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bones_jackson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Genocide, Child abuse, Torture, Blood, War, Violence, Death, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Bullying, Child death, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
kwichris's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: War, Child abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Child death, Genocide, Grief, Emotional abuse, Bullying, and Xenophobia
Minor: Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, and Blood
ktdakotareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Child death, Death, Violence, Sexism, Torture, Bullying, War, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Blood, Body shaming, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
shinsreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying
fi_reads_books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
saskiahill's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Abandonment, Child death, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Violence, War, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Gore, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Antisemitism
jstarshine16's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Child death, Toxic friendship, Stalking, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Genocide, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, War, and Bullying
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Cursing, Child abuse, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, Classism, Misogyny, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
cmccoy13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexism, Animal death, Child abuse, Medical trauma, War, Ableism, Antisemitism, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Torture
stylo_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The prose is sparse and utilitarian, the plot straightforward and fast-moving, but all in service of the themes: why are human beings so vicious towards the other? Why is empathy so hard to exercise? What is the point of war, and what does it do to us? And what does redemption look like? Intense cruelty towards the characters only sharpens the point on which these examinations take place. (During one pivotal reveal towards the end of the novel, I pictured Ender's face as none other than Aleksei Kravchenko's in Come and See, the greatest and most tragic war movie ever made.)
The young-adult nature of the book does mean that themes, while mentioned, are not fully explored. Exploration of the themes rests in the realm of allusion; there's an impressionistic character, the way so much is communicated through Ender's dreams, through the fantasy game he plays on the computer, and the all-too-brief conclusion which I still find thrilling and evocative. I look forward to seeing if these themes are expounded on in Speaker for the Dead.
As a 30-something, this remains a striking, sad, and unique work.
(Caveats: There is some casual sexism in the book, and Card fumbles the ball on racial sensitivity with some of his characterizations - see for example the slang language used by the kids.)
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, and War
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Colonisation, Racial slurs, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Xenophobia
katiieecat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Fatphobia, Genocide, Grief, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, Violence, War, and Xenophobia