Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Babel, or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R.F. Kuang

152 reviews

xx_salem's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

The first 200 pages of this book where incredibly difficult to get through, I would put it down for weeks and only get through a couple pages. Reading it made me feel good and intelligent and yet I don’t think I picked up nor absorbed much of the content or the message for the first while. The last 200 pages though were intense and interesting and I couldn’t put it down. The ending was satisfying and made me want a second book so I could watch the fallout, it felt realistic. But I never loved the characters, their deaths meant nothing and I simply couldn’t be attached to any of them. They felt so lackluster and unfeeling, it was really the plot and the intrigue and what thoughts it provoked that made this book good.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Blood, Violence, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Murder, Mass/school shootings, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Misogyny, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, War, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Abandonment, Cursing, Drug use, Racial slurs, Slavery, Gun violence, Body horror, Car accident, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death, Death of parent, Alcohol, Sexism, and Toxic friendship

ericius's review against another edition

adventurous challenging informative inspiring reflective tense slow-paced

• 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? It's complicated

3.0

 Double review Italian-English

ITA:
Un Fantasy non Fantasy 

 

Questo libro mi suscita sentimenti contrastanti. 

Iniziando con aspetti positivi, il libro è scritto veramente bene scorrevole e non particolarmente pesante nonostante sia la mole non indifferente di pagine (600 nella versione italiana) con una moltitudine di note a piè di pagina e lezioni di etimologia continue per tutto il libro. 

Si nota tantissimo la ricerca su questi fronti e la cura maniacale di questa materia. 

Tuttavia non tutto in questo libro gode della stessa cura nella ricerca, ed è qui che iniziano le note dolenti; 

 

Come dico nel titolo questo libro è un fantasy, è infatti quello il motivo principale che mi aveva portato a leggere, tuttavia, nonostante è abbastanza chiaro che ci siano elementi magici questo libro non sembra un fantasy e non trasmette assolutamente niente di quello che ti aspetteresti da questo genere, se all’inizio non capivo perché, con il tempo ho capito: tutto quello che fa la magia infatti è essere un espediente per traino e giustificazione della storia costruita dall’autrice; 

 

Manca infatti un effetto nel mondo circostante, 

Il mondo è una replica quasi fedele del 1800 inglese e non si capisce fino a che estensione la magia modifica il mondo intorno (si parla ma non si mostra per lo più) in più l’intero funzionamento della magia è talmente giustificato e costruito a tavolino che taglia di netto la sensazione di incredulità che genera normalmente la magia, 

Il risultato è un mondo noioso in cui la costruzione del “Magico” non modifica in nessun modo quello che conosciamo. 

Che l’autrice si fosse data la zappa sui piedi sulla costruzione del mondo magico lo si capisce da subito aprendo il libro, quando con una nota iniziale mette le mani avanti su tutte le libertà che si è presa nella Oxford storica per aggiustarla per il proprio progetto, quasi come se non fosse autorizzata a modificare il mondo per una narrazione fantasy, o come se i lettori non avessero l’elasticità mentale necessaria per accettare un qualcosa di troppo distante dalla realtà (forse mi viene da ipotizzare questa elasticità mentale manca proprio all’autrice). 

Ho letto diverse recensioni che alzano problemi anche con la modalità linguistica con cui l’autrice tratta il razzismo, ma mi rifiuto di addentrarmi nella materia in quanto non sono abbastanza preparata per esprimermi. 

 

Per concludere: Non è quello che mi aspettavo di leggere e non sono soddisfatta, ma non è un cattivo libro; il finale è alcune scelte di trama non sono il mio genere ma su quelle posso tranquillamente sorvolare. 


ENG:

A non-fantasy fantasy
 
This book gives me mixed feelings.
Starting with positive aspects, the book is really well written, it is smooth and not particularly heavy to read, despite the considerable amount of pages (600 in the Italian version) with a multitude of footnotes and etymology lessons that continue for the whole book.
The research in these areas and the obsessive attention to this subject are very noticeable.
However, not everything in this book enjoys the same attention to research, and this is where the sore points begin;

As I say in the title, this book is a fantasy, that is in fact the main reason that led me to read it, however, although it is absolutely quite clear that there are magical elements, this book does not feel like a fantasy and does not convey anything of what you expect from this genre, if at the beginning I didn't understand why, over time I understood: in fact, all that magic does is to be an expedient to drive and justify the story constructed by the author;

In fact, the effect that magic should bring to the surrounding world is missing,
The world is an almost faithful replica of England in the 1800s and it is not clear to what extent magic modifies the world around (it is mostly talked about but not shown) plus the entire functioning of magic is so justified and planned almost arbitrarily that cuts off the feeling of disbelief that magic normally generates,
The result is a boring world in which the construction of the "Magic" does not change in any way what we know.
That the author had shot herself in the foot with the construction of the magical world can be understood immediately upon opening the book, when with an initial note she lays out all the liberties she has taken in historic Oxford to adjust it for her own project, almost as if she were not authorized to modify the world for a fantasy narrative, or as if readers do not have the mental elasticity necessary to accept something too distant from reality (perhaps I am hypothesizing that this mental elasticity is precisely lacking to the author).
I have read several reviews that also raise problems with the linguistic modality with which the author deals with racism, but I refuse to delve into the matter as I am not prepared enough to express myself.
 
To conclude: It's not what I expected to read and I'm not satisfied, but it's not a bad book; the ending and some plot choices aren't my thing but I can easily overlook those.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Cultural appropriation, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Racism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Classism, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: War, Confinement, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Grief, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Torture, Toxic friendship, Hate crime, and Suicide

samick23's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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

This is probably one of my favorite books I have ever read. I also don't know when I'll be able to handle reading it again. I know I want to but I am devastated. You should read this book, it is incredible. R. F. Kuang's world building never ceases to amaze. Equally so her ability to let you live and breathe in the world and really make you feel like you understand it moments before she pulls the rug out from under you. I am equal parts in mourning and in love.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Racism, Misogyny, Islamophobia, Abandonment, Genocide, Colonisation, Torture, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Classism, and Grief

mishasbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

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

gualdhar's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs

Moderate: Death, Colonisation, and Bullying

Racist episodes are historically accurate for the setting, aimed at the main character and close relations.

lilly24's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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

A beautiful book, in and out. Loved it. Let you staring at the wall

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Deportation, Emotional abuse, Death, Slavery, Racial slurs, Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Gaslighting, Racism, Misogyny, Classism, Hate crime, Abandonment, Colonisation, Islamophobia, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Violence, Murder, and Xenophobia

leweylibrary's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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

I have to come back to this later because it's freaking 5am, but I just wanted to leave this bit so I know where the heck to start with this review later. But I just want to start by saying that this book has WRECKED me. Devastated. Shredded me to bits. I really do not know how I just go about my life now?? My brain is throbbing and feeling irrevocably changed. This book hit me so hard in so many ways. I have THREE NOTES WORTH of quotes like what?? How?? How is any one person THAT gifted with words. Kuang is just... I ironically just don't have the words for her brilliance, but it's undeniable. I am pretty sure I have never ever wept reading a book simplt because of how beautiful passages were, but I did at least three times reading this book. This needs to be studied and analyzed in classes not just for its brilliance but for its contents. I know not everyone will, but everyone should read this book. It is just spot on about so many things and can open so many eyes to vital aspects about our society and our own humanity. Everything about how we communicate and interact, the power of words and languages, the bonds we form and the bonds that break, EVERYTHING about academia (the good, the bad, the UGLY), obviously colonialism and racism, just SO MANY powerful and important topics are covered in this book and it has BROKEN my brain. Just shattered to smithereens. I will not sleep another peaceful night now because this book is now my new Roman Empire. I will be on my deathbed and sit up just to be like "okay but I'm just now realizing, there's this one part in Babel where..." 

So yeah. Read this book. LISTEN to this book. Internalize it. But don't do so lightly because yes; it will break you. And you will be grateful for it. It'll hurt like hell in a multitude of ways, ways you didn't even know you could be broken, but you'll be grateful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Child abuse, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Gaslighting, Murder, Toxic friendship, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Colonisation, Racism, Grief, Death, Religious bigotry, Classism, War, Xenophobia, Violence, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Bullying, and Alcohol

Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual harassment, and Drug use

jamieleepilk's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• 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

4.5

Have I finally read Babel? Yes. 
Am I kicking myself about how long it took me to get around to it? Yes. 
What a book! This was one hell of a story that had me hooked from page one. The prose and use of language and translation is nothing short of stunning. Reading this in the current world is startling. Between this and reading YellowFace earlier this year, R.F Kuang is quickly becoming an auto buy Author - 2024 I will tackle the Poppy War series.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Classism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Bullying, Grief, Murder, Racism, Death, and Toxic friendship

not_asha01's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Racism, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, War, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Trafficking, Blood, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Medical content, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Abandonment, Vomit, Alcohol, Drug use, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, and Xenophobia

Minor: Addiction

kirsten1999's review against another edition

challenging informative mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Cultural appropriation, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Colonisation, and Bullying