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onestephatatime'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
4.5
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation
Moderate: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Alcoholism and War
schnaucl'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
The magic system is based on the imprecision of translation. The more closely word pairs in different languages share a meaning, the less powerful the magic is.
There's a lot to chew on here with regard to power, empire, colonialism and what it means to belong, whether belonging is even possible, and how hard it is to persuade people in positions of privilege to even see the true cost of that privilege let alone to make them care about it.
Babel also has a lot to say about the power and limitations of friendship.
The characters are compelling and empathetic.
While I'm very curious what happens next and particularly what happens to Victoire, I actually like that this a standalone novel, at least as far as I know
I'm not doing a good job of explaining why this book was so amazing, but it is amazing. It's smart and well written and I'll be thinking about it for a long time.
Graphic: Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Torture, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Slavery, Violence, Vomit, Islamophobia, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
eli_trieu's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I felt so seen and heard. I sympathised and empathised with many of the characters, especially Robin.
I learned so much and I love the time I spent reading this book because it was a beautiful record of what these people went through, even though, they were fictional.
This is my favourite book of all time. This is fiction at its finest. It captured a certain truth in fiction so well that it is almost real.
If I can give this book more stars, I would.
♾️⭐
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, and Alcohol
Minor: Addiction and War
bookburdy'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
4.0
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, War, and Classism