Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R.F. Kuang

825 reviews

gwyllion's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful informative reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

abernathy_33's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Colonisation

Moderate: Sexism, Slavery, and War

Minor: Addiction, Drug use, and Death of parent

rudwulf's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Death of parent

Moderate: Torture and Violence

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

rachel101's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

clarkg's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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? Yes

5.0

I want to open this review with the caveat that my five star review does not come without criticisms. I felt that some characters were denied robust inner lives, while others' motives were so hammered out that it felt redundant at times. In some sections, the pacing felt a bit drawn out. That said, "Babel" is an inventive, thoughtful, and serious reckoning with the relationship between empire and academia. R.F. Kuang simultaneously manages to capture the relentless, insurmountable nature of the colonial project, while exploring the many shapes that resistance can take. The central points of conflict feel both historically situated and uniquely relevant to contemporary conversations about global imperialism. Whether or not Kuang herself would define Babel as "dark academia", I do not know. Either way, the genre is greatly enriched by her voice.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Vomit, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

scripturient's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This is a masterpiece. I am probably very biased as a translator, but this is such a unique concept, it was well executed, it digs really deep into translation, colonialism, power imbalances, slavery and so much more within a framework that puts it into a new light without losing it's touch with reality. A hard read,

it definitely doesn't have a happy ending

, but it is well worth it anyway.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Confinement, Gun violence, Hate crime, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Religious bigotry, and Cultural appropriation

saintalana's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Absolutely amazing! 

I never thought I would enjoy a book about translation. Kuang uses a fictional version of Oxford to highlight to the reader the evilness of imperialism and the role of academia in the expansion of empire. It highlights how people turn a blind eye to those you do not look like them or speak their language. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Death of parent, and War

Moderate: Gore

Minor: Addiction

windowplant's review

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Drug use, Gun violence, Self harm, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Trafficking, Mass/school shootings, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

rc_boxnut's review

dark sad slow-paced

• 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? Yes

2.5

I’ve seen many reviews hating on this book for “caricaturing white people” or “beating us over the head with her woke agenda.”

As a person who agrees with Kuang’s political and philosophical positions (and as a person who knows white people are rubbish), I *also* felt like the book was “beating us over the head with her woke agenda.” So much of the book was spent restating ideas, and giving example after similar example of the evil of colonialism, that the lessons were diluted. 

Part of me wishes that Kuang had written Babel later in her career when she had more mastery of her craft, because the message is valuable, the magic system is fascinating, and a few characters are really compelling.

I’ve provided content warnings to go with this review, but I want to highlight two: child abuse and emotional abuse. Fairly early in the book, there is a wrenching scene of an adult abusing a child. Afterwards, there are realistic depictions of other adults’ complicity and gaslighting.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Xenophobia, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Racial slurs, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Sexual assault

maryellen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism