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gusarapii's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Racism, Sexism, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Colonisation, Drug use, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Hate crime, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gun violence, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Death, and Death of parent
chloenk_1011's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Body horror, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Death, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, War, Addiction, Blood, Child abuse, Islamophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
clauglezzz_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Edit a couple of days after finishing:
I still cant stop thinking about this book. Wow
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, Xenophobia, Death, and Colonisation
Minor: Classism, Slavery, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Sexism
vcriveros's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Racism, Classism, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Misogyny, Grief, Cultural appropriation, Death, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Torture, Sexism, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Slavery, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Drug use, Racial slurs, Islamophobia, Death of parent, Confinement, Blood, and Sexual assault
Minor: Vomit and Infidelity
hopesmalley's review against another edition
- 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
I would definitely recommend the audio book for this one. I did the first 50% with audio and the last half reading a physical copy and the footnotes were much more manageable and easier to follow with the two audiobook narrators (one reads the footnotes and introduction exclusively which helps you figure out which is an explanatory note and which one is Robin's POV). Also
Graphic: War, Racism, Colonisation, Murder, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Blood, Classism, and Death
Minor: Sexual assault, Islamophobia, and Religious bigotry
risemini's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Murder, Blood, Death of parent, Misogyny, and Sexual harassment
wordwych's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Terminal illness, Racial slurs, and Death
Moderate: Drug use and Drug abuse
Minor: Sexual assault
panikos's review against another edition
- 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
Edit: okay, here is the proper review. This is not only one of the best books I've read this year, but one of the best books I've ever read. The premise is so brilliantly original, the characters are charismatic and complex, the writing is beautiful, the pacing is excellent, and the themes it grapples with are vast and difficult but always given the nuance they deserve.
I love so much that this book takes its time. At no point is this book ever boring, but I love the unhurried pace of the first half, where we learn all about Oxford and Babel, where we see the characters befriend one another, where we learn about the mechanics of this alternative England and how silverworking operates. The thing I most admire about Kuang's writing is that she really, truly succeeds in making you love Babel. Even though you know from the outset that it is a sinister place with rot at its core, you are still charmed by it, in the same way that our main characters are charmed. The fact that Kuang spends so long making us love Oxford means that we get to share how Robin feels when the illusion crumbles, revealing the ugly face that we knew was there all along. Likewise, the friendships between the cohort are so well-rendered and believable that it's unbearable to see them fracture, even though you know that they will.
The theme of duality is impeccably handled throughout the book. This story is about being unable to reconcile the meanings of words in different languages, but that metaphor is carried through into every other aspect of the book, too. It's about being trapped between cultural identities, about despising elitist institutions yet desperately wishing to be accepted by them, about wanting to do the right thing yet not to your own detriment, about loving and hating people simultaneously. There are so many layers to this story and Kuang handles them in a way that makes it look easy.
The book feels simultaneously like a love letter to academia and a scathing critique of it - a duality which feels fitting, given the themes of the book. It hurtles towards a devastating climax which is simultaneously impossible to predict and yet totally inevitable. The whole book feels like that. So many things happen that make you grit your teeth and wish they could have turned out differently, yet you know they couldn't. Like all good tragedies, you know how it is going to end, and yet you hope anyway.
This was a 5 star read from start to finish. Cannot recommend it enough.
Graphic: Racism and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Sexual assault
some_random_person_hi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Classism, Suicide, Grief, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Colonisation, Drug use, Physical abuse, War, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Slavery, Torture, Toxic friendship, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, and Misogyny
Minor: Sexual assault, Ableism, Alcohol, and Deportation