From Copperfield to Copperhead
Interesting comparisons in this month’s reading. Admittedly this was not a planned exercise, though.
From David Copperfield to Demon Copperhead, the latter is a fascinating update to the heartbreaking story of a poor little orphan boy’s life. After re-watching the movie Julie & Julia recently (son James and I had been discussing chopping onions and I recalled that great scene), I remembered Gary gave me the book years ago.
However: we’ll start off the month with a book I wish there wasn’t a comparison to …
Book 1: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
How did I get through high school without reading Brave New World? I guess back then, 1984 was supposed to cover the this-could-never-happen genre. If only …
Banned and challenged often since its 1932 publication, that in and of itself was a good reason to read it. Well, that, and this shiny (literally!) Folio Society edition was pretty, although I felt the need to Windex it once a day:
Brave New World was a horrifying yet mesmerizing read. (Please, though, don’t anyone recommend it to members of our current administration in Washington.)
Books 2 & 3: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver and David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
A few years ago, I kept seeing mentions of Demon Copperhead on bookish social-media accounts. Frankly, I didn’t pay it much attention until hearing an interview with the author. It turns out she wanted to write an updated version of Dickens‘ David Copperfield, with the setting in Appalachia during the 1990s opioid crisis. And write it she did!
My personal twist (Dickens pun intended) was to read Copperhead, followed by a re-read of David Copperfield. And by re-read, we’re talking a 50-year gap.
Neither book disappoints, but humanity certainly does.
The little bibliomiracle experienced this month? I managed to talk Farmer Gary into reading Copperhead. He of the Life’s-Too-Short-To-Read-Fiction Book Club. Our little chats about Demon will be forever cherished in my heart. (Can you tell I’m buttering him up to read Copperfield next?)
Book 4: Julie & Julia by Julie Powell
Uh-oh … here’s one book that isn’t quite as good as the film, in my opinion.
The movie divided up the lives of blogger Julie Powell and the incomparable Julia Child (whom I met long ago) fairly equally. Not so the book, which concentrates on Julie’s year-long quest to cook every single recipe from Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking and then blog about it.
Julie Powell comes off as a frustrated writer – but a very good one. Her honesty is almost too much, as she details endless meltdowns and a tough-to-take mother. Definitely worth reading, though.
P.S.: Sadly, Julie died during the pandemic a few years ago. She was just 49.
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