Scan barcode
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: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
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: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Islamophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Genocide, Gun violence, Infidelity, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism
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: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Classism, and Deportation
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: Ableism, Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Classism, and Deportation
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: Racism, Slavery, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Xenophobia, Murder, Toxic friendship, and War
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: Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and War
Minor: Addiction, Bullying, and Genocide
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: Racial slurs, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Classism
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: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Cultural appropriation
Minor: Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Trafficking, and Death of parent
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, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Trafficking, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
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: Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, and Trafficking