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armandmartell 's review for:
Babel
by R.F. Kuang
just as rf kuang wrote babel with undeniable passion, i also write this with it in my heart.
first things first: to whom would i recommend this book? to people interested in literature, linguistics, translation, but also in the racism and elitism that come with them in the academic environment, and how they are used as weapons of oppression. if you, sincerely, do not have interest in any of them, i would suggest to not waste your time. the themes are not complements for the story, they are significant and the central pillar of the book.
it is my first time reading a work by rf kuang, and i find myself impressed by her thoroughness, her dedication and enthusiasm for the themes she has decided to include in her story.
it is also the first time i have read something like this, a work that mixes both my academic career and my favourite genre, which is fantasy. although, i must say, the fantasy element is not as present in the story as i expected at first, but in the end that did not bother me. the mix of them both worked perfectly fine to me. it is truly an experience that will not leave my mind for a while.
rf kuang does a wonderful, in-depth exploration of these topics and she is never shy, she does not hold herself back. her prose (which, i may say, i find excellent. clear and precise. i think she is a remarkable writer) had me immersed in the story since page 1. reading this book was a pleasure.
most of the literary comment in it i was familiar with, of course, but the etymology was a nice surprise, as i am not very knowledgeable in that area. rf kuang impregnates the storyline with it, but she makes it engaging enough that it never comes across as dull. this feels like a real story set in university, the atmosphere envelops every aspect of it. the setting and content frame the story.
it was very interesting to read about colonialism in this specific context and how every main character experienced it in their flesh, as it prompts well-written dialogues and debates between them.
the characters are full of contradictions and have different views of the world due to their backgrounds. the main character, robin, and his inner conflicts concerning his identity and his connection with his motherland and his ''adoptive'' country are human and compelling. i sympathised with him since the beginning: the struggles, the doubts, the anger boiling slowly inside of him as he starts to truly understand that the world is a vaster place than he thought. it was gut-wrenching and revealing, both for robin swift and the reader. robin's story reads like a classic bildungsroman, and i consider that rf kuang did a wonderful job with her main character.
as i was reading, i found myself loving with all my heart the easily recognisable atmosphere of 19th century english gothic literature, which i absolutely adore. oxford, the academic setting, the gloomy weather, the impending sense of danger, the start of the decadence of the victorian era, and a unique approach to the industrial revolution. as i mentioned before, i do like the fantasy element. nevertheless, i would not put the all-caps 'fantasy' label on this book. without a doubt, babel could have worked perfectly as mere historical fiction. the idea of translation and silverworking producing a specific effect or a determined ability has its charm for me, but clearly it is not given enough focus or attention as a magic system. i would not recommend this as a fantasy book, i would lean towards the historical aspect more.
i do think some points and themes were not too subtle, sometimes repetitive and definitely the characters had too modern a mindset for the setting to be colonial britain. the themes previously mentioned (linguistics, racism and white superiority, colonialism and its connection to the academic elite) are clearly given preference over the development of certain characters and relationships between them. even being aware of it, i did appreciate many characters - robin being my favourite and, in my opinion, the best written and developed one; ramy, griffin, and victoire.
in the end, these little things did not dull my reading experience and i'm very happy to have finally read rf kuang. i must also mention that the overwhelming hype this book has been receiving for months has not, fortunately, killed it for me. it is perfectly understandable, and i think i'm going to be closely following kuang's writing career from now on.
first things first: to whom would i recommend this book? to people interested in literature, linguistics, translation, but also in the racism and elitism that come with them in the academic environment, and how they are used as weapons of oppression. if you, sincerely, do not have interest in any of them, i would suggest to not waste your time. the themes are not complements for the story, they are significant and the central pillar of the book.
it is my first time reading a work by rf kuang, and i find myself impressed by her thoroughness, her dedication and enthusiasm for the themes she has decided to include in her story.
it is also the first time i have read something like this, a work that mixes both my academic career and my favourite genre, which is fantasy. although, i must say, the fantasy element is not as present in the story as i expected at first, but in the end that did not bother me. the mix of them both worked perfectly fine to me. it is truly an experience that will not leave my mind for a while.
rf kuang does a wonderful, in-depth exploration of these topics and she is never shy, she does not hold herself back. her prose (which, i may say, i find excellent. clear and precise. i think she is a remarkable writer) had me immersed in the story since page 1. reading this book was a pleasure.
most of the literary comment in it i was familiar with, of course, but the etymology was a nice surprise, as i am not very knowledgeable in that area. rf kuang impregnates the storyline with it, but she makes it engaging enough that it never comes across as dull. this feels like a real story set in university, the atmosphere envelops every aspect of it. the setting and content frame the story.
it was very interesting to read about colonialism in this specific context and how every main character experienced it in their flesh, as it prompts well-written dialogues and debates between them.
the characters are full of contradictions and have different views of the world due to their backgrounds. the main character, robin, and his inner conflicts concerning his identity and his connection with his motherland and his ''adoptive'' country are human and compelling. i sympathised with him since the beginning: the struggles, the doubts, the anger boiling slowly inside of him as he starts to truly understand that the world is a vaster place than he thought. it was gut-wrenching and revealing, both for robin swift and the reader. robin's story reads like a classic bildungsroman, and i consider that rf kuang did a wonderful job with her main character.
as i was reading, i found myself loving with all my heart the easily recognisable atmosphere of 19th century english gothic literature, which i absolutely adore. oxford, the academic setting, the gloomy weather, the impending sense of danger, the start of the decadence of the victorian era, and a unique approach to the industrial revolution. as i mentioned before, i do like the fantasy element. nevertheless, i would not put the all-caps 'fantasy' label on this book. without a doubt, babel could have worked perfectly as mere historical fiction. the idea of translation and silverworking producing a specific effect or a determined ability has its charm for me, but clearly it is not given enough focus or attention as a magic system. i would not recommend this as a fantasy book, i would lean towards the historical aspect more.
i do think some points and themes were not too subtle, sometimes repetitive and definitely the characters had too modern a mindset for the setting to be colonial britain. the themes previously mentioned (linguistics, racism and white superiority, colonialism and its connection to the academic elite) are clearly given preference over the development of certain characters and relationships between them. even being aware of it, i did appreciate many characters - robin being my favourite and, in my opinion, the best written and developed one; ramy, griffin, and victoire.
in the end, these little things did not dull my reading experience and i'm very happy to have finally read rf kuang. i must also mention that the overwhelming hype this book has been receiving for months has not, fortunately, killed it for me. it is perfectly understandable, and i think i'm going to be closely following kuang's writing career from now on.