Reviews

Babel by R.F. Kuang

humanmosquito's review against another edition

challenging 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

kawther's review

emotional informative reflective sad medium-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

5.0

RTC

All I’ve known since finishing this last night is sadness, pain and rage…I think I need a few days, if not a week, to articulate my thoughts and feelings into a coherent review. 

chiara_roscio's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

Traduzione, dark academia, colonialismo e razzismo, realismo magico e lotta di classe: Kuang è riuscita magistralmente a unire tutto in una storia avvincente e dalla struttura solidissima. Il rischio di perdersi qualcosa nella complessa narrazione che ha intrecciato non l'ha nemmeno sfiorata, tutto è al proprio posto. Le ultime 200 pagine sono da leggere tutte d'un fiato: l'autrice prende la rincorsa verso un epilogo emozionante. Il concetto della traduzione come mezzo magico, legato al discorso di sfruttamento delle altre culture e al colonialismo è geniale e gestito con grazia. Imperdibile, e soprattutto una lettura obbligata per chiunque si occupi di traduzione, un'arte troppo spesso data per scontata, ma che qui diventa protagonista assoluta. Ammirevoli la cultura e gli sforzi di ricerca etimologica della scrittrice. La prosa è talmente bella che di Kuang leggerei anche la lista della spesa. Un piccolo capolavoro.  

halfheartrot's review

adventurous challenging informative reflective tense slow-paced

• 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

4.25

marenlade's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

3.75

marilu's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-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

4.75

mrlnstrb's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• 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

4.5

aqsquare's review against another edition

slow-paced

2.75

anitralee's review against another edition

challenging dark informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

annemariep68's review against another edition

3.0

Audiobook: I’m giving this three stars because of the lengthy amounts of discussion about language and translation and the ways societies have used language to control the narrative, the role in colonization efforts by Britain and others. As well the thinly veiled references to the impacts of industrial development (and I might even stretch that to technology) on the working classes and society as a whole- masked as magic/silver work in this dark academia novel set in early 1800’s Oxford. 

The footnotes in the audiobook were interesting (especially the entomology of certain words) but overtime I found them taking me out of the story. There are worthwhile discussions here as well about racism, colonialism, cultural appropriation among other timely topics but honestly I found the novel overlong. 

The discussions about this book here in Goodreads and online are incredibly varied. I can say the author’s interest in some of these subjects is obvious and the amount of research that must have gone into this was extensive. 

The narrator did a very good job keeping characters distinct and the story flowing.