Blue Ridge Country May/June 2023 - 20

COUNTRY ROADS
BOOK NOTE
Demon Copperhead, by Barbara
Kingsolver. HarperCollins Publisher,
2022. 548 pp.
ingsolver's latest novel appeared on
nearly every Best Books of 2022 list,
and for a host of good reasons.
First and foremost, who would dare
take on retelling Charles Dickens' 1850
novel " David Copperfield " -and set it in
modern Appalachia?
Who would write a classic Hero's
Journey novel-and take on the opioid
crisis, child welfare, public education,
poverty and hunger in the process?
Who, but Barbara Kingsolver, whose
knowledge of contemporary coal
country is firsthand (she was born in
Kentucky and now lives in far southwest
Virginia), and whose commitment
to social justice runs deep (Kingsolver
initiated the Bellwether Prize-now the
PEN/Bellwether Prize-awarded to a
previously unpublished book taking on
social justice issues).
It's hard to talk about this novel
without spoiling the plotline. Suffice it
to say that you'll see Demon fall repeatedly
into horrific foster-care homes,
attend school only sporadically and
lose just about everything before
rescuing himself with a lot of
help from a large cast of friends.
It's not only the plot that
traces that of " David Copperfield. "
Kingsolver has cleverly
chosen character names that
echo Dickens' characters:
Peggotty becomes Mrs. Peggot; Dora
becomes Dori; and the unforgettable
Uriah Heep takes on the name U-Haul.
But know that reading " Demon
Copperhead " will be much more than
an exercise in tracing Kingsolver's clever
remake of Dickens' novel. You will-I
promise-fall in love with Demon, and
he will make you laugh as well as cry,
sometimes both at once.
When you close this novel, you
won't forget Demon Copperhead ... or
the social tightrope he walks that, for
many of us, is all too easy to ignore.
-JOAN VANNORSDALL
20 BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM
K
LEFT: Claire Crosby raises her
face to the warm light pouring
through the central oculus of the
Ladies' Pool as she soaks.
BELOW: The Drinking Spring,
where visitors once dipped a
bucket to partake of the waters,
is located in front of the visitor
center and the Ladies' Pool.
MINERAL-WATER SPRINGS RE-OPEN
Taking the Waters, At Last
Closed in 2017, the Warm Spring Pools of Bath County, Virginia, are
again ready to receive bathers.
s my friend Nancy Vance and I drift around in the mineral rich waters of the
Warm Springs Pools in Bath County, Virginia, she tells me the story of her
Aunts-Beany and Irene. In the late 1980s, the two 70-something women brought
their elementary-age nieces here for a soak. The girls' shocked expressions when
their ancient aunts emerged from the dressing rooms wearing nothing but their
smiles, is the stuff of family legend.
A
But, these pools are far older than that story. Indigenous tribes enjoyed them
thousands of years before they became America's very first spa structure. The octagonal
stone basin of what is now the Gentlemen's Bath was created in 1761 and
covered in 1820. A Ladies' Bath, with 22 sides, was built beside it in the 1870s.
The sulfurous water rises through limestone from a mile underground. The
smell is an indication of the rich soup of dissolved minerals that are purported to
improve circulation, provide skin benefits and even relieve pain. Thomas Jefferson
was just one of many well-known visitors.
I first soaked here in 2015, but long lines of daylight punctuated the places
where shingles had fallen away from the decrepit buildings. In 2017, they were
condemned and closed. Now after an outlay of over $4 million by Omni Hotels
and Resorts, they are open again, and so popular that reservations are required.
Another bather, Claire Crosby, who drove over five hours to enjoy the baths,
tells me it was worth the long trip and she will be back to do it again. I agree. I
will be back. And maybe, when I am 70 I will finally be brave enough to jump
in like the famous Aunts-wearing nothing but my smile. omnihotels.com/hotels/
homestead-virginia/wellness/hot-springs/warm-springs-pools.
-GINNY NEIL
http://www.omnihotels.com/hotels/ http://www.BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM
Blue Ridge Country May/June 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country May/June 2023
