Monday Review - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

First - shout out to  my friend,  Becky,  for gifting me this  book. Demon Copperhead is a gem. I soaked up every page in awe of Barbara Kingsolver's writing. This is a modern day David  Copperfield by Charles Dickens. Poor  Damon (nicknamed Demon) is born to a young addict  mom and a dad that's already dead in the  mountains  of southern Appalachia. And there's  a new script out  there - oxycontin - that spells trouble.

Foster care, child labor, derelict  schools - Demon tells  his tale in an unforgettable  voice. This lost  soul has artistic  skills, good looks, copper colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent  for survival. (cover blurb). 

Here are some writing samples - p.77  We had the moon in the window to smile on us for  a minute and tell us the world was ours. Because all the adults had gone off somewhere and left everything in our hands.

p. 221 But the weirdness wasn't in what I didn't know. It's what I did know. How to watch your  back at all times. What a caseworker means by, "We're working on it." 

p. 325  "Oh my goodness, Demon. You don't have  any idea do you?"

              "You're the one all the girls will be writing to in prison."

Intrigued?  You will LOVE this  character, admire him, feel sorry for him, and laugh along with him on his crazy ride through  life. You'll shake your head at a life you don't know and can't even imagine.  Kingsolver  tackles the underbelly of life with great writing.  Trust me - Demon Copperhead is a must  read! 

Finally Friday - Joy

Unabashed joy. Isn't this a fabulous pic and don't we all wish we had this moment, right now, in our lives? Thanks to a Facebook Friend -I met her at a writer conference and we've stayed in touch. She's funny as hell, is a lawyer, an excellent writer,  and mom to these two lovely kids. She gave permission to use this pic (well, she IS a lawyer after all. I had to ask!)

I enjoyed a virtual author tour moment with Barbara Kingsolver and her new book.  She can write anything - fiction,  nonfiction, and poetry - and does it with grace and ease. Her word choices and flow bring me joy

p. 10 How to Do Absolutely Nothing

final lines -  Don't take a cookbook, or anything to cook.  A fishing pole, ok but not the line, hook, sinker, leave it all.    

find out what's left....

                  

This little superstar student, Makyla, is now a teen and she began a blog. I'm impressed and pleased. She's already posted a book review and more.  Check out  http://statesplash-makylafaries.blogspot.com

She's always been a reader and now she's a writer and creator too.  Yes,  I'm bragging and proud.  Very cool.  Joyous

_______________________________________________________________

And now as we enter a weekend,  a whole week into the netherworld of "say, what?"

let's stick  with our theme of joy:

The root of joy, as of duty, is to put all one's powers toward some great end.  Oliver Wendell Holmes

The highest joy of man should be the growth of personality   Goethe

Winning is important to me, but what brings me real joy is the experience of being fully engaged in whatever I'm doing   Phil Jackson

Stay engaged everyone. Have some joy in your life this weekend. Stay safe my friends. 

 

Book Review - The Bean Trees

1988 – Barbara Kingsolver’s debut novel The Bean Trees was the start of a great career. This is a writer with mad skills. I’ve loved her writing through the years, but somehow had never read this book. 

Taylor’s goal in life growing up poor in Kentucky was to avoid pregnancy and move away. She succeeds – saves to buy a car and heads west after high school. In a weird circumstance, she becomes the guardian of a baby girl. The two make it to Tucson, meet Mattie, the owner of a car repair shop, and Taylor has a job, a friend, and a new life. Mattie also runs a safe-house for Central American refugees. Keep in mind, this story was written in 1988, but seems fresh and current for today’s world.

Plenty of rich characters inhabit this book, and the baby girl, nicknamed Turtle, is a healing force in all of their lives and a tie that binds them together. This is a novel about love and friendship, abandonment and belonging, and discovery. (cover blurb) You’ll root for Taylor and Turtle and keep turning the pages of The Bean Trees.

Book Review - Unsheltered

Barbara Kingsolver is a genius writer. Her latest Unsheltered covers two eras and her transitional story line is clean and sublime. Willa Knox and her husband can barely stay above water. He teaches a college course way below his level. She is a writer who can’t seem to get employment. Their house is crumbling. They are trying to keep his elderly father alive. Their son’s wife died and now they are raising a newborn grandson. It all sounds crazy, but that is life for so many these days. All under one roof – folks are just trying to survive, let alone think about retirement, savings, and a future. It’s strictly try to breathe – keep all balls in the air and survive…that’s the goal.

Meanwhile, Willa researches the home and hopes for a grant – maybe someone famous lived in this home. Turns out a neighbor, Mary Treat, was a scientist. Darn she did not live in this house. BUT, Thatcher Greenwood, a teacher who supported Darwin’s theories did. And he was key in an important trial. Maybe the family can get a grant exemption and help pay for repairs before the house falls down.

Kingsolver moves easily between both story lines – the past and the present and how they intersect. The characters are interesting. Her writing is lovely, and she makes one think about life…past and present. How do folks survive with multiple generations under one roof? Unsheltered is a searing commentary on life today by an author who knows her stuff and writes with authority. Kudos.

Book Review: Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver

Flight Behavior displays deft writing once again from Barbara Kingsolver. She combines everyday life in Appalachia with science, faith, and general human frailities.


Dellarobia Turnbow is a restless farm wife, who became pregnant too young, lost the baby, stayed married, and is now the mother of two. She's just going through life, sure there has to be more out there. In a morning of escape, she enters the usual valley and it's alit from within. Turns out monarch butterflies, hundreds of thousands, have gone off kilter and taken up existance far from their normal path.

Now journalists, tourists, and scientists invade this rural neck of the woods and turn life as Dellarobia knows it upside down. Flight Behavior takes on one of the most contentious subjects of our time: climate change. With a versatile empathy, Kingsolver dissects the motives that drive denial and belief in a precarious world. (cover blurb).

Ever since The Poisonwood Bible, I've been a fan of Barbara Kingsolver's writing. She brings characters alive in real situations, and can handle complex issues without too much preaching. I did find myself skimming a bit at the end, but was still satisfied with the conclusion of the story. Dellarobia is rich in humor and smart with common sense. The opening line of this book will draw you in - A certain feeling comes from throwing your good life away, and it is one part rapture.

Join Dellarobia as she keeps trying to flee her life, and yet has to stay grounded too. Flight Behavior is more than butterflies, it's human too.