A marvellous monologue by a memorable character as Demon Copperhead, real name Damon Fields, relates his life and times. The reader is not spared and events are often shocking or heart wrenching but Demon has guts and determination. I adored the first part of the book and enjoyed the end but found some of the middle a little overlong, but I probably found that with David Copperfield so you can’t please everyone! Demon will stay in your thoughts long after you finish this book.

This is a bit of a slow burner. Initially the book is told in child like, stoccato sentences by Damon, a boy born to a drug addicted mother living in abject poverty in Appalachia. We follow him through childhood with an abusive step father, his trials in in the foster care system and on into adulthood. I had no idea until I read some publicity for the book that Barbara Kingsolver had used Dickens, David Copperfield as the framework for this story. In retrospect now I know, it cleverly shows how we as a society still let down and mistreat vunerable, poor children in our families, institutions and systems. Seems we aren't any more enlightened than the Victorians.I'm really glad I stuck with the book. It eventually starts to draw you in and then doesn't let you go. Just as you would expect from a master of the art like Barbara Kingsolver.

I didn't know in advance that this was effectively a modern day retelling of David Copperfield (which I have not read) and I am glad I didn't as I went into this totally without expectation. It is the story of young Damon growing up in rural America (nicknamed Demon), born to a mother struggling with addiction, and a father who died before he was born. Demon grows up in poverty, but has his mother and close family friends which is all he needs. Although she struggles with addiction throughout her life, it is the arrival of Stoner on the scene who tips this over the edge, and following her early tragic death and no other family Demon finds himself in the foster care system.

This is the story of growing up with no family, no support, no money, and what could be no hope. But Demon finds ways to survive and thrive and strives against ALL the odds to survive.

I loved the beginning and the end, and although a few slumps along the way enjoyed this a lot and would heartily recommend.

I really enjoyed this. This was my first by this prolific author and I will be reading more as this was fantastic. I would reccomend this if you enjoy coming of age tales like I do. I will read anything with a coming of age element as I just love it if done well. Really liked this one and looking forward to more.

A slow burner that gradually grows on the reader. A young boy suffering unimaginable hardship, an inadequate mother, bullying stepfather.. A life of torturing misadventures damaging in both mind and body in his search for family, love and survival in an unfair world. Well written characterisation of a protagonist living his life in a modern environment as a potentially abused victim from a 19 century classic demonstrating a character intent on survival. Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

What a book. Every emotion under the sun - mostly sad - piled into this story like a jumble of unrelated gifts. Through the eyes of a young and growing Demon Copperhead, witnessing the cruelty and kindness of strangers. With all odds stacked against and only the talent for drawing and being insightful he pulls himself out of his younger years and in to his pre-teens, often giving his friends a hand up along the way. The book and characters get under your skin, leaving the reader with little to do but look in from the outside. Excellent.

A well-written book, narrated in a knowing style by the eponymous hero. It follows his life from childhood to adulthood, and charts the many calamities that befall but don’t destroy him.

An homage to David Copperfield, but transplanted to Lee County where the deprivation, oxy and hard knocks equally transfix you.

Wow!  Incredible.  Picaresque, thought provoking and moving.

I was very glad I had not read David Copperfield so I could concentrate on the story and not try and cross reference things.

For me this tells the story of 21st century America and the tragedy of its model of social care and help for the most vulnerable. The loose touch when it comes to big pharma and the OxyContin tragedy and scandal.

Demon Copperfield is the boy and man we become , emotionally involved with and root for as he passes though childhood and exploitation. Scenarios that are almost impossible to comprehend in today's society in the world's richest country.

A great read and extremely helpful in in allowing us to understand how fortunate we are in a country that tries harder when it comes to social care. Even though we often get it very wrong.

This brilliantly written, deeply moving reinvention of the Charles Dickens novel ‘David Copperfield’, with events playing out in modern day Appalachia, is thoroughly deserving of the many accolades it has already attracted from numerous reviewers such as “masterpiece” and “instant classic”. Barbara Kingsolver has taken the plot of the Dickens original as a framework on which to hang the story of poverty, neglect, cruelty, rejection and oppression suffered by Damon Fields (nicknamed Demon Copperhead by his contemporaries) as he is born and grows up in Lee County, Virginia at the very epicentre of the Opioids addiction epidemic. But it is not an unrelenting tale of misery and heartbreak - there is love, familial devotion, generosity, humour, resilience and redemption, too. Barbara Kingsolver has very cleverly woven all the main characters from the Dickens version into her narrative, with slight tweaks to their names while retaining their key personality traits, in a way that is faithful to the Victorian original yet wholly convincing as a searing social commentary on modern day rural America. I cannot recommend this stunning novel highly enough - it is simply a ‘must read’.

A little hard to get into, but once you’re in, you’re in.

A bittersweet, sometimes gut wrenching look at life in the US that we don’t usually see.

When asked for recommended authors, I always suggest Kingsolver because she is brilliant at observing both the minutiae and the grand sweep of life. Demon Copperhead may just have overtaken The Poisonwood Bible as my favourite of her books. It was stunning – one of those novels you can’t wait to get back to. The sentence level writing was beautiful, the characters complex and the storyline utterly compelling.
I read David Copperfield (inspiration for this book) many years ago and can barely remember it. It didn’t matter. The Victorian oppression and poverty that Dickens wrote about is brought to Virginia, USA during the start of the Opioid crisis where the pharmaceutical industry’s push to sell narcotic painkillers created the worst drug epidemic in American history. Kingsolver treats her characters with great compassion. Despite an often indifferent world, kindness, generosity, and empathy abound.
There were times when Demon’s heartache was almost too much to bear and I wanted to stop reading. But it’s just so well written and Kingsolver’s skill so huge, that you know you need to read to the end to find hope.
This book will be a classic.

As a British person I had no knowledge of Lee County and it was all very new to me. A boy who only knows one place and one way to survive until he starts to see a glimpse of something else. The book follows Damon from orphan to many unsuitable foster homes. Almost anyone can foster and this boy has to take what he’s given. He eventually finds his grandmother who finds him a better place. Although he now has food and shelter this person is also using him. Not for farm work or drug work, but for his physique and his ability to play football. When he’s injured everything is turned upside down and he spirals out of control.
I liked much of this book and definitely wanted Damon to understand that he could beat the system. The book was overlong and grim so maybe not one if you’re feeling down. Beautiful descriptions of place and nature and some amazing people who help Damon on his journey.

Shocking, eye-opening, and told with compassion and sensitivity, Demon Cooperhead is a modern take on the Charles Dickens novel, David Copperfield. Set in the American South, it is brutal in its reflections on poverty, substance misuse and child neglect. It is impossible to read it without deep sadness for the many children living a life just like Demon's. It is not all gloom, there are funny and tender moments, and you will be cheering him on into adulthood. I can't help being left despairing at the state of modern America, but I am very glad I read Demon's story. Readers might find it a little hard to get into the writing style at the beginning, but please persevere, it is worth it!
Like Shuggy Bain, this is a book that everyone with any social conscience should read. I now want to go back and re-read David Copperfield to remind myself of the similarities. (It has been about 40 years!)

I love Barbara Kingsolver and consider two of her books to be on my "best of all time" shelf and with this she has just added a third.
She deals with addiction and falling through the cracks with a light but extremely accurate touch. (I work with young homeless addicts) and the verity of her description even to someone living on another continent is incredible, not least the contrast between the frailty of these broken souls and the lack of options society gives them.

I enjoyed chasing the similarities to the Dickens and it reconnected me to the original book in a new thoughtful way.
It broke my heart and also made me laugh. I ignored my family for two days just to finish it. What more can I ask of an author?

I’m struggling to put into words how brilliant this book is - a kind of modern take on David Copperfield, it explores modern poverty in a way I don’t think I’ve ever read before. The terrible injustice and deprivation that Dickens exposed with his writing so many years ago still exist if you are born into the wrong circumstances. Demon is battered by life from the very off but an inner strength and several good souls give him the encouragement and strength to push forward towards a better life. An astonishing accomplishment by the magnificent author.

This was such a good book. I love historical fiction, especially when it is about eras/ situations that I previously knew nothing about and this was definitely one of those books. It was so well researched and so compelling in its narrative that not only did I love reading it but I felt that I learned too. A really enjoyable read and perfect for any fans of historical fiction. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Demon Kingsolver looks set to cement Barbara Kingsolver’s reputation as one of the best authors of our time. A modern-day reimaging of Charles Dicken's David Copperfield, the ‘Demon’ of the title is born to a single, drug-addicted mother in poverty-stricken Virginia. At every turn, the odds are stacked against him, from the broken care system to the lack of job opportunities and his own sense of worth. Raw, angry, starkly beautiful, this book is an absolute masterpiece. Genuinely one of the best books I've ever read.

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver is an epic modern novel with characters demonstrating resilience as they are wrestling with institutional poverty.

This book has parallels with Charles Dickens David Copperfield who similarly wrote novels of realism and drew attention to the failings of the Victorian era. Barbara Kingsolver addresses similar issues in the American south in the remote and rural mountains of Appalachia. Indeed, the author looks at the impact of drug addiction, poverty, the modern perils of foster care, child exploitation through child labour as well as the many losses and obstacles that Damon faces as he journeys from an impoverished and neglected childhood into adulthood. I felt that as the novel progressed, I was willing him to not only survive but to succeed and flourish.
I would recommend this book as it was engaging from the start, it was a gritty and realistic tale of a child who through no fault of his own was born into unimaginable poverty and hardship. Although the book at times is a difficult and uncomfortable read as it highlights many failings of modern society, it is very moving and does offer hope and shows the resilience and determination of Damon. I will be rereading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens and A Star called Henry by Roddy Doyle which deal with similar issues in their books.

There are few authors I'd trust to do a modern rewrite of my favorite Dickens novel, David Copperfield, but if it's going to be done Barbara Kingsolver is the one to do it. In this wonderful revision to the classic story, Kingsolver transplants Victorian London to modern day Appalachia, and it is astonishing just how well it works. Where Dickens had child labor and worker exploitation as his story engines, Kingsolver has the opioid crisis and the American medical system. Where Dickens had alcoholism and sex slavery, Kingsolver has, well, alcoholism and sex slavery. Some things don't require updating.

'Demon' (Damon), our narrator, is 100% as engaging and entertaining a voice as the original David, and Kingsolver infuses his narration with a lilt and tenor that both effectively evokes the landscape of Appalachian society and makes it pretty darn beautiful to read, too. All our favorite characters are there, translated. I won't go into detail on the specifics, because much of the joy of reading the book is slowly working out who is who, and casting your mind back to the original to speculate on how exactly each element might play out in this new version. If I have one complaint, or rather, if there is one thing that made this book harder to read than the original, it is that Kingsolver gives Damon much less respite than Dickens. In the first half of the book as he slogged through his miserable childhood, I comforted myself with the success and joys that lay ahead of him. Let's just say that, while it was in fact probably harder to transcend social classes in Victorian England that it is to do in modern America, this book doesn't seem to think so. That's not to say this novel lacks hope or joy -- there is much of that here -- but the suffering is profound and extended, and much as I wanted it to be otherwise, it is necessary for this novel to ring true.