Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Babel by R.F. Kuang

15 reviews

janay_shandell's review

challenging dark informative reflective 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? No

4.0

I really enjoyed my journey through this book. I haven't read a book this long in a while. A little slow in the beginning but picks up more in the second half. Definitely more character driven in the first half and quickly becomes solely plot driven in the second half in my opinion. I wouldn't say it was my top, top read of the year so far but It was definitely worth the hype and a good addition to my collection. The end was a little anticlimactic for me since there were so many hints as to where the outcome was leading that when it actually happened I wasn't surprised at all. It kinda felt like it dragged on and I was kinda like get it over already. Actually I would have like a better wrap up at the end, for example was the sacrifice of life and the necessity of violence actually worth it all in the end? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Violence, and Colonisation

Moderate: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, and War

Minor: Bullying

winterwoodbooks's review

emotional hopeful reflective 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

5.0

One the best books ever written.
One of my favorite books of all time, this feels like my soul.

For everyone who loves Addie LaRue! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Classism, and Deportation

briochebun's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

4.5 out of 5 ☆’s.

“Family names were not things to be dropped and replaced at whim, he thought. They marked lineage; they marked belonging.”

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I’m not sure how to express all of my thoughts on this novel in a way that is comprehensible (my mind is currently filled to the brim with disjointed ramblings) — so I’ll just keep it brief, and state that ”Babel” is truly an unforgettable novel.

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The reason why I gave <i>”Babel”</i> 4.5 stars is because I did have some issues with the general pacing of the middle portion of the novel — but this might just be because I binged the novel and didn’t take many breaks…(😅)

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I am excited to read R.F. Kuang’s future works. ♡

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Cultural appropriation

Minor: Sexual harassment

murphymegs's review

adventurous 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? No

5.0

I took my time reading this book and I encourage anyone who picks this up to do the same. We meet Robin, a young Cantonese boy who seemingly is saved from death and given a second chance in London to attend the prestigious translation unit, Babel, at Oxford University. There, he meets others that are like him: foreign, with translation capabilities that make them essential, not just for their scholarly contributions, but for the ability to use language and turn it into something magical: silver. Silver is what’s used to make society function. It can serve as little of a purpose as making flowers bloom longer or more essential purposes like keeping structures standing. Soon Robin and his friends learn the dark side of the academic setting and they are forced to make a decision: do they turn their cheek and continue producing for an institution that will use their work to oppress their homelands or fight against it?

This book has found family, acts of betrayal, acts of true love (not romance), and self sacrifice. 

R.F. Kuang writes in such a sophisticated, academic, yet incredibly accessible manner. She uses footnotes to further explain the text and is well researched in the cultures she talks about. She is a genius and, quite frankly, scares me a little.

CW: colonialism, racism, classism, murder, suicide, self harm, xenophobia 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicide, Xenophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Cultural appropriation, and Classism

lexi17d's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

“[Babel] gnaws at questions that have bothered me since I started graduate school—chiefly the brokenness of academia, and the sacrifices that true change might require.” -R.F. Kuang

I am in awe of all R.F. Kuang’s books, and Babel is absolutely no exception. This book accomplishes everything that dark academia is meant to be. The amount of knowledge and research that R.F. Kuang has put into the art of translation is immensely apparent throughout the book. Kuang’s mastery at words is so baffling, I have difficulty finding my own to express how amazed I am. 

This book broaches themes of racism, sexism, classism, and bigotry in academia and translation in such an elegant, yet blunt way as to render impossible to ignore. Admittedly, I had not really considered how the act of translation is a betrayal of the intended meaning from the original language, and how the process of translation often shifts the intent towards racist and bigoted perspectives.  This book did an outstanding job at showing how translation and lost meaning between languages can harm people, and the lengths and sacrifices that are required to instill true change at an academic, institutional, and bureaucratic level. 

I will be thinking about the themes of this book for a very, very long time. 

R.F. Kuang, you are a treasure. 

Wow. 

“An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.” 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism