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iamnattles 's review for:
Babel
by R.F. Kuang
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Babel started out strong. I thought it would end up being a 5 star read, for sure. And it would have - if Kuang used more restraint and subtlety.
What I loved: the concept was brilliant, an alternate history of Oxford centred around 'silver-working' and capturing the power of words that are lost in translation. The linguistics major in me loved the discussions about their language studies. The main characters were also wonderful.
What I didn't love: the relentless and uncompromising delivery of Kuang's themes. It was clear violence was required to break free from their colonial oppressors and it was unnecessary to continuously hammer home the evil of white 19th Century Britain when it had already been evidenced 100 times over.
What I loved: the concept was brilliant, an alternate history of Oxford centred around 'silver-working' and capturing the power of words that are lost in translation. The linguistics major in me loved the discussions about their language studies. The main characters were also wonderful.
What I didn't love: the relentless and uncompromising delivery of Kuang's themes. It was clear violence was required to break free from their colonial oppressors and it was unnecessary to continuously hammer home the evil of white 19th Century Britain when it had already been evidenced 100 times over.