NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Barbara Kingsolver's 鈥淒emon Copperhead,鈥� a modern retelling of Charles Dickens' 鈥淒avid Copperfield,鈥� is Oprah Winfrey's new book club choice.
In a statement Tuesday, the release date for Winfrey called Kingsolver's 560-page novel 鈥渢he kind of epic you want to read this fall.鈥� The book is set in the mountains of southern Appalachia and follows the life of a boy, born to a single, teenage mother, as he endures everything from foster care to drug addiction.
Kingsolver, 67, has lived for years on a farm in southern Appalachia, and has long blended narrative drama and social commentary. Her past novels include 鈥淭he Bean Trees,鈥� 鈥淔light Behavior鈥� and 鈥淭he Poisonwood Bible,鈥� a Winfrey selection in 2000. Her honors include a National Humanities Medal and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize.
鈥淕etting that call from Oprah is the highest literary prize on the planet, if you ask me,鈥� Kingsolver said in a statement. 鈥淣ot just because of the powerful way she connects books and readers, but because of the reader she is, herself. I could barely hold it together when she described my own book to me on the phone 鈥� her appreciation of the craft, the empathy, and how it touched her personally.鈥�
Winfrey will host an interactive gathering with Kingsolver and on Nov. 17.
Hillel Italie, The Associated Press
