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Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'
Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R.F. Kuang
1244 reviews
harmonyfaery's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Colonisation, and Racism
theasi'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
Graphic: Sexual assault, Body horror, Classism, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, War, Blood, Bullying, Death, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Hate crime, Toxic friendship, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Grief
Moderate: Slavery, Child abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, and Alcohol
Minor: Deportation and Drug use
serendipitous_mess'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
4.0
Graphic: Colonisation, Racism, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, and Sexism
Moderate: Islamophobia and Slavery
idabwells's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Manages to capture the devastating scope of colonial genocide while also portraying the courage and brilliance of those around the world struggling to survive and triumph over it.
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Violence, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Trafficking, Suicide, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Addiction, Murder, Police brutality, Sexism, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic, Torture, Misogyny, Racism, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Mass/school shootings, and Kidnapping
Minor: Hate crime, Religious bigotry, War, Gun violence, Gaslighting, Rape, Slavery, and Injury/Injury detail
leonineliterature's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Murder, Death, Colonisation, Death of parent, Blood, Gore, Xenophobia, Violence, Toxic friendship, Sexism, and Racism
bidpat'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
3.75
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Slavery, Colonisation, Suicide, War, Death, Hate crime, Racism, Misogyny, and Sexism
xxlynxx'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, Grief, Classism, and Racism
Moderate: Blood, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and War
dorisko'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? No
4.75
And if you think any of the characters can stay happy for longer than 1 minute... think again!
Graphic: Death, Violence, Colonisation, Racism, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, and Classism
trashbinfluencer'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? It's complicated
4.25
Moderate: Torture, Blood, Confinement, Infidelity, Religious bigotry, Pandemic/Epidemic, Murder, Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Deportation, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, War, Cultural appropriation, Racial slurs, Classism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Abandonment, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Colonisation, Drug use, Xenophobia, Suicide, Sexism, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Alcohol, Cursing, Death, and Slavery
thelibraryskeeper'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
I first tried to read Babel in physical format and found I was struggling and getting rather caught up in the finer details. I switched to the audiobook and was golden. Chris Lew Kum Hoi is an outstanding narrator.
Babel is what I would call a dark academia themed book. The story is told predominantly from the viewpoint of Robin Swift. He has been orphaned and brought to London to begin learning classical languages. He is told by his guardian that he will enroll into Oxford Univeristys Royal Imstitute of Translation. This is where knowledge is power and this power is translated literally into silver bars which the British Empire uses to essentially make life easier and more pleasant.
It is at Babel that Robin begins to see the British effects of Colonialism, racism, violence, and loss of identity all at once. As he starts to see more and more of this, Robin is introduced to the Hermes Society which is in direct opposition of all that is being taught at Babel.
Kuang does a fantastic job fleshing out the characters and many themes throughout the novel and there is great plot and character development. This book is full of DEEP themes and Kuang doesn't shy away from anything.
"But that's the beauty of learning a new language. It should feel like an enormous undertaking. It ought to intimidate you. It makes you appreciate the complexity of the ones you know already"
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Colonisation
Moderate: Sexism, War, and Slavery
Minor: Death of parent