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Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'
Babel, or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R.F. Kuang
193 reviews
taracloudclark's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I really enjoyed it. I am recommending it to people who I think will like it. But I also give warning.
It can be dense and dry at times. And it’s way longer than it needed to be.
A review from a book influencer I follow noted the author talks down to the reader. I disagree, strongly, but I can see how someone may come to that conclusion. There are a lot of facts provided through exposition (tho creative devises are employed) and footnotes.
I believe that, instead of the author showing the reader she’s smarter than them, she’s just indulging her own interests. And I’m here for that. Because she does know more about this stuff than I do, and I’m honored she’d share it with me.
And there isn’t a lot of action. In the total book there is, but most of it is exposition loaded up front and action at the end.
Also, if characters are a big deal to you, be aware that this book is not for that. The friendships and warmth we see in other magical school stories isn’t accomplished here. The characters don’t change much IMO and their relationships aren’t developed enough for me to care when there are divisions and worse. Unfortunately this hurts the author’s attempt to bring marginalized perspectives to the reader’s understanding and becomes more of a telling than showing situation. I still appreciate the telling, because it’s helping me see what I’ve learned about marginalized peoples experiences in a different light, but it’s not done through character growth and rich “found family” presentations. But the characters and relationships aren’t terrible. It’s still yet readable and enjoyable. Just not as delicious as I’d like.
The narrators were very good. The main reader, Chris Lew Kum Hoi, has a rich tone and switches accents well. The footnote narrator being female, Billie Fulford-Brown, was an excellent choice to help delineate. I do get a bit annoyed when female authors have male narrators (tho the main character is male, so I’ll allow it 😉), and white people narrate for authors of color. But the main narrator is, at least, Asian. Both gave nuance to foreign words that made them feel authentic and added to the intricacies on the emphasis of language in the story, though I’ve no idea if they are accurate.
I would like to add a special note about my personal experience. Because of the way Libby delivered by holds to me, I read Yellowface by the same author and then this. And half way through I read a scathing review of Babel that sounded a little more like white fragility than true criticism. The landscape within which I read this, therefore, was fascinating. I imagine this book to be much like the stolen novel in Yellowface, a passion project for the author with cultural ties to the subject matter. And the review similar to some of those mentioned in Yellowface. The juxtaposition of the two in two different time periods was super fun, as well. It was a much richer experience because of that, and I wish it was read this way in a classroom setting so I could indulge with other readers.
Graphic: Drug use, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, War, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Classism, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, Racism, Toxic friendship, Death, and Child abuse
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Rape
celery'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? No
4.75
Graphic: Death, Medical content, Misogyny, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Trafficking, Vomit, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Torture, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, Slavery, Drug abuse, Gore, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Bullying, Terminal illness, Mass/school shootings, Antisemitism, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Suicide, Alcohol, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Islamophobia, Police brutality, Self harm, Abandonment, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Deportation, Medical trauma, Drug use, Emotional abuse, War, Murder, Racism, Sexism, Toxic friendship, and Confinement
mels_reading_log's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Violence, Racism, Religious bigotry, Classism, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Child abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Death, and Murder
uninvestedreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Yeah, this book made me very angry. I expect this book's message to live in my head for many years to come.
Graphic: Racism, Colonisation, Death, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Violence, Child abuse, Sexism, and Torture
Moderate: Slavery, Suicide, and War
Minor: Cultural appropriation and Gaslighting
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
xx_salem's review against another edition
- 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
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
sweetpersephone's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death of parent, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Colonisation, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, Slavery, Cultural appropriation, Death, Gaslighting, Medical content, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Violence, Classism, Racism, Emotional abuse, Grief, War, and Torture
Moderate: Drug abuse and Sexual harassment
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
blayrrison'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: Cultural appropriation, Homophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Genocide, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Hate crime, Murder, Racial slurs, Slavery, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture
scruffie'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: Emotional abuse, Suicide, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Grief, Gaslighting, Torture, Racism, Colonisation, Gun violence, Toxic friendship, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Racial slurs