64.7k reviews for:

Babel

R.F. Kuang

4.34 AVERAGE

mld12's review against another edition

4.75

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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I've never read a longass book before and thought "yeah, it needed all those pages." But this one? YES. My only qualm is I wish it was clearer when the fact tidbits were made up or real. Amazing amazing, RF Kuang never misses. I couldn't read it in one go because it was SO MUCH to think about.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Murder, Abandonment, Deportation

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Alcohol

aliciaaliki's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

dani_97's review against another edition

4.75

adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

clockworkned's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring 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: Yes

roisin_2212's review against another edition

4.75

adventurous emotional inspiring sad fast-paced

quentinwal's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative 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: Yes

allie2494's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark reflective 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: Complicated

agustinac's review against another edition

5.0

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Me voy a llorar un rato después hago reseña

itspatdad's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

ceba25's review against another edition

4.0

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I like language, I like modern literature and I normal don’t like fantasy - but this is what I would only describe as light touch fantasy as there is so much genuine history and very real and genuine themes, like, racism, colonisation, chosen family and ultimately is a story about growing up and learning the real truths of the world.

This book is very political and I can see *why* some review feel there are no “good” white characters and that the narrative could be seen as victim stance - but I just don’t feel the same way.

This book does have an agenda, and wants you to question authority and the meaning behind the luxuries the modern work has built on slavery and the pain of others - but that is an agenda I can get behind.

The writing it easy to read while rich with academic references, history and education for the reader, and I found the characters well developed and nuanced (although others have critiqued a lack of depth, which I didn’t feel).

Given I don’t like fantasy at all I would recommend this to anyone like minded who loves ready words while learning about them.