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A review by ahmay
Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
To be frank, I find the last 10-15ish chapters unsatisfactory. I appreciated all the stuff about how colonialism works and whatever—but Babel, or the Necessity of Violence, ironically did not contain enough violence for me. I felt like I should’ve watched the world burn like Robin wanted at some point, but we got stagnant towards the end. The last chapter, however—the one where it all ends—really did capture my heart and squeezed it in its hands.
I enjoyed this book for what it was and what it tried to be. The character and relationship development could’ve certainly benefitted from being fleshed out better since R. F. Kuang really seems to prefer summarizing over developing actual scenes between the characters that really show the audience who Robin, Ramy, Victoire, and Letty are.
This book is by no means awful in my opinion—my 4 star rating, of course, proves that. And I know Babel is raved about by others. I totally get why!
I did cry, in fact. I cried when Victoire said she wanted to live and have a moment of happiness for herself. Her will to not only survive but live really hit home.
‘That’s just what translation is, I think. That’s all speaking is. Listening to the other and trying to see past your own biases to glimpse what they’re trying to say. Showing yourself to the world, and hoping someone else understands.’
I wish Robin and Ramy’s relationship was developed more. Obviously, we all knew Robin was in love with Ramy, but we saw little of them actually falling in love.
I read this book over the course of 3 months, which is absolutely absurd, but I was unfortunately swept up in a thing called life. So, I wish I had more to say, but I really do not remember most of what happened in this book, which feels like its own issue.
I did have a few ? moments where the logic of reasoning just seemed too… misplaced? Illogical? I am not so sure.
Ultimately, I did appreciate the characters, but even though I consider myself easily attached, I don’t think I was able to appreciate them enough. I wanted more.
Babel, like a painting, is quite beautiful. But also, like a painting, quite flat. I can still enjoy a painting though.
I enjoyed this book for what it was and what it tried to be. The character and relationship development could’ve certainly benefitted from being fleshed out better since R. F. Kuang really seems to prefer summarizing over developing actual scenes between the characters that really show the audience who Robin, Ramy, Victoire, and Letty are.
This book is by no means awful in my opinion—my 4 star rating, of course, proves that. And I know Babel is raved about by others. I totally get why!
I wish Robin and Ramy’s relationship was developed more. Obviously, we all knew Robin was in love with Ramy, but we saw little of them actually falling in love.
I read this book over the course of 3 months, which is absolutely absurd, but I was unfortunately swept up in a thing called life. So, I wish I had more to say, but I really do not remember most of what happened in this book, which feels like its own issue.
I did have a few ? moments where the logic of reasoning just seemed too… misplaced? Illogical? I am not so sure.
Ultimately, I did appreciate the characters, but even though I consider myself easily attached, I don’t think I was able to appreciate them enough. I wanted more.
Babel, like a painting, is quite beautiful. But also, like a painting, quite flat. I can still enjoy a painting though.