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doctorw0rm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Child death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, and Gun violence
Minor: Fatphobia, Dementia, and Pandemic/Epidemic
savshelfinger's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and Stalking
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Suicide
pterodog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
To me, this is a book about change, both personal and ecological. It's about what happens when you're not looking, or when you're looking so hard at something else that you fail to keep an eye on the world around you. It's also about humanity's impact on the planet, ecoterrorism, climate change and the futility of expecting (or hoping) for one person to 'fix' everything.
I also liked how it really held onto the mystery aspect. VanderMeer gives you bits and pieces of the story but it doesn't all tie together until the final pages. Some of the reveals I wasn't too shocked by (Jane killing her grandfather, for example) but some of them genuinely took me by surprise (Silvina and the farm! What the hell!) and it was a really fun ride once Jane started putting all the pieces together.
A lot of other reviews have mentioned that they didn't like Jane, but I found her fun to read about. She is completely unapologetic about any of her choices, even the objectively terrible ones, and she's so methodical and straight-shooting that it takes a while before you start to notice how often she admits she hasn't been forthcoming with the reader and wonder how much else she's keeping back. She's not necessarily a likeable character but she is engaging and I was rooting for her overall, even if I was rooting for her husband and daughter much more.
Overall I really really enjoyed this book. I found the Southern Reach trilogy difficult because there was so much about it I didn't understand, and Hummingbird Salamander was similar to that but had enough of the plot set in stone and firmly explained that I didn't end up frustrated at the end. It's sad, but deeply gripping and very topical.
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Infidelity, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Police brutality, and War
erikwmj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Gun violence, and Violence
Minor: Sexism
daisylady's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Stalking
winn_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Child death