This is the tale of Demon Copperhead,
a kid who has nothing going for him and everything going against him. From day
one, I couldn’t help but cheer for him. How he manages to survive is amazing.
The book is a modern-day telling of David Copperfield, a book I loved as a
young reader. I came to realize that nothing much has changed since the time of
Charles Dickens. Just a different kind of cruelty to poor and disadvantaged
children.
The writing is superb and the
story moves along at a good pace. The story is peppered with unforgettable
characters, good and bad, as well as amazing descriptions of the Virginia
mountains. The beauty of this book is the raw realism depicted in a way only
Barbara Kingsolver can.
Demon's story begins with his traumatic birth to a single mother in a single-wide trailer, looking 'like a little blue prizefighter.' For the life ahead of him he would need all of that fighting spirit, along with buckets of charm, a quick wit, and some unexpected talents, legal and otherwise.
In the southern Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, poverty isn't an idea, it's as natural as the grass grows. For a generation growing up in this world, at the heart of the modern opioid crisis, addiction isn't an abstraction, it's neighbours, parents, and friends. 'Family' could mean love, or reluctant foster…
I have often wondered about
the twin son of William Shakespeare and Ann Hathaway, who died at age 11.
Maggie O'Farrell has breathed life into this little-known character and his
16th-century family.
The story is well-crafted and filled with sensory details and
raw emotion. As a mother, I could relate to the emotions of Agnes (Ann) after
her son dies. The details of how the Black Death came to Stratford Upon Avon are
fascinating, proving that some things are out of our control.
The story took me
back 450 years to a different life, but also to a time when families were not
much dissimilar than they are today, and the death of a child touches each member
in a unique way. This book will stay with me for a long time.
WINNER OF THE 2020 WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION - THE NO. 1 BESTSELLER 2021 'Richly sensuous... something special' The Sunday Times 'A thing of shimmering wonder' David Mitchell
TWO EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE. A LOVE THAT DRAWS THEM TOGETHER. A LOSS THAT THREATENS TO TEAR THEM APART.
On a summer's day in 1596, a young girl in Stratford-upon-Avon takes to her bed with a sudden fever. Her twin brother, Hamnet, searches everywhere for help. Why is nobody at home?
Their mother, Agnes, is over a mile away, in the garden where she grows medicinal herbs. Their father is working in London.
The characters, the
setting, the story, everything about this book is amazing! I didn't want it to
end.
The main character, Kaya, is so well-defined you feel like you know her
and want to give her a hug. The story revolves around a little girl, Kaya, who
is abandoned by her dysfunctional family but survives living in the marshland
on her own. Nature becomes her family and her community.
The descriptions of
the area and the wildlife are exceptional. The mystery is cleverly woven into
the story, and the ending is both surprising and satisfying.
OVER 12 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE A NUMBER ONE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
For years, rumours of the 'Marsh Girl' have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be…
Amanda Ross is an average twelve-year-old Canadian girl. So what is she doing thousands of kilometers from home in the United Arab Emirates?
It's her own fault, really. She wished for adventure and travel when she blew out those candles on her last birthday cake.
Little did she know that a whole different world awaited her on the other side of the globe, one full of intrigue, mystery, and folklore—a world with a beautiful princess, a dangerous desert, and wonderful friends.
