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ekclar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Child death
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: Bullying, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, and War
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Classism
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: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
dcm7918's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Toxic friendship, and War
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Blood, Grief, and Colonisation
mar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, and War
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Genocide, Violence, and Colonisation
Minor: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Antisemitism
shieldbearer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, and War
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Genocide, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, and Colonisation
Bullying- happens very often in the text Child abuse- the premise of the entire book is Ender's emotional abuse at the hands of the government War- while combat itself isnt' described, it's a topic of frequent discussion Child death-lovelymisanthrope'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
Ender has two siblings: Peter, a very rough around the edges boy who is seemingly evil, and Valentine, an empathetic girl who is always watching out for Ender. One of my favorite aspects of this book is how Peter and Valentine's characters are used to highlight how Ender is a blend of both of them.
There were some very difficult to read scenes, especially with depictions of animal cruelty from Peter. It was also hard to read Ender's story in general because he was so young when he started with battle school, and you cannot help but feel like his childhood was stolen from him.
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Genocide
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
toast_y's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Bullying and Child abuse
Moderate: Child death, Genocide, and Violence
Minor: Sexism and War
oldmanwilson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, Xenophobia, and Islamophobia
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, Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racial slurs, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, and Colonisation