Has anyone read it and would your recommend it?
I have enjoyed Barbara Kingsolver’s previous books, but am unsure about whether it is worth investing in this one (i can only read junk on Kindle, so would need to get real book). I read a review that said it was basically a rewrite of David Coppefield set in a different time and place. But was very positive.
Well I know David Copperfield so what’s the point of reading this book once you’ve worked out which character is which?
Is this worth €20?
I don’t read much fiction so certainly can’t recommend it, however surely part of the pleasure of reading such a book would be seeing the parallels with the source text (rather than simply reading the Grauniad’s précis). Suggest you first re-read DC, then read the rewrite.
Are you sure? I see it’s available as a Kindle book.
Whoops, sorry - only as audio!
Whoops - sorry again - it is available as a Kindle book.
Barbara Kingsolver is among the best writers living today. Demon Copperhead is stunning and sometimes almost unbearably sad. She not only has won the Pulitzer but recently the Women’s prize for Fiction. Well deserved. Charming in interview, humble and very intelligent and revealing about her life and inspirations. Spend your 20. she soars, you will not regret it. I agree with your kindle opinion!
If you sign up to receive the deal of the day on Kindle you can get some very good books.
I have read books by Barbara Kingsolver and Donna Tartt this way, plus some you would probably class as rubbish.
Sometimes you just need to read a feel good book.
[quote=“Kate_Coleridge, post:4, topic:43878”]
almost unbearably sad [/quote]
That’s enough! We carefully choose not to watch/read anything that has parts which could be thus described… no matter how magnificent the rest of it might be…
There is simply too much sorrow/sadness/drama in the lives of our extended family at the moment… so we seek comfort in revisiting things which make us chuckle/laugh/smile…
No doubt life will return to a more even keel… eventually… fingers crossed.
The book ends on a high…Demon has passed through his addiction and will be OK in a really good way. I’m sorry if you do not feel up to reading it…it is a book for our times and as I say, ends looking forward to better things
I read the title and immediately thought of a manic venomous snake
Maybe your post should have begun, ‘SPOILER ALERT!!!’
Ah, it doesn’t matter, it’s not a thriller and the end is is sight woven in the story; there had to be some resolution…it is a beautifully written powerful story for our times.
I do like her and have enjoyed previous books, but didn’t enjoy Lacuna. And not convinced by the premium of this one. ( i also never much liked David Copperfield).
Looks like you’ve made a decision!
Personally, I preferred Demon Head Copper, a gritty exposé of corruption in the upper echelons of the Met.
This, on the other hand, I think, is delightful.
I listened to it as an audiobook and would highly recommend that, as hearing the reader’s Appalachian accent added so much to the tale. If I hadn’t known of the David Copperfield link I wouldn’t necessarily have guessed - it felt like a subtle tribute, not a slavish homage. Sad, gruelling, funny, hopeful, redemptive - totally loved it, and it has stayed with me since finishing it a couple of months ago.