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Reviews tagging 'Islamophobia'
Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R.F. Kuang
196 reviews
tarasoraptor'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
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Blood, Classism, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Torture, Violence, Drug use, Islamophobia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Confinement, Death, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Addiction, Grief, Gun violence, and Murder
em_of_swags'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
what a powerhouse of a read, a love letter to languages, translation and research, while simultaneously criticizing so in depth the way academia is linked with privilege and imperialism. much to think about.
but also there's a huge list of trigger warnings so don't disregard those.
Graphic: Death, Murder, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Classism, Gun violence, Blood, Death of parent, Torture, Hate crime, Colonisation, Drug use, and Racism
Minor: Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Suicide, War, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Genocide, and Islamophobia
samick23'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: Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Racism, Misogyny, Islamophobia, Abandonment, Genocide, Colonisation, Torture, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Classism, and Grief
saythename'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
Graphic: Xenophobia, Racial slurs, War, Death, Suicide, Murder, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Sexism, Grief, Death of parent, Slavery, and Islamophobia
legendarycai'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
4.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Slavery, Murder, Gaslighting, Torture, Islamophobia, Hate crime, Genocide, Colonisation, Suicide, Racism, Racial slurs, Classism, and War
finn_1312'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
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Grief, Sexism, Murder, Suicide, Violence, Death of parent, Gun violence, Colonisation, Racism, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism, Hate crime, War, Slavery, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, and Islamophobia
millerkg9'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
Only complaint I really have is that we don’t actually see the repercussions of
Graphic: Racism, Grief, Xenophobia, Murder, Physical abuse, Colonisation, Misogyny, Islamophobia, Racial slurs, War, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Death, and Classism
Moderate: Deportation and Alcoholism
forced deportation is explicitly and implicitly threatened throughout the novel, but not actually acted upon as far as I remember.mishasbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Hate crime, Addiction, Chronic illness, Death, Racial slurs, Slavery, Child abuse, Colonisation, Drug use, Bullying, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Islamophobia, Gun violence, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Murder, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Vomit, and War
bobaduckie'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: Racism, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, War, Sexism, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Xenophobia, Torture, Colonisation, Hate crime, Gore, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Blood, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Toxic friendship, and Slavery
Minor: Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Islamophobia, and Cultural appropriation
Spoilers ahead: Betrayal becauseamyvl93'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
4.0
Knowing a bit about colonialism but nothing about linguistics, I found a lot of the content of this novel to be very interesting. I know some have critiqued Kuang for not adding anything 'new' to the conversation, but just shining a light on the way languages are connected was of great interest to me - and by extension I could understand how the Babel scholars could be sucked into this world of language and the power that it holds.
I did find the world building overall to be a mixed picture - Oxford, Babel as an institution and Canton as a location all felt incredibly drawn. It almost feels strange to know that the Babel tower is not a fixture at Oxford; and the descriptions had me picturing the mini-series adaptation in my head. That being said, I found the fantasy or speculative elements to be a little less well developed. I couldn't always quite get a grip on how silver had truly created a difference between the British Empire depicted in the novel, and the British Empire as it is existed in reality. It also felt like we got an awful lot of exposition as if Kuang occasionally forgot herself about the fantasy elements and had to remind us all that they existed. The fantasy of it all comes to the fore more in the final parts of the novel, but I almost feel like the translation element could have been enough in itself. The comparison to Philip Pullman in some reviews had me expecting a little more in world building, especially as this is marketed as an Adult fantasy (which I also think is somewhat unnecessary, and that younger readers could definitely enjoy this too).
Character-wise, the central quartet felt fully realised. Robin, Ramy, Victoire and Letty were all characters I cared about, was frustrated by and their individual journeys all felt authentic (if at times rather heavily signposted). The side characters did at times feel a little more one-dimensional, and there to serve representative points; but that didn't make them any less impactful on the narrative as it unfolded.
So depsite that wobbly word-building, I really enjoyed Babel and look forward to reading more of Kuang's writing in the future.
Graphic: Colonisation and Racism
Moderate: Violence, Islamophobia, Murder, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Death of parent