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jakepasseri'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
4.75
Graphic: Racial slurs, Infidelity, Violence, Colonisation, and Racism
Moderate: War, Rape, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Slavery
Minor: Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Islamophobia
lexihworth'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: Torture, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Sexism, Classism, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Suicide, Slavery, Murder, Genocide, Violence, Racial slurs, Child abuse, War, Sexual harassment, Gun violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Blood, Colonisation, Death, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Suicide, Sexism, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Blood, Slavery, Xenophobia, Violence, Torture, Sexual harassment, Racism, Racial slurs, Murder, Misogyny, Infidelity, Gun violence, Gore, Grief, Death, War, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Hate crime, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Colonisation, Alcohol, Classism, Alcoholism, Blood, and Bullying
maddiebusick's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Racism, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Sexism, Classism, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Drug use, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Slavery, Toxic friendship, Torture, and War
Minor: Addiction, Infidelity, Islamophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Deportation, Medical content, Alcohol, and Bullying
withlivjones'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
4.75
At first, the novel appears like any fantasy story, and the reader is drawn into the whimsy of life as a student at Oxford like Robin and his friends. I love the fact that the magic system is based in translation theory, and over time we can see how Robin starts thinking like a translator, always considering the full implications of what words mean. Like the knowledge that no one sees the colour red the same way, it opens one’s eyes to a different way of perceiving the world.
However, as we learn about the more sinister side of Babel’s work, the scope of the novel widens to not just commenting on elitism in academia but the fact that during the British Empire’s peak, absolutely everything could be traced back to colonialism and furthering the interests of the rich, white elite - something that certain parts of the world are still recovering from even today. The pace of the novel (which is pretty slow for the first half) suddenly accelerates at a rate that is a little jarring, but for good reason as it really emphasises the shock of the students as they realise exactly what they are working for.
The characters are excellently fleshed out, especially the main four - most of the novel is from Robin’s point of view and he makes a very compelling protagonist, but I also really liked the interludes from the point of view of the other three students which give vital insight into their motivations throughout the novel. Besides these four, Kuang does a fantastic job of creating a diverse cast of minor characters, from the lovable to the despicable.
I would honestly recommend this book to everyone, especially anyone who has benefitted from a university education - as I think it is a very important and eye-opening read. It is a pretty slow start, but I found all the exposition in the first half surprisingly interesting and the action in the second half of the book is so worth the wait. Also, I can’t wait for university professors to inevitably miss the point of the novel and use it as reading material in their translation theory classes.
Graphic: Murder, Racial slurs, Blood, Misogyny, Classism, Death, Racism, Xenophobia, and Colonisation
Moderate: Addiction, Gun violence, Grief, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Abandonment
Minor: Cultural appropriation, Infidelity, Excrement, and War
Period-typical attitudesinternationalreads'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Cultural appropriation, Genocide, Violence, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Vomit, War, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, Gun violence, Blood, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
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
tumbly_weed's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Death, Racism, Grief, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Gun violence, War, Blood, Violence, Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Slavery, Death of parent, Child abuse, Confinement, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, War, Infidelity, Islamophobia, and Hate crime
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
kazzerdam'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: Racism, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Murder, and Misogyny
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Drug abuse and Infidelity
doodeedoda'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: Violence, Toxic friendship, Classism, Torture, Racism, Grief, Colonisation, Murder, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Death, Physical abuse, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Misogyny, Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Slavery
Minor: Drug use, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Alcohol, and Panic attacks/disorders