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4.34 AVERAGE
4.34 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
BABEL by R.F. Kuang
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
In the midst of the British Empire's Industrial Revolution, silver bars were used to fuel the advancement of technology. These silver bars are usually powered by two words, one foreign and one English. The center of these "silver-workings" is in Babel, a world-famous translation Institute in the heart of the city of Oxford.
Without these silvers, ships won't sail, buildings will crumble, and food will become stale. Think of these silver-workings as electricity or power banks. The catch, for silver to work, it needs a translator who not only knows the language but also dreams in this language.
This is when Britain became cunning and unforgiving. They would recruit kids from all over the world to learn foreign languages to use to their advantage. These pieces of silver are expensive and usually, only the rich can afford them, while the poor stay the same, on top of losing work due to the tech revolution.
"And in the end, the answer had been so obvious – to simply refuse to participate."
That's exactly what some of the brave foreign scholars felt in the end.
Personal Note:
Where to even begin? There is a lot to unpack. I can't simply give this book a rating below 5 stars. On research alone, flowers should be thrown on the author's ground. She somehow included racism, colonialism, the Opium War, social justice, drug use, revolution, history, and magic in less than 600 pages.
Reading this one is also very timely as I am currently learning another foreign language (Swedish), my 4th one, apparently. It reminded my stubborn brain that there is no way for me to move forward in my career if I put off my studies in favor of reading more books. Translations, languages, are powerful weapons even today.
Furthermore, it makes me question my own intentions and loyalty to my motherland. Am I exchanging my identity for a better future? I am writing this in English but English is not even my first language. I don't know. I can't even explain it properly.
At work, I would always make sure that I work more than my co-workers, that I am polite, and can't be faulted as being difficult to work with. Am I just being a good employee or is this because of centuries-old colonial mentality that has been embedded in my DNA? After all, my country has been a colony of Spain for 333 years.
I don't have an answer at all. And that my folks, is why this book is a 5-star read for me.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
In the midst of the British Empire's Industrial Revolution, silver bars were used to fuel the advancement of technology. These silver bars are usually powered by two words, one foreign and one English. The center of these "silver-workings" is in Babel, a world-famous translation Institute in the heart of the city of Oxford.
Without these silvers, ships won't sail, buildings will crumble, and food will become stale. Think of these silver-workings as electricity or power banks. The catch, for silver to work, it needs a translator who not only knows the language but also dreams in this language.
This is when Britain became cunning and unforgiving. They would recruit kids from all over the world to learn foreign languages to use to their advantage. These pieces of silver are expensive and usually, only the rich can afford them, while the poor stay the same, on top of losing work due to the tech revolution.
"And in the end, the answer had been so obvious – to simply refuse to participate."
That's exactly what some of the brave foreign scholars felt in the end.
Personal Note:
Where to even begin? There is a lot to unpack. I can't simply give this book a rating below 5 stars. On research alone, flowers should be thrown on the author's ground. She somehow included racism, colonialism, the Opium War, social justice, drug use, revolution, history, and magic in less than 600 pages.
Reading this one is also very timely as I am currently learning another foreign language (Swedish), my 4th one, apparently. It reminded my stubborn brain that there is no way for me to move forward in my career if I put off my studies in favor of reading more books. Translations, languages, are powerful weapons even today.
Furthermore, it makes me question my own intentions and loyalty to my motherland. Am I exchanging my identity for a better future? I am writing this in English but English is not even my first language. I don't know. I can't even explain it properly.
At work, I would always make sure that I work more than my co-workers, that I am polite, and can't be faulted as being difficult to work with. Am I just being a good employee or is this because of centuries-old colonial mentality that has been embedded in my DNA? After all, my country has been a colony of Spain for 333 years.
I don't have an answer at all. And that my folks, is why this book is a 5-star read for me.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
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:
No
Babel started out strong. I thought it would end up being a 5 star read, for sure. And it would have - if Kuang used more restraint and subtlety.
What I loved: the concept was brilliant, an alternate history of Oxford centred around 'silver-working' and capturing the power of words that are lost in translation. The linguistics major in me loved the discussions about their language studies. The main characters were also wonderful.
What I didn't love: the relentless and uncompromising delivery of Kuang's themes. It was clear violence was required to break free from their colonial oppressors and it was unnecessary to continuously hammer home the evil of white 19th Century Britain when it had already been evidenced 100 times over.
What I loved: the concept was brilliant, an alternate history of Oxford centred around 'silver-working' and capturing the power of words that are lost in translation. The linguistics major in me loved the discussions about their language studies. The main characters were also wonderful.
What I didn't love: the relentless and uncompromising delivery of Kuang's themes. It was clear violence was required to break free from their colonial oppressors and it was unnecessary to continuously hammer home the evil of white 19th Century Britain when it had already been evidenced 100 times over.
First half was really enjoyable, loved all the linguistic details and set up. Felt like it was missing any tension or suspense but was enjoying the world. Once the later plot has started it's all a bit too convenient and I'm just not in the mood any more.
challenging
emotional
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:
Yes
dark
emotional
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:
N/A
adventurous
dark
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this book! It starts off pretty slow in order to set up a lot of background and world building, which I understand is not everyone's cup of tea, but I really enjoyed seeing the day to day life and interactions and the small fractures in the characters' relationships before things really start going off the rails . My main complaints are that it occasionally became a bit dense and academic and sometimes a bit much to read through. I also wasn't a huge fan of the interludes of the other character's pov/history, which I guess just kinda feel like cheating to me idk.
The magic system wasindeed very fleshed out in terms of the rules and materials for activation but felt somewhat random when it came to devising specific spells/results, which wasn't my favorite. I also feel like it became kind of hand wavy about how much they could use/reuse some bars .
In terms of plot, I really liked the way it developed! It was definitelynot quite as hopeful as I would have liked , and it became a little bit preachy in some cases (especially when it felt a little too real), but overall I enjoyed reading it. I was hoping for a bit more epilogue material to see the public/parliament's reaction to the tower's collapse . I am still thinking about the message it tells about revolution and tactics and the moral arguments, but as a book, I really enjoyed the writing, plot, and characters.
The magic system was
In terms of plot, I really liked the way it developed! It was definitely
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Deportation
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
tense
slow-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