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melodyseestrees's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- 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
4.5
If you put aside all the magical elements you have a bunch of realistic characters and many are vile. You may see your own decision making reflected in certain characters. For example choosing to not take actions in order to keep oneself comfortable despite what effect that has on unprivileged people. This is no [Child Wizard Series] book so if you go in expecting the 'good people are good because the author says so' treatment you will find the characters disappointing.
The character arc of Letty choosing to take actions that doom her supposed close friends because her idea of protecting them is to chain them into a life that is comfortable for her while refusing to accept that society prevents them from being able to live that life. I think Letty will be a very aggravating character for many but she embodies 'white woman tears.'
There are several characters that I wish had been explored moreGriffin and his group, Ramy, Victoire. Victoire and Anthony feel almost like the 'magical negro' stereotype since one doesn't really do much (until we need the conflict of 3 of the friends secretly being in the same rebel group without telling each other) and the other going on to take action after everyone else is no longer able to.
It also would have been interesting to see the effects Britain was having on other places in addition to China, which may have helped cement each of our four main characters' motivations a bit better. We know explicitly that Robin and Ramy want to help their homelands but Victoire is a little unclear and Letty is Letty.
There is a really great quote about Letty and how her upbringing shapes her world: "And Letty, if she could not belong to a place, would rather tear the whole thing down. " This is a really great demonstration of who Letty is as a person. Her privilege is so blinding she refuses to accept the path her friends are taking and ultimately kills Ramy to protect him. She literally destroys, betrays, and tries to manipulate her friends in order to prevent changes that would be uncomfortable for her in particular and Britain in general. She does not care about China or its people so long as the silver it contains can be acquired and used by Britain. She thinks her friends should be grateful and do whatever they need to so they may stay in Britain and not care about the homelands they were (literally) stolen from because Britain is HER homeland and it could become their homeland if they work/pretend hard enough. I have Opinions about Letty and disturbingly have seen some of her arguably worst behaviors in myself and others when asked to boycott certain products or block certain 'beloved' persons.
The ending was unsatisfactory because of the epilogue. It is set up for two people to have a conflict in the spirit of Javert and Jean Valjean. One is on a quest to see how big the rebel group is and the other is seeming back to their comfortable life after all the events. The actions involving the tower would have felt empty without it however. Babel is set up to have a sequel but the author has been reported to have no interest in writing a sequel or any other book in the Babel universe so that setup just becomes loose ends. The audiobook handles the footnotes very well and the reading experience is best enjoyed by listening and reading simultaneously.
There are several characters that I wish had been explored more
It also would have been interesting to see the effects Britain was having on other places in addition to China, which may have helped cement each of our four main characters' motivations a bit better. We know explicitly that Robin and Ramy want to help their homelands but Victoire is a little unclear and Letty is Letty.
There is a really great quote about Letty and how her upbringing shapes her world:
The ending was unsatisfactory because of the epilogue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Racial slurs, Colonisation, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Sexism, Slavery, Cultural appropriation, War, Blood, Child death, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Grief, Murder, Ableism, Classism, and Drug use
Minor: Death of parent, Gun violence, Death, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship
We see body horror-esque violence precisely in one scene. There is a lot of blood-related description from that scene on.wordywashington's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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
All I can say right now while I process everything this book made me feel is that I'm surprised no one in the US has tried to get this book banned yet.
I don't think I've considered a book this much of a must-read in at least a decade. I'll elaborate further once I get my thoughts and emotions in order, but right now, I struggle to think of a more relevant and poignant fiction book to read in the current state of the world. Just...wow. Please read Babel.
I don't think I've considered a book this much of a must-read in at least a decade. I'll elaborate further once I get my thoughts and emotions in order, but right now, I struggle to think of a more relevant and poignant fiction book to read in the current state of the world. Just...wow. Please read Babel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Torture, Death, Misogyny, Death of parent, Child abuse, Murder, Racism, Classism, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Cultural appropriation, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, Sexism, and Genocide
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Slavery, Toxic friendship, and Suicidal thoughts
teri_s's review against another edition
The plot didn’t interest me, it was a little too “brainy” with the linguistic explanation, and the child abuse scene at the beginning put me off
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Racism
mereas's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- 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
A contemporary classic in literature. By the end, I felt simultaneously ruined and astonished by Rebecca F. Kuang's work. She covers the most existential questions in the frame of language and translation. The foundation of etymology and epistemology in the scene of colonialism and systematic oppression are narrated under one boy, Robin Swift, who is half-Chinese and half-English. I found the saddest aspect to this novel being that we never truly know his native name, of which was chosen by his late (Chinese) mother, and I cannot fathom the weight immigrants hold when they are told their names are too hard, complicated, or otherwise foreign for the English man. This also includes the erasure that colonial structures translate upon the foreign body, for they are left with no name nor grave. Rebecca F. Kuang leaves us to question whether protest and resistance should be violent or nonviolent to produce systematic change, in similar vein to the Civil Rights Movement.
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.
-
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.
-
"'What you don't understand,' said Ramy, 'is how much people like you will excuse if it just means they can get tea and coffee on their breakfast tables. They don't care, Letty. They just don't care'" (356).
"'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?
Content Warnings
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
navayiota's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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
A love letter to all who suffered and continue to suffer. A modern classic, heartbreaking and perfect. I cried in the night, staying up late to finish this behemoth of a book. My new favourite of all time.. Bless Kuang and her brilliant mind.
Content Warnings
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
booksjessreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I have been putting off writing this review for some time because I am genuinely unsure how to write my feelings about it into words, or what coherent thoughts I have about this book are at this point.
This book is an absolute marvel. It is completely astonishing. The characters are so human, fully dimensional and uniquely complex. The story: devastating. But, anything that is about empire and colonialism is. Kuang has such incredible skill at interweaving themes of empire, colonialism, racism, religion, gender and so many more themes. Sometimes, I came across sentences that put the themes and topics so well that I physically could not think of a way to rephrase things. Her style is just so clever and intricate and nuanced. Simply brilliant.
This book is also incredibly emotional. There are characters in this book that felt like friends of mine and I haven't felt this close to characters in a book for a long time. They feel so real and they are written so exquisitely. Furthermore, Robin as an unreliable narrator just adds to the appeal of reading it for me. An unreliable narrator is one of my favourite things about a book, and this was executed so well.
Babel is just a complete masterpiece. I write a lot of reviews with the mindset of 'how could what I write do this book any justice'. But I mean that from the bottom of my heart writing this review. This book is essential and so cleverly crafted. One of my favourite books of all time.
This book is an absolute marvel. It is completely astonishing. The characters are so human, fully dimensional and uniquely complex. The story: devastating. But, anything that is about empire and colonialism is. Kuang has such incredible skill at interweaving themes of empire, colonialism, racism, religion, gender and so many more themes. Sometimes, I came across sentences that put the themes and topics so well that I physically could not think of a way to rephrase things. Her style is just so clever and intricate and nuanced. Simply brilliant.
This book is also incredibly emotional. There are characters in this book that felt like friends of mine and I haven't felt this close to characters in a book for a long time. They feel so real and they are written so exquisitely. Furthermore, Robin as an unreliable narrator just adds to the appeal of reading it for me. An unreliable narrator is one of my favourite things about a book, and this was executed so well.
Babel is just a complete masterpiece. I write a lot of reviews with the mindset of 'how could what I write do this book any justice'. But I mean that from the bottom of my heart writing this review. This book is essential and so cleverly crafted. One of my favourite books of all time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Violence, Death, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Racism
Moderate: War, Child abuse, Death of parent, Slavery, Murder, and Drug use
drjoannehill's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Slightly magical, alternate history of the British Empire in the 1830s amid the beginnings of the Opium Wars, and more of a commentary on racism and colonialism than fantasy.
For me, a book is 4 stars if the story holds my attention across the 500+ pages, and the characters are interesting. So, it scores on those points. Background-wise, you'll be ok with this if you have any interest in etymology and translation, but if not you'll struggle.
The anti-racist message is not subtly expressed - it is very consistently and brutally expressed. It's really laid on heavy by the colonialists quite how little they thought of people from the places they were exploiting, and there's no possibility of responding to their arguments. The characters who are at the receiving end of it sometimes discuss racism and sexism together, in language that is not authentic to the time. One of the central messages of the book is that white women are not allies, that they'll push to get access to the system but not fight the system itself - fine, this makes sense and is likely quite authentic. But as it's such a heavily pursued narrative, there's not as much complexity or surprise as there could be. We basically learn that even in a world where there's a bit of magic to make things run smoother, it is all just used to make the Empire richer, and the Empire will allow any number of atrocities if the Empire itself still stands and makes money and power. (E.g. it is discussed a few times that abolition was just a trade advantage). So, it's bleak, and maybe a tiny bit clunky, but for any readers who maintain a perspective that Britain brought good to the world through empire, they might think differently after reading (they might not though).
For me, a book is 4 stars if the story holds my attention across the 500+ pages, and the characters are interesting. So, it scores on those points. Background-wise, you'll be ok with this if you have any interest in etymology and translation, but if not you'll struggle.
The anti-racist message is not subtly expressed - it is very consistently and brutally expressed. It's really laid on heavy by the colonialists quite how little they thought of people from the places they were exploiting, and there's no possibility of responding to their arguments. The characters who are at the receiving end of it sometimes discuss racism and sexism together, in language that is not authentic to the time. One of the central messages of the book is that white women are not allies, that they'll push to get access to the system but not fight the system itself - fine, this makes sense and is likely quite authentic. But as it's such a heavily pursued narrative, there's not as much complexity or surprise as there could be. We basically learn that even in a world where there's a bit of magic to make things run smoother, it is all just used to make the Empire richer, and the Empire will allow any number of atrocities if the Empire itself still stands and makes money and power. (E.g. it is discussed a few times that abolition was just a trade advantage). So, it's bleak, and maybe a tiny bit clunky, but for any readers who maintain a perspective that Britain brought good to the world through empire, they might think differently after reading (they might not though).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Minor: War, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Death of parent, and Child abuse
fronk10's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- 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
4.0
An excellent and thought provoking read. I loved the characters, and Robin’s journey was so interesting to watch. It also has such a unique magic system that I adored, I just feel it got a little bogged down in semantics sometimes - but they are language scholars after all! A hard read at times, but a necessary one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, War, Racism, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Death, Xenophobia, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Death of parent, and Child abuse
penofpossibilities's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
the first half was incredibly slow paced and at times a drag to get through. If it wasn't for some long train rides with nothing better to do, I would've taken much longer to finish. The last quarter or so was really exciting though! I even got emotional and started crying near the end.
Content Warnings
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
annamary54's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
I am at a loss for words right now. This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. It also doubled my vocabulary. I have been contemplating going back to school for linguistics, and this book made me want to go even more, until it didnt. And at the same time this book had everything and nothing to do with linguistics. Incredible topical time for me to be reading the this (although I’m sure you could stay that about any time). I’m just thinking of the protests happening at colleges around the US calling for a ceasefire. Very much resembles the back half of this book. I will say, it was a slow start for me, only because I started reading this when I was in a reading slump and the world building was just a lot of translation. Once I got about 40% of the way though, things started picking up. I really was going to give this 4.75 just because it was so hard for me to get into it, even with my love of language, but book five was so good I had no choice but to give this 5 stars.
Content Warnings
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