62.6k reviews for:

Babel

R.F. Kuang

4.34 AVERAGE

mjgrega98's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

monocled_maven's review against another edition

5.0

dark hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

readingindc's review against another edition

5.0

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Did not expect to love this as much as I did but wow

walidad's review against another edition

3.5

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

habibi_'s review against another edition

2.75

dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

shopabs44's review against another edition

4.5

medium-paced

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

ellakicior's review against another edition

4.75

dark emotional 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

rachbreads's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 41%

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Right book (all of the linguistics stuff is right up my alley), wrong time (I need snappy and engaging right now and this plot is so freaking slow it’s basically nonexistent). Will maybe return to it one day but I don’t think it will be anytime in the next several months so I’m calling it a DNF for now.

lara_lleverino's review against another edition

5.0

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Wow this book is hard to read but you can’t put it down. I don’t agree with everything but it certainly made me think. One of my biggest hesitancies with a book of fiction like this is knowing what in the story is fictionalized and what is true. The book speaks of topics that are emotionally charged and it would be a mistake to form opinions and make choices based on a fictionalized story. In addition the book has footnotes that lend to the feeling that the book reports on fact not fiction.

Topics:
Anti-colonialism
First or unifying language
Linguistic anthropology
Mandarine
Latin
French
English
Oxford
Cultural blindness
White supremacy
Abolitionist movement
Anti-capitalism
Slavery
Opium wars


SPOILERS:




I found the hardest part for me was the stance held by some of the characters that made the only possible solution was rage and annihilation. At the same time the examination of corruption didn’t seem to go far enough. What was it that made one group of humans so corrupt just because of the color of their skin?

mkelley7's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous dark mysterious