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edgaranjapoe'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
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Gaslighting, Racism, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Death, Classism, Torture, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Kidnapping, Alcohol, Gore, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Slavery, Physical abuse, Suicide, Child abuse, Grief, War, Misogyny, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Deportation, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Blood, Hate crime, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Islamophobia, Body horror, and Cultural appropriation
Minor: Child death, Drug use, Bullying, Mental illness, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Dysphoria, Car accident, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Mass/school shootings, Genocide, Drug abuse, Abandonment, Vomit, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Rape, and Sexual violence
nyssbomb'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: Death of parent, Child abuse, Sexism, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Abandonment, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Genocide, Medical trauma, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, War, Alcohol, Classism, Gun violence, Infidelity, Kidnapping, and Medical content
eabh'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
This novel is so well written and researched. The depth that these characters are given, the duality of relationships, pain, hope, and death have throughout the novel is incredible. I really enjoyed the footnotes and information throughout the book. While the book may have been a bit heavy handed on tropes and hammering information and ideas, it didn’t phase me much. The magical realism mixed with historical fiction found a really engaging way to convey the brutality of imperialism, etymology, academic structures, racism, martyrdom, oppression, and language.
I’m still processing this book, and will for a while. I’m so glad I read this book.
Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Xenophobia, Murder, War, Abandonment, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Genocide, Slavery, and Grief
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, Drug use, and Child abuse
Minor: Torture
winterwoodbooks'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? Yes
5.0
One of my favorite books of all time, this feels like my soul.
For everyone who loves Addie LaRue!
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Deportation, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Suicide attempt, Antisemitism, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Ableism, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Torture, War, Addiction, Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Trafficking, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Medical content, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, and Body horror
hannanni41'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: Sexism, Slavery, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Death, Grief, Racism, Colonisation, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Emotional abuse, War, Gaslighting, Genocide, Islamophobia, Toxic friendship, and Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse, Car accident, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, and Racial slurs
andra_mihaela_s's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Before I start giving a brief synopsis, CW and thoughts, I want to say this: the author is a great writer; she's technically excellent in achieving what she put her mind to. The style itself is detached, reminiscent of literary fiction novels who tend to contemplate themes than tell an action filled story.
Back to the book itself: We follow our protagonist, Robin Swift, a Chinese boy, as he is saved from a precarious situation by one mysterious Professor Richard Lovell, and taken to England to be prepared for a position in a prestigious college named Babel. From there, the story is very much learning, loneliness, separation- both cultural and physical, anxiety about who one is and what they should be; friendship; betrayal; family; the importance of identity and belonging to a group; <b>COLONIALISM</b> ; cruelty; how much evil can bigotry cause in the world; xenophobia, etc...You get the idea.>..>
I love the quote it come with on the cover...:<b><i>"Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal."</i></b>
I believe this book exemplifies how much people want to translate themselves from fear of loneliness, hate and desire to be important and acknowledged --> so in other words..how much they betray themselves and others by doing so.
CW: murder,depictions of slavery, dehumanisation, grooming, gaslighting , cultural appropiation;drug use, addiction as a weapon, xenophobia, racism, abuse towards children, exploitation of people and ideas not your own,etc
My thoughts on the <b>characters: </b> Our MC, Robin is a coward and an overworked, groomed and highly abused individual fixated on survival; fact I found moving and just right for the story Kuang wanted to tell. He is the perfect vessel to portray WHY ALL THE STRUGGLE TO BE SEEN IS IMPORTANT FOR MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES we (and here I especially mean white people like me) forget with the passage of time from an era filled with exploitation and appropriation.
He struggles with connections, fact he quickly identifies as well as the cause of it; he desperately seeks companionship in Ramy, Victoire and Letty, in Mrs. Piper, in Griffin and in Babel itself, despite knowing how and why his reality (that is very much painful at times) is shaped.
As I said before, Kuang writes in a detached manner; we have a first person POV, but it's very far off Robin. We get to connect with him (or at least I did...though I need very little connections to MCs if I enjoy the project of the book..>.>...) and get to explore the personalities of several key players: mostly Lovell, Griffin and Ramy(who become extremely important to Robin).
All this being said, character work is ok to good.
<b>Atmosphere: </b>THIS IS IT! an academic setting full of language discussions and debates; interpretations and uses for it and for the object of it's interpretation....<b>great if you're in the mood to philosophize about meanings to very abstract things</b>... like light, speed, etc. >..>
<b>World building:</b> Due to this being an alternative to our world, the author solidly created the silver-driven society needed for language to be important and powerful. I really enjoyed the aspects regarding the trade of silver and the political implications added on top of the racism and xenophobia.
<b>10/10 points for Babel's usage and meaning for every character in this book; also 11/10 for the usage of silver....the magic in this novel is well thought-off.</b>
<b>Plot:</b> R.F.Kuang took me by surprise when it came to character choices and outcomes! ^^ I really enjoyed that! We have loses both of lives and of relationships; we have acts born of different beliefs and impulses; we have a large underground society; we have opposing parties; we have world-level political machinations; we have egos and survival; we have the shielded, the elevated and cosy vs the unfortunate and "barbaric"; we have history and the here and now.
In the end, the plot is not shocking or unexpected, but I think you miss the point if that's all that matters to you...
Overall, I highly recommend you give this book a try if the synopsis sounds interesting; you might love it or not, but you'll definitely respect it.
Enjoy
Graphic: Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Slavery, Cultural appropriation, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and Violence
Moderate: War, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Misogyny, Hate crime, Gaslighting, Sexism, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, and Murder
Minor: Genocide, Addiction, and Bullying
lorenag5'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: Blood, Gun violence, Sexism, Cultural appropriation, Islamophobia, Racism, Emotional abuse, Murder, Kidnapping, Racial slurs, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Misogyny, and Classism
abbyreadsbigbooks123's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Drug use, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Confinement, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Torture, War, Racial slurs, Gore, Racism, Suicide, Classism, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny
siannn'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Torture, Toxic friendship, War, Cultural appropriation, Death, Drug use, Classism, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Gaslighting, Gore, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Xenophobia, Hate crime, Violence, Addiction, Blood, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Alcohol, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Kidnapping
erins_bookshelf_'s review against another edition
3.0
I’m a little late getting to this one;
There were some parts that I was a little confused about but other than those few things I thought this was good
It did kind of read like a textbook during any of the class scenes and that made it a little tedious to read, but I did like the commentary on colonialism and racism
Graphic: Racism, Colonisation, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Genocide, Suicide, Slavery, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Death of parent