Scan barcode
mereas'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? It's complicated
5.0
Besides the foundation to this historical fantasy, the found-family trope touched my soul. I am a sucker for the most of unlikely friends to become a group of four. Between the lines, there are undertones of queer sentiments that also resonated with me, though they do not go further than just that. This, I did not mind because the characters are constantly in survival mode whether physically or emotionally. The reality underneath Rebecca F. Kuang's words is like a goldfish peaking above the water's surface--the social arguments always felt natural and fluid, which hurt the most.
Language holds so much power, yet it can just as easily be lost.
-
On a side note, I love to find authors' favorite diction. Rebecca F. Kuang is biased to: teeter, tranquility, translation.
-
"'Because you're a good translator.' Ramy leaned back on his elbows. 'That's just what translation is, I think. That's all speaking is. Listening to the other and trying to see past your own biases to glimpse what they're trying to say. Showing yourself to the world, and hoping someone else understands'" (535).
"Oxford relied on silver, how without the constant labour of its translation corps, of the talent it attracted from abroad, it immediately fell apart. It revealed more than the power of translation. It revealed the sheer dependence of the British, who, astonishingly, could not manage to do basic things like bake bread or get safely from one place to another without words stolen from other countries" (471). This, made me question what else can stand in for silver. Oil. Petroleum. Fast fashion. And, at what cost?
Graphic: Slavery, Death, Sexism, Xenophobia, Suicide, and Racism
Moderate: Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic, Blood, Body horror, Grief, Drug abuse, Colonisation, Physical abuse, Murder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Addiction, and Panic attacks/disorders
grievous_glory's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Racism, Hate crime, Classism, Police brutality, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Sexism, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Slavery, Islamophobia, Grief, Murder, and Death
navayiota'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
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Slavery, Murder, War, Abandonment, Alcohol, Classism, Colonisation, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Xenophobia, Suicide, Blood, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Toxic friendship, Confinement, Death of parent, Misogyny, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Islamophobia, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Addiction, and Deportation
sleepylizard's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I wish I could collate all my favourite quotes together but there'd be too many! What a fantastic book - I especially loved the chapters where Kuang goes deep into the etymology side of things. It's definitely a read for anyone who's a bit nerdy about languages and etymology but it's fun amentally a powerful political book.
The only criticism is that it takes so long for the characters of Letty, Victoire and Ramy to be built up, we only really get that satisfaction towards the second half of the book. But I'm sure that's done intentionally.
Graphic: Racism, Death, Suicide, Sexism, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Violence, War, Torture, Misogyny, Classism, Colonisation, Murder, Drug use, Police brutality, and Gun violence
Minor: Alcoholism
penofpossibilities's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Violence, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Racial slurs, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Blood, Sexism, Murder, Death of parent, Death, Cultural appropriation, Ableism, Xenophobia, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Gun violence, Colonisation, Classism, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Grief, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, and Hate crime
Moderate: Addiction, Vomit, Islamophobia, Genocide, Gore, Infidelity, and Alcohol
Minor: Drug abuse, Slavery, Pandemic/Epidemic, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Child death, and War
lucakocsis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Overall I would highly recommend this book but only to those who are really interested in linguistics.
Graphic: Murder, Colonisation, Misogyny, Classism, Racism, Racial slurs, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Suicide and Toxic friendship
Minor: Blood, Body horror, and Gun violence
annamary54'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
5.0
Graphic: Colonisation, Blood, Death of parent, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Body horror, Child abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Police brutality, Slavery, Toxic friendship, Xenophobia, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, War, Hate crime, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Suicide
elisabeth23'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
5.0
Graphic: Xenophobia, Racism, Racial slurs, Slavery, and Colonisation
Moderate: Classism, Violence, and Suicide
hellichipmunk'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
5.0
Graphic: Classism, Torture, Grief, Drug abuse, Suicide, Racism, Colonisation, Death, Violence, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Gun violence, Sexism, Murder, Misogyny, Islamophobia, Car accident, Toxic friendship, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, War, and Confinement
quinn24's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Medical content, Blood, Alcohol, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Racism, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Drug use, Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, and Vomit