Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Babel by R.F. Kuang

232 reviews

xstargirlx's review

dark emotional informative mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

i need (even more) therapy after this

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Classism

themoostconfused's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

"That's just what translation is, I think. That's all speaking is. Listening to the other and trying to see past your own biases to glimpse what they're trying to say. Showing yourself to the world, and hoping someone else understands." (pg. 535)

I don't even know where to begin. R. F. Kuang has done it again. She has rattled me, shaken me to my core and I thank her for it. Going into it - having read the entire Poppy War series - I knew I was not bound for a happy, carefree book. Coming from an anthropology background, the extent of human destruction and hatred of "the other" it not news to me but it continues to move me every time. 

I can already sense that I will return to this book over and over again in the future and will recommend it to everyone I come across, although not without warning. 

The book's alternate title "The Necessity of Violence" captures the journey this book takes one on while reading quite succinctly, althought the extent of this might not seem obvious upon first glance.

In the process I have learned a great deal about linguistics and am planning on dealving into that further. But first I am going to have to digest what I have become witness to by reading this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Islamophobia, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

Minor: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

sunsuci'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? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

pain.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, and Classism

winonareads's review

dark emotional informative reflective 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? Yes

4.0

Kuang hasn't disappointed me yet, and this book is no exception. The audiobook was told in a truly captivating way. This book had a slow and detailed progression where each detail built up to a magnificent story that explores colonization and power. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Sexism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

infusionofviolets's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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: Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Xenophobia, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Islamophobia, Grief, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Vomit, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

kareimer's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Xenophobia, Grief, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

cakrolik's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

sheyri's review against another edition

challenging 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Violence, Islamophobia, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and War

Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use

gwyllion's review

challenging dark hopeful informative reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

clarkg's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

I want to open this review with the caveat that my five star review does not come without criticisms. I felt that some characters were denied robust inner lives, while others' motives were so hammered out that it felt redundant at times. In some sections, the pacing felt a bit drawn out. That said, "Babel" is an inventive, thoughtful, and serious reckoning with the relationship between empire and academia. R.F. Kuang simultaneously manages to capture the relentless, insurmountable nature of the colonial project, while exploring the many shapes that resistance can take. The central points of conflict feel both historically situated and uniquely relevant to contemporary conversations about global imperialism. Whether or not Kuang herself would define Babel as "dark academia", I do not know. Either way, the genre is greatly enriched by her voice.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Vomit, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail