78 pages • 2 hours read
Demon Copperhead
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Book Brief
560
Novel • Fiction
Appalachia • 1990s
2022
Adult
18+ years
Super Short Summary
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver follows the life of Demon, a young boy born to a mother struggling with addiction in Lee County, Virginia. The novel explores his tumultuous childhood, marked by abuse, unstable foster care, and eventual descent into drug addiction. Based on Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield, it highlights the failures of American institutions while celebrating individual resilience. The story deals with addiction, overdoses, abuse, and exploitation, presenting sensitive themes realistically.
Gritty
Emotional
Challenging
Bittersweet
Melancholic
Reviews & Readership
629,938 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Review Roundup
Barbara Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead is hailed for its compelling prose and rich character development, echoing themes of resilience and adversity. Critics appreciate its modern parallels to Dickens' works. Some readers find pacing issues and predictability detract from the novel’s impact. Overall, it is a thought-provoking, if sometimes uneven, read.
Who Should Read Demon Copperhead?
Fans of Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead are likely to appreciate character-driven narratives and social commentary. Readers of Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield or John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath will relish the novel’s exploration of poverty, resilience, and the human spirit in the Appalachian setting.
629,938 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
560
Novel • Fiction
Appalachia • 1990s
2022
Adult
18+ years
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