating lives of children who experience life this way. I think this one will last in my memories for a long time.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Great book. Absolutely worth reading, although often difficult to read. There are a lot of great characters who experience a lot of pain and trauma (and some redemption). Covers important topics and experiences that I‘m shielded from in my daily life. Glad I read it.

A 90‘s “hard knocks” story set in an Appalachia drowning in opioids and meth. A retelling of David Copperfield, yes, but only in the most sketched outline sort of way. Demon is a compassionate, stubborn, scrappy character who weaves his way into the hearts of those who still claim to possess one. This is a tale of a beautiful region and a tough people just trying to survive under the cynical gaze of corporate America.

I loved Poisonwood Bible when I read it years ago & vowed to read more Kingsolver. I finally achieved that goal 🙌. The concept (modern day retelling of David Copperfield) intrigued me. It was engrossing & compelling, even though at times it felt a teeny bit artificial to me, like Kingsolver was trying hard to be in the shoes of her young, poor, traumatised male protagonist, but not completely pulling it off 🤔. Overall though, an excellent read.

#Weeklyforecast

Demon Copperhead is our next IRL Bookclub book, so I‘m hoping to start that today. I‘m so glad it was picked as I‘ve wanted to read it and now I have to 👍🏻♥️ It‘s long , this could be a #Fortnightlyforecast 🤞🏻

Happy reading ♥️
Hi Cindy 👋🏻

I kept putting off reading this one because of all the hype. That was not a good decision. It deserves the hype. If you haven't yet picked this one up, you should. Excellent read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Very good. I can see why it has received accolades. The writing is mesmerizing, and the story is tragic and realistic. Definitely David Copperfield for current times. I‘m glad I read that one right before this one. It was interesting to compare the two.

#midyearbookfreakout

1. Demon Copperhead
2. The Dragon Reborn (Wheel of Time 3)
3. Oscar Wars
4. I don‘t really keep track of stuff like that
5. Space Unicorn Blues was so close to being amazing
6. Assumption defies description
7. Now You See Us
8. Lillian Waters is unforgettable
9. Dead Wake - so many families were killed
10. Road to Roswell was just plain fun
11. None!
12. So so many … including nearly all my “14 weeks challenge” books 😬