The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
ryan_reads_fantasy's review against another edition
5.0
I went into this book, not sure what to expect…what I got was a deftly done story about Robin and his cohort navigating the treacherous landscape of Babel and all of the expectations on them. A tale of when worlds collide and ideas conflict and what happens when you need to seriously evaluate and update your own beliefs, all while shining a light on the ugly parts of the history of colonialism and now translation was at the center of it all.
slyons8's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
bmb3md's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
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
4.75
 RF Kuang has a lot to say about colonialism, appropriation, and resistance, and I will eat up anything she produces. I don’t think anyone would say her work is subtle in this regard - both Babel and Yellowface take very clear and unapologetic stands on the ways Asian and minority culture are cannibalized and exploited for white colonizer gain. And while I've seen some reviews see her bluntness as a negative, I see it as furthering her point - white consumers need this to be explained clearly in a framework that they can see themselves in in order to understand and internalize the point, if they are able to see it at all.Â
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Kuang is a masterful writer in creating a novel that informs, entertains, intrigues, and impacts us. Babel is so impressively researched, and again while some would view the more 'lecturing' moments as dry or unnecessary, I found these aspects so compelling, especially in how they factually support her theme of the English language (and thus that of colonizers) to be founded on the culture and lives of the groups they aim to distance themselves from and dehumanize. I also loved the placing of the novel. We were in the Oxford bubble with Robin until he wasn't, and that’s when the stakes rose. Going along with his increased understanding was valuable in exposing the reader to the concepts little by little in a very dense novel.Â
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Overall, this book has made me think so much more about my role in these behaviors, my biases, and the ways I have likely behaved like Lettie in the past that I want to address moving forward. The only reason this isn't a full five stars is because at times it felt like reading this book was extra effort compared to other books that I've read, but I really think everyone should read this.Â
quitejessi's review against another edition
3.0
So, I really loved this book for about the first 40% or so.
What I loved:
-This book feels like a love letter to language. As someone in a Linguistics class currently, it was exciting to read about what I am learning. Babel is written in a way not far off from a book like Moby Dick or Les Miserables, with frequent interludes to expound on an interesting fact of language, culture, or history.
-Dark Academia elements. I love a good story set in a boarding school or a college. The mood of the book is lovely. It was motivating for me to actually work on my papers.
And that's about it. What didn't I like?
-The magic system seems really cool and unique at first. Very soon, it becomes clear that it is merely a vessel to carry the plot. The fun thing about alternate fantasy histories is that the magic system very clearly shapes the new history. In this story, the magic system did nothing to change history. You could take it out entirely, and the story would survive. The author tells you it's very cool and unique, but it isn't.
-The characters are all caricatures made of cardboard. Each one has their own tragic backstory, and that's it. There's nothing that makes them dynamic (except Robin). They all stay the same throughout, despite many world-shattering events happening over the course of this tome of a book.
-The villains. They were all one-note racists and imperialists. We get it. Racism is bad. But the main antagonist really bothered me.
-Kuang thinks the reader is dumb. She tells us, over and over again, that colonialism is bad. We get it. The many many footnotes do not help either.
-The ending. I won't go into detail, but I agreed with Victoire over Robin here. It was very clear that Kuang had a message, and she did not deliver that message with any sympathy or nuance. Not to mention, the violence-is-the-answer ending did not show any of the consequences of our main characters' actions. Everything was told. It could've been done with nuance and a more balanced look at both perspectives, but it was not. Additionally, the book ends abruptly, and there is the sense that nothing was solved.
This book had so much potential, but I think it failed for me when it got too self-important for its own good.
"‘Words tell stories.’ This was how Professor Lovell opened their first class that afternoon, held in a spare, windowless room on the tower’s fifth floor. ‘Specifically, the history of those words – how they came into use, and how their meanings morphed into what they mean today – tell us just as much about a people, if not more, than any other kind of historical artefact."
What I loved:
-This book feels like a love letter to language. As someone in a Linguistics class currently, it was exciting to read about what I am learning. Babel is written in a way not far off from a book like Moby Dick or Les Miserables, with frequent interludes to expound on an interesting fact of language, culture, or history.
-Dark Academia elements. I love a good story set in a boarding school or a college. The mood of the book is lovely. It was motivating for me to actually work on my papers.
And that's about it. What didn't I like?
-The magic system seems really cool and unique at first. Very soon, it becomes clear that it is merely a vessel to carry the plot. The fun thing about alternate fantasy histories is that the magic system very clearly shapes the new history. In this story, the magic system did nothing to change history. You could take it out entirely, and the story would survive. The author tells you it's very cool and unique, but it isn't.
-The characters are all caricatures made of cardboard. Each one has their own tragic backstory, and that's it. There's nothing that makes them dynamic (except Robin). They all stay the same throughout, despite many world-shattering events happening over the course of this tome of a book.
-The villains. They were all one-note racists and imperialists. We get it. Racism is bad. But the main antagonist really bothered me.
Spoiler
Letty bothered me the most. You could tell Kuang was setting her up to be the betrayer the entire time. She's white, she's affluent, she just doesn't understand oppression. The thing that bothered me most was that she was discriminated against too! And the other characters do not care at all simply because she's white. She was assaulted, and the other characters don't care. I understand there's privilege that can't be fully understood without experience, but making Letty the villain was boring and predictable and one-note.-Kuang thinks the reader is dumb. She tells us, over and over again, that colonialism is bad. We get it. The many many footnotes do not help either.
-The ending. I won't go into detail, but I agreed with Victoire over Robin here. It was very clear that Kuang had a message, and she did not deliver that message with any sympathy or nuance. Not to mention, the violence-is-the-answer ending did not show any of the consequences of our main characters' actions. Everything was told. It could've been done with nuance and a more balanced look at both perspectives, but it was not. Additionally, the book ends abruptly, and there is the sense that nothing was solved.
This book had so much potential, but I think it failed for me when it got too self-important for its own good.
"‘Words tell stories.’ This was how Professor Lovell opened their first class that afternoon, held in a spare, windowless room on the tower’s fifth floor. ‘Specifically, the history of those words – how they came into use, and how their meanings morphed into what they mean today – tell us just as much about a people, if not more, than any other kind of historical artefact."
sarahmarquis's review against another edition
5.0
This book got me through the deepest darkest days of winter.
malag's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
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? Yes
4.25
kaleysfullybooked's review against another edition
3.0
I want to be a part of the cool kids club who loves Kuang’s writing, but I just can’t