Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Demon Copperhead  By  cover art

Demon Copperhead

By: Barbara Kingsolver
Narrated by: Charlie Thurston
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $40.49

Buy for $40.49

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

WINNER OF THE 2023 PULITZER PRIZE WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION

A New York Times "Ten Best Books of 2022" • An Oprah’s Book Club Selection • An Instant New York Times Bestseller • An Instant Wall Street Journal Bestseller • A #1 Washington Post Bestseller

"Demon is a voice for the ages—akin to Huck Finn or Holden Caulfield—only even more resilient.” —Beth Macy, author of Dopesick

"May be the best novel of 2022. . . . Equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, this is the story of an irrepressible boy nobody wants, but readers will love.” (Ron Charles, Washington Post)

From the acclaimed author of The Poisonwood Bible and The Bean Trees, a brilliant novel that enthralls, compels, and captures the heart as it evokes a young hero’s unforgettable journey to maturity

Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, Demon Copperhead is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father’s good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. Relayed in his own unsparing voice, Demon braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities.

Many generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for listeners of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens’ anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can’t imagine leaving behind.

©2022 Barbara Kingsolver (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

Featured Article: Celebrating the Winners of the 2023 Pulitzer Prizes


Honoring excellence in arts and letters, the Pulitzer Prizes are among the most prestigious awards in the United States. This year's highlights included an unusual dual prize for the fiction category, awarded to Barbara Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead and Hernan Diaz's Trust, as well as a remarkable biography of George Floyd. This list reflects the works' incredible breadth of scholarship and creativity in audio productions that are spectacular in their own right.

What listeners say about Demon Copperhead

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    20,428
  • 4 Stars
    2,329
  • 3 Stars
    693
  • 2 Stars
    249
  • 1 Stars
    183
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    19,893
  • 4 Stars
    1,245
  • 3 Stars
    281
  • 2 Stars
    73
  • 1 Stars
    78
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    18,332
  • 4 Stars
    2,163
  • 3 Stars
    562
  • 2 Stars
    254
  • 1 Stars
    192

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Would give more than five stars if I could

Barbara Kingsolver never disappoints. She is the master of fact-filled fiction. Memorable characters. Brisk pacing. Powerful story line. Addresses issues of child abuse and the opioid epidemic in an insightful compelling way. I’ll remember this exceptional novel for a long time. I highly recommend it. The narrator is exceptional—I confess to being disappointed when I realized Barbara Kingsolver was not narrating, but Charlie Thurston was perfect.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

wonderful book

Barbara kingsolver came up with another great book. The characters are developed well. A variety of people with so much depth. Thank you a great book. Well done.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Where has Barbara Kingsolver been all my life.? I can't adequately express how much I loved this book! And the narration is spot on!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

OMG...l loved this book!

Amazing, colorful characters! So much depth in this story! Experienced some anxiety while reading this book...like I was personally connected to Demon.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Well rounded story

This is not my usual genre but I took a chance. I truly enjoyed the story. It took me to another place and swept me up.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

This was a phenomenal read

The story is captivating from the start, it is well written and the performance makes it even more engaging.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Mesmerizing

I was fascinated by the story from the very start. The narrator was the best I’ve ever heard. He was Demon Copperhead. Barbara Kingsolver spun a story of people we know but we don’t. Thank you. I could say more but I just finished the book, and I’m stunned.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

So many truths

I haven’t researched where the author is from, but she definitely captured many nuances of life in small Southern towns and their inhabitants, including the challenges foisted upon them from outsiders as well as from each other.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Too many towns like this

This is such a great sad story of every town in America. The narration was spot on.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Masterpiece of Literature

I adored this book.
Have always lived Kingsolver's stories.
This one should win the Pulitzer.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!