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amelianotthepilot's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A dark academia fantasy set in Oxford. It's quite long and a bit dense and heavy but so worth it. The author has done a lot of intense research for this so it's quite scholarly and even has footnotes. (which i thought was fun and nerdy) I also felt like I learned a lot about language and etymology. It also has this beautiful way of addressing issues of class and racism in really subtle ways and varied characters. I love the really nuanced ways she had her diverse cast of characters experience racism and micro aggressions in every day life from different ways. It was really comprehensive and I feel like everyone should read this book. But also honestly just a downright fun dark academia adventure fantasy.
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Cultural appropriation, Misogyny, Alcohol, Blood, Gaslighting, Sexism, Bullying, Child abuse, Colonisation, Classism, Death of parent, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Torture, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Racism, Trafficking, Violence, and War
nyssbomb'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: Death of parent, Child abuse, Sexism, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Abandonment, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Genocide, Medical trauma, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, War, Alcohol, Classism, Gun violence, Infidelity, Kidnapping, and Medical content
elisabeth_with_an_ess'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
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Grief, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Blood, Deportation, Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Classism, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, and Murder
winterwoodbooks'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
5.0
One of my favorite books of all time, this feels like my soul.
For everyone who loves Addie LaRue!
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Deportation, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Suicide attempt, Antisemitism, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Ableism, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Torture, War, Addiction, Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Trafficking, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Medical content, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, and Body horror
judereadsalot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Classism, Slavery, Racism, Trafficking, Colonisation, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Death, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, and Xenophobia
andra_mihaela_s's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Before I start giving a brief synopsis, CW and thoughts, I want to say this: the author is a great writer; she's technically excellent in achieving what she put her mind to. The style itself is detached, reminiscent of literary fiction novels who tend to contemplate themes than tell an action filled story.
Back to the book itself: We follow our protagonist, Robin Swift, a Chinese boy, as he is saved from a precarious situation by one mysterious Professor Richard Lovell, and taken to England to be prepared for a position in a prestigious college named Babel. From there, the story is very much learning, loneliness, separation- both cultural and physical, anxiety about who one is and what they should be; friendship; betrayal; family; the importance of identity and belonging to a group; <b>COLONIALISM</b> ; cruelty; how much evil can bigotry cause in the world; xenophobia, etc...You get the idea.>..>
I love the quote it come with on the cover...:<b><i>"Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal."</i></b>
I believe this book exemplifies how much people want to translate themselves from fear of loneliness, hate and desire to be important and acknowledged --> so in other words..how much they betray themselves and others by doing so.
CW: murder,depictions of slavery, dehumanisation, grooming, gaslighting , cultural appropiation;drug use, addiction as a weapon, xenophobia, racism, abuse towards children, exploitation of people and ideas not your own,etc
My thoughts on the <b>characters: </b> Our MC, Robin is a coward and an overworked, groomed and highly abused individual fixated on survival; fact I found moving and just right for the story Kuang wanted to tell. He is the perfect vessel to portray WHY ALL THE STRUGGLE TO BE SEEN IS IMPORTANT FOR MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES we (and here I especially mean white people like me) forget with the passage of time from an era filled with exploitation and appropriation.
He struggles with connections, fact he quickly identifies as well as the cause of it; he desperately seeks companionship in Ramy, Victoire and Letty, in Mrs. Piper, in Griffin and in Babel itself, despite knowing how and why his reality (that is very much painful at times) is shaped.
As I said before, Kuang writes in a detached manner; we have a first person POV, but it's very far off Robin. We get to connect with him (or at least I did...though I need very little connections to MCs if I enjoy the project of the book..>.>...) and get to explore the personalities of several key players: mostly Lovell, Griffin and Ramy(who become extremely important to Robin).
All this being said, character work is ok to good.
<b>Atmosphere: </b>THIS IS IT! an academic setting full of language discussions and debates; interpretations and uses for it and for the object of it's interpretation....<b>great if you're in the mood to philosophize about meanings to very abstract things</b>... like light, speed, etc. >..>
<b>World building:</b> Due to this being an alternative to our world, the author solidly created the silver-driven society needed for language to be important and powerful. I really enjoyed the aspects regarding the trade of silver and the political implications added on top of the racism and xenophobia.
<b>10/10 points for Babel's usage and meaning for every character in this book; also 11/10 for the usage of silver....the magic in this novel is well thought-off.</b>
<b>Plot:</b> R.F.Kuang took me by surprise when it came to character choices and outcomes! ^^ I really enjoyed that! We have loses both of lives and of relationships; we have acts born of different beliefs and impulses; we have a large underground society; we have opposing parties; we have world-level political machinations; we have egos and survival; we have the shielded, the elevated and cosy vs the unfortunate and "barbaric"; we have history and the here and now.
In the end, the plot is not shocking or unexpected, but I think you miss the point if that's all that matters to you...
Overall, I highly recommend you give this book a try if the synopsis sounds interesting; you might love it or not, but you'll definitely respect it.
Enjoy
Graphic: Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Slavery, Cultural appropriation, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and Violence
Moderate: War, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Misogyny, Hate crime, Gaslighting, Sexism, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, and Murder
Minor: Genocide, Addiction, and Bullying
dmfisher's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Racial slurs, Trafficking, Slavery, Death of parent, Classism, and Violence
crownoflaurel's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Xenophobia and Colonisation
Moderate: Racial slurs, Cultural appropriation, Racism, and Death
Minor: Physical abuse, Death of parent, Sexism, Drug abuse, and Trafficking
amandapenn724's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Classism, Murder, Racism, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Trafficking, and Racial slurs
morethanmylupus'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
5.0
The silver bars were the magical realism bit - but they were also an allegory on the way the resources of foreign lands, and their people, were exploited to further the continued aim of controlling even more countries and amassing even more wealth. As well as the way the empire was built on the backs of that exploitation - and could crumble when they were taken away.
Graphic: Racism, Child abuse, Xenophobia, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Violence, Trafficking, and Gun violence