Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Babel by R.F. Kuang

49 reviews

withlivjones's review

adventurous challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

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

4.75

This is an insanely important book that absolutely deserves all the hype it has received. A perfect marriage of dark academia and magical realism that provides a detailed commentary on colonialism and how it powers England’s oldest university. The footnotes, often containing factually correct information (if at times a little embellished to fit the fantasy setting) make the novel feel like a historical account of a real event, and it can occasionally be easy to forget that this is a fictional story because it is situated so well within the time period. 

At first, the novel appears like any fantasy story, and the reader is drawn into the whimsy of life as a student at Oxford like Robin and his friends. I love the fact that the magic system is based in translation theory, and over time we can see how Robin starts thinking like a translator, always considering the full implications of what words mean. Like the knowledge that no one sees the colour red the same way, it opens one’s eyes to a different way of perceiving the world. 

However, as we learn about the more sinister side of Babel’s work, the scope of the novel widens to not just commenting on elitism in academia but the fact that during the British Empire’s peak, absolutely everything could be traced back to colonialism and furthering the interests of the rich, white elite - something that certain parts of the world are still recovering from even today. The pace of the novel (which is pretty slow for the first half) suddenly accelerates at a rate that is a little jarring, but for good reason as it really emphasises the shock of the students as they realise exactly what they are working for. 

The characters are excellently fleshed out, especially the main four - most of the novel is from Robin’s point of view and he makes a very compelling protagonist, but I also really liked the interludes from the point of view of the other three students which give vital insight into their motivations throughout the novel. Besides these four, Kuang does a fantastic job of creating a diverse cast of minor characters, from the lovable to the despicable. 

I would honestly recommend this book to everyone, especially anyone who has benefitted from a university education - as I think it is a very important and eye-opening read. It is a pretty slow start, but I found all the exposition in the first half surprisingly interesting and the action in the second half of the book is so worth the wait. Also, I can’t wait for university professors to inevitably miss the point of the novel and use it as reading material in their translation theory classes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Blood, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Minor: Infidelity, Excrement, Cultural appropriation, and War

Period-typical attitudes

internationalreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

R. F. Kuang is the smartest author I’ve ever read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

edgaranjapoe's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

Minor: Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Trafficking, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria

tumbly_weed's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Grief, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Hate crime, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Islamophobia, Sexual harassment, and War

nyssbomb's review

challenging dark emotional 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

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Islamophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Genocide, Gun violence, Infidelity, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism

kazzerdam's review

dark informative 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

4.5

Predictable in parts, but otherwise great

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Drug use

Minor: Drug abuse and Infidelity

doodeedoda's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective 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: Death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Blood, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Addiction, Drug use, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

foxmulders's review

challenging emotional mysterious reflective 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

- he was right. i’m so sorry. but i don’t know how to go on.
- day by day, birdie. you go on, day by day.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Grief, and Colonisation

Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Islamophobia, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail

vcriveros's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

4.5

Amazing world building and plot, with great insight and reflections on colonisation and history. The first half of the book is a bit slow - although it aims to round the characters and their relations, it drags a bit around the academic period. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Xenophobia, Grief, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Drug use, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Slavery, Blood, Islamophobia, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Infidelity and Vomit

starsincline's review

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Torture, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Infidelity