Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

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

196 reviews

legendarycai's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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

the writing and content was phenomenal. there were so many paged i tabbed and quotes that moved me. it touches so many important topics and i loved how i really felt like i was learning more about languages and people and history. the pacing was NOT it for me. i was asleep half the time when reading, but the writing was so good....i had to keep reading. also maybe i should research content warnings before i read bc.... LOL THE ENDING. anyway content warnings are so mid...i like a surprise.

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Content Warnings

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

adventurous challenging dark informative 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

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

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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 think this is one my favorite books of all time. Also, I'm in love with Kuang's writing.

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Content Warnings

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

_13stars's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad 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: Misogyny, Death, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Xenophobia, and Racism

Moderate: Death of parent, Child abuse, Grief, and Violence

Minor: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, War, Murder, Slavery, Racial slurs, and Suicidal thoughts

toniboi's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective 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? No

5.0

Instant favorite.  R.F. Kuang's writing style is captivating and deeply impressive.  Her use of footnotes cleverly reflects the scholarly setting while enhancing the reading experience.  The characters are full, varied, and mercilessly realistic.  It may be historical fiction, but every page is relevant to today.  Babel unapologetically depicts the truth that resistance is never palatable to the oppressor, no matter what form it takes.  Even if you don't typically read fantasy or dark academia, read, read, READ this book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Xenophobia, Colonisation, and Racism

Moderate: Classism, Suicide, Child abuse, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic

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

yzer2468's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Racial slurs, Racism, Confinement, Grief, Violence, Colonisation, Deportation, Classism, Death, Murder, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Blood, Toxic friendship, Drug abuse, Gore, War, and Drug use

Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Slavery, and Genocide

kellymacbrown's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Suicide, Colonisation, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Gun violence

ultravioletcatastrophe's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective 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? Yes

5.0

I love this book for many reasons: the focus on language and linguistics, the smart interrogation of how power functions and its relationship to violence, and especially for the refusal to play the false equivalence game between revolutionary anticolonial violence and the violence of a colonial power, while also not romanticising the former.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Racism, and Death

Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, and Torture

Main character death

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