You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
razmatazt'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Grief
lonka'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
4.75
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Grief, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, War, and Classism
naisdayz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
While Babel took me quite long to get through, I really enjoyed it. I really loved the cohort, though I would have wished for their relationships to be a little more fleshed out here and there. I could believe that Robin would die for Ramy no doubt - but the boys didn't seem as close to the girls and vice versa.
Kuang is really good at writing morally grey characters. Letty will do all those horrible things and then her intermission comes and you're like... Oh. That's why. And it doesn't excuse her shooting one of her friends or being the way she is, but it makes you understand and somewhat emphasize with her.
I found the footnotes that explain things that are relevant to the story, both fictional and (mainly) real to be pretty cool - it allows you to understand the story and what was happening on an even deeper level.
Babel is a very important book, in my opinion, that should be read by everyone (especially white people). It's so much more than a dark academia book, or a fantasy book.
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: War
emviolet's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Xenophobia, Murder, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, and Classism
rafritz1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Murder, and Colonisation
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Islamophobia, Grief, Cultural appropriation, and Abandonment
Minor: Drug abuse, Genocide, Car accident, and Classism
rmperezpadilla'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
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Murder, and Colonisation
Moderate: Genocide, Slavery, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
Minor: Deportation
laurawho'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: Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, and Colonisation
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and War
Minor: Drug use and Slavery
chelseaisreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This one has me full of tears and thoughts.
Moderate: Death, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Colonisation
Minor: War
smateer73's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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: Death, Racial slurs, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Abandonment
lucyatoz'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
It tells the story of four young adults, Robin, Victoire, Ramy and Lettie, as they come together as the 1st year cohort at the Oxford University's Royal Institute of Translation in 1836, as they each have amazing talents when it comes to learning languages that can be used for the benefit of the British Empire, regardless of the cost for them and those they love and care about.
It is a big and ambitious novel tackling big topics although it starts off quite slowly, but when the group come together, the action starts apace and takes you on a fantastical journey, which, at times, I could not tell was real or imaginary.
I borrowed a copy of this book from Taunton Library and listened to it on BorrowBox. I read this for prompt 26, hybrid genre, for the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge 2024.
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Classism
Moderate: Blood, Vomit, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic