Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Babel by R.F. Kuang

440 reviews

pencilspeaker's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Colonisation

Moderate: Misogyny, Violence, and Murder

Minor: Addiction, Drug use, Death of parent, and War

luxton's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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

4.5

This is an emotionally intense, dark, and long book. I had to take a break halfway to read something lighter because I felt myself starting to resent the bleakness of it all.

But I'm glad I stuck with it, and overall I felt invested throughout the story, unlike some other bleak books I've read in the past. The ending was (minor/vague spoilers)

devastating

and I'm still processing it all. It didn't feel dark just for the sake of it either, the emotional heaviness of the story was used very intentionally to reflect the past and present of the real world that we live in.

I think this will sit with me for a long time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Colonisation

Moderate: Drug use, Racial slurs, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Slavery, Police brutality, Islamophobia, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

peachmoni's review against another edition

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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Blood, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation

Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Gun violence, Slavery, Torture, Xenophobia, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Classism

gologel's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• 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? Yes

4.0

I liked the author's writing style and the insights into translation theory, you could really tell how much of a passion it is for her and it transferred onto me. I also liked the unique perspective we take through the characters.

However, there are a few aspects I didn't like. Characterizations as well as plot points felt very often told instead of shown. I didn't form attachement to any of the characters because they felt flat and one-dimensional, two-dimensional at most. Especially

Letty's development from (blindly privileged to) bad to antagonist

seemed rather forced than natural/completely logical to me. 
Also, some conversations, especially at the end, felt too academic and not really fitting for the intimate two-people-setting.
And I was disappointed that

Hermes (in Babel) was basically killed off and the last act of revolution was done by two/three characters we know and a bunch of randoms

. I couldn't care less.

Overall, I liked the book and it offered a unique story, but it also had it's weaknesses in execution.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gun violence, Slavery, Grief, Sexual harassment, and War

readingrinasrealm's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

laffi's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

Great work, but I saw about every plot twist coming miles ago

I predicted that

Ramy would die

at the start of the book, I saw the

Griffin/Anthony/Evie/Sterling history

,

Lovell being Robins father

,

Babel being destroyed by the translate-silver-work

, and many more.

Great book nevertheless

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Gun violence, Misogyny, Slavery, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Vomit, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Deportation

teawitchontravel's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Slavery, Death of parent, and Deportation

Minor: Vomit, Antisemitism, Car accident, and Alcohol

mo_bookshelves's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, and Slavery

bookb1itch's review against another edition

challenging informative 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

4.5

I had heard such a lot of good things about how powerful this book was, but hadn't managed to read it.  Was very lucky to pick it up in a free Library whilst on holidays in Alice Springs - this feels even more unlikely now that I have read it.  Although I enjoyed the book immensely, especially its messages about colonisation and the self-importance of Britain, it was very much NOT a holiday read, so it has taken me quite a while to finish.  (eg it was not something I could read on the train, bus or plane, as it requires one's full attention.  Therefore, I have read other lighter things alongside this.). There was an event about 200 pages from the end, where I almost cheered aloud and the ending was as satisfying as it was unavoidable.  R F Kuang is a literary force to be reckoned with, leaving me with many questions about my heritage.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Racism, Violence, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Moderate: Slavery and Blood

Minor: Drug use, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

rachelfayreads's review against another edition

dark emotional informative 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Colonisation, War, and Classism