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hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
This is my first book by R.F Kuang and for the most part I very much enjoyed it.
Robin's conflicting thoughts on colonialism, his homeland, his upbringing, and his struggle between wanting to be safe and content versus his knowledge that he can only be so by submitting to and upholding a corrupt system were well written and explored in my opinion, and perhaps formed the most interesting part of the novel. I also liked the footnotes and randomly inserted facts on linguistics and language, even if they weren't always necessary. Although, sometimes a character's note on the meaning of a word felt a little forced and unnatural in normal conversation, but I am not a linguist, so perhaps that is exactly how linguists talk? Who am I to judge.
I do think that I wanted a little more out of some of the relationships. I think this may be due to personal preference as I prefer a character driven novel, whereas I would say that Babel is largely plot driven, but I did find myself wishing that Kuang would slow down and let us sit for a little while with the characters. I think there was more potential for us to understand and empathise with, for example, Robin and Ramy's relationship. I also didn't really feel that much connection between them and the girls even though they were a four, but I also think that there was a lot going on in this book so I understand that there wasn't that much time to slow down and ruminate.
I will say that, in my opinion, the best part of the book is probably around halfway or just before halfway, during first and second year at Oxford. I couldn't put the book down at this point, but as we moved onto third year I found myself less interested - not enormously so, but still to a point were I noticed that I was no longer as eager to pick the book up. The first and second year really are lovely to read though, but they also appeal more to my general taste in books (slower, more reflective, less action). The end chapter (or penultimate including the prologue) is also a lovely read, and I liked Robin's final reflections on everything. Overall, I would recommend this book even though I don't think it's the BEST book in the world. Keep in mind however, that it's not super fantastical, so if you are looking for a fantasy then I am not sure this would be my recommendation as it leans more towards historical (inspired) fiction.
Robin's conflicting thoughts on colonialism, his homeland, his upbringing, and his struggle between wanting to be safe and content versus his knowledge that he can only be so by submitting to and upholding a corrupt system were well written and explored in my opinion, and perhaps formed the most interesting part of the novel. I also liked the footnotes and randomly inserted facts on linguistics and language, even if they weren't always necessary. Although, sometimes a character's note on the meaning of a word felt a little forced and unnatural in normal conversation, but I am not a linguist, so perhaps that is exactly how linguists talk? Who am I to judge.
I do think that I wanted a little more out of some of the relationships. I think this may be due to personal preference as I prefer a character driven novel, whereas I would say that Babel is largely plot driven, but I did find myself wishing that Kuang would slow down and let us sit for a little while with the characters. I think there was more potential for us to understand and empathise with, for example, Robin and Ramy's relationship. I also didn't really feel that much connection between them and the girls even though they were a four, but I also think that there was a lot going on in this book so I understand that there wasn't that much time to slow down and ruminate.
I will say that, in my opinion, the best part of the book is probably around halfway or just before halfway, during first and second year at Oxford. I couldn't put the book down at this point, but as we moved onto third year I found myself less interested - not enormously so, but still to a point were I noticed that I was no longer as eager to pick the book up. The first and second year really are lovely to read though, but they also appeal more to my general taste in books (slower, more reflective, less action). The end chapter (or penultimate including the prologue) is also a lovely read, and I liked Robin's final reflections on everything. Overall, I would recommend this book even though I don't think it's the BEST book in the world. Keep in mind however, that it's not super fantastical, so if you are looking for a fantasy then I am not sure this would be my recommendation as it leans more towards historical (inspired) fiction.