Reviews with content warning for Racism - Babel

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Babel by R.F. Kuang

2494 reviews

yoanapodslunceto's review against another edition

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: Yes

Content Warnings

nisaak's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

I enjoyed this book at the beginning for the love of words and translation and a magic system that's based on words. It was very, very long and got really dark and I felt like my first reaction was naive.
I listened to the audiobook version which helped make some of the words in languages other than English and French come alive in my ears.

I was supportive of the revolution that happened towards the end of the book. I was supportive of the Hermes Society. If it had been real, I hope I would have chosen to be there to help Babel fall.

Content Warnings

leahgustafson's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

This one has been intriguing to me since the first time I heard about it. I’m glad I finally got around to picking it up even though it ended up being a little different than I expected.
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I love Robin’s character and the journey the reader goes on as a witness to his self-discovery. It was very interesting to watch him discover how the world works and grapple with new information and experiences. I also love the complexities and intricacies of the friendships, and I wish that had been more of a prominent focus of the book.
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The focus of colonialism and government control/power at the expense of the people offered some really great questions and reflection. The silverwork (fantastical element), while a little confusing at first, is such a genius tool for demonstrating the effects of colonialism. I also found the discussion of language and the art of translation fascinating. This is something I guess I “knew” but hadn’t given much previous thought to.
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This is a fantastic book club pick because there is so much to reflect on and discuss. I can’t put my finger on the exact reason this isn’t a “5” for me, but I just didn’t have that “5 ⭐️ feeling” at the end. However, it was very, very well done.
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Check out what I'm reading next on Instagram @LeahsLitReview!

Content Warnings

paveley_poet_prat's review against another edition

3.25

challenging dark informative mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

It's clever and interesting. It's challenging in places and I definitely think it's worth reading once.

That said I wouldn't call it enjoyable and by the last quarter I was waiting for it to end.

Content Warnings

hagwife's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative 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

Babel is all at once one of the most precise novels I've ever read and also one of the most tumultuous – precise and exact in the storytelling, the construction, and of the violence of colonialism and tumultuous in how the cohort of Robin, Remy, Victoire, and Letty have to navigate the spaces in which the reside. It is a stunning work, wrought in marvelous detail, scathing truths, beautiful relationships, and heartbreaking depictions of the choices anyone who is not in the majority must make to survive, let alone thrive, in the face of overwhelming abuse. And it is also a love letter to language, to meaning, to one's personal history, and to using those to form connection.

For anyone looking for another deep-dive into an alternate history that weaves magic and does not pull its punches, I recommend Dan Vyleta's Smoke. To anyone looking for the headlong rush of adventure and an unapologetic, vicious love letter to a place and its peoples, N.K. Jemisin's The Great Cities duology is the way to go.

Content Warnings

nithyuh's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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: Complicated

r f kuang’s writing is a form of art

Sorry to the people in the library today who saw me physically and verbally reacting to the end of Babel

would’ve probably started crying if my parents didn’t start talking to me while i was reading the last chapter

would’ve been 5 stars but didn’t get THAT one feeling

Content Warnings