daniela_09's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
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
4.5
This is the fantasy and dark academia I wanted The Secret History by Donna Tartt to be.
Babel is immersive, passionate and critical as expected of R. F. Kuang's incredible writing.
Babel is immersive, passionate and critical as expected of R. F. Kuang's incredible writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Violence, Suicide, Racism, Murder, Hate crime, Death of parent, Racial slurs, War, Cultural appropriation, Pandemic/Epidemic, Drug use, Xenophobia, Slavery, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, and Grief
paulibirisqui's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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? Yes
5.0
I'm speechless.
This book deserves all the praises and success (may I say, even more) that's having. Do not be intimidated by it, the language used makes it much easier to get engaged with the story.
The academic side is brilliant. The conversation and discourse surrounding translation, languages, imperialism and colonialism, and the relations between them, is sublime. It's incredibly well developed and carried through the whole book.
The dark side is nice. Especially towards the end, even though there were always small hints.
The characters are amazing, being Victoire my favourite. The different perspectives they have make their relationships richer and complicated. I saw someone saying they were unidimensional. I can not disagree more. They have elaborated feelings and unique ways of facing issues. However a valid criticism is that their union is more said than showed.
Nonetheless this was an amazing read, I heavily recommend it.
This book deserves all the praises and success (may I say, even more) that's having. Do not be intimidated by it, the language used makes it much easier to get engaged with the story.
The academic side is brilliant. The conversation and discourse surrounding translation, languages, imperialism and colonialism, and the relations between them, is sublime. It's incredibly well developed and carried through the whole book.
The dark side is nice. Especially towards the end, even though there were always small hints.
The characters are amazing, being Victoire my favourite. The different perspectives they have make their relationships richer and complicated. I saw someone saying they were unidimensional. I can not disagree more. They have elaborated feelings and unique ways of facing issues. However a valid criticism is that their union is more said than showed.
Nonetheless this was an amazing read, I heavily recommend it.
Spoiler
I loved Griffin so much, I wished he had stayed longer :'(
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Violence, Cultural appropriation, Classism, Hate crime, War, Racism, and Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Gun violence
Minor: Slavery and Physical abuse
asifsyed's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, Racial slurs, Racism, Cultural appropriation, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Violence, Murder, Trafficking, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Slavery, Misogyny, Grief, Drug abuse, and Gun violence
Minor: Torture, Police brutality, War, Abandonment, Terminal illness, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
m4rtt4's review
adventurous
challenging
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
5.0
There are 4 months left of this year, but I am pretty condifent to have found my best book of 2023, as well as one of the best I've ever read: Babel by R. F. Kuang.
Set in the 1830s' Oxford, on a surface level Babel may seem like any other dark academia book where its main characters major in (ancient) languages, but there's so much more as nothing can ever exist in a vacuum; even the coziest corners of a university library are a reflection of the outer world, and little by little the students find themselves in a secret rebel society to fight against the injustices of the white supremacist British Empire (specifically the Opium Wars in this book).
Heavy content warnings for racism, xenophobia and colonisation, as well as violence and death — even though fictional as a whole, almost every individual element of the story still continues to happen in some way in our modern world, as our societal systems were built on this racist and exploitative history that should not be erased or belittled because we supposedly have "abolished the bad things so and so long ago". Through the character of Letty I was rightfully made uncomfortable about my whiteness; the call-out was a much needed reminder of how there is so much oppression I will never understand or have to experience just because of the way I look.
As much as I loved the plot and the writing, half of the time I was just fangirling over Kuang's expertise in liguistics and the massive amount of research that must have gone into creating a historical setting so realistic and interesting. I have studied 7 languages, and though I can call myself fluent in barely two of them, studying languages and new concepts, whole new worlds behind the words will always be a huge passion of mine. So yeah, I really loved all the educational footnotes, even the lengthy ones that took up half a page and even those with Chinese charactes I had no idea how to read (maybe some day I will).
There was also just the right amount of fantasy for my liking — it did exist, but not by any supernatural means or creatures — it was tied to languages, the every-day magic we all use because no words are ever just words. Here am I as well, trying to create deep meanings with complex sets of characters to convey you a message: Go read Babel, NOW. For your own good.
Set in the 1830s' Oxford, on a surface level Babel may seem like any other dark academia book where its main characters major in (ancient) languages, but there's so much more as nothing can ever exist in a vacuum; even the coziest corners of a university library are a reflection of the outer world, and little by little the students find themselves in a secret rebel society to fight against the injustices of the white supremacist British Empire (specifically the Opium Wars in this book).
Heavy content warnings for racism, xenophobia and colonisation, as well as violence and death — even though fictional as a whole, almost every individual element of the story still continues to happen in some way in our modern world, as our societal systems were built on this racist and exploitative history that should not be erased or belittled because we supposedly have "abolished the bad things so and so long ago". Through the character of Letty I was rightfully made uncomfortable about my whiteness; the call-out was a much needed reminder of how there is so much oppression I will never understand or have to experience just because of the way I look.
As much as I loved the plot and the writing, half of the time I was just fangirling over Kuang's expertise in liguistics and the massive amount of research that must have gone into creating a historical setting so realistic and interesting. I have studied 7 languages, and though I can call myself fluent in barely two of them, studying languages and new concepts, whole new worlds behind the words will always be a huge passion of mine. So yeah, I really loved all the educational footnotes, even the lengthy ones that took up half a page and even those with Chinese charactes I had no idea how to read (maybe some day I will).
There was also just the right amount of fantasy for my liking — it did exist, but not by any supernatural means or creatures — it was tied to languages, the every-day magic we all use because no words are ever just words. Here am I as well, trying to create deep meanings with complex sets of characters to convey you a message: Go read Babel, NOW. For your own good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Racism, Sexism, Blood, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Violence, Death of parent, Gun violence, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief, War, Slavery, and Misogyny
rcd229's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.5
Couldn't get the comparison out of my head that this is like really woke Harry Potter (particularly OotP, in some really spectacular ways and specific scenes) meets colonialism. The way things wrapped up strongly reminded me of something else, too, but right now I can't remember. Don't read this if you're uncomfortable with overt examples of (systemic) racism (which is the point of the whole book), but do if you want some context and insight into a very real period in history and the impact of colonialism and the affects that racism and misogyn have on both everyday life and the world as a whole. Character development was fantastic and the historical references were really interesting. As a linguistics minor, I was excited to read about all of the language study and the translations and silver working, but I do wish there was more about how it worked, though maybe I'm just being too technical. Have already recommended this to a friend looking for new reads!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Murder, Xenophobia, Racism, Misogyny, War, and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Grief, Violence, Religious bigotry, Classism, and Slavery
Minor: Suicide and Addiction
signeskov's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Cultural appropriation, Classism, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Torture, Misogyny, Colonisation, Child abuse, Blood, Sexism, Racial slurs, Islamophobia, Forced institutionalization, Sexual harassment, Grief, Racism, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Addiction
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Slavery, and War
schausjk's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Islamophobia, War, Religious bigotry, Cultural appropriation, Confinement, Alcohol, Car accident, Addiction, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Suicide, Misogyny, Infidelity, and Gun violence
littleclerk's review
dark
emotional
informative
tense
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Classism, Racism, and Child abuse
Moderate: Child abuse
tinyjude's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-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? It's complicated
5.0
Set in 19th century England, we follow the story of Robin and his cohort (Ramy, Victorie and Letty) in the highly renowed instituion of Bable. Through the lens of these characters we see them grow and suffer the effects of dark academia in all its senses. The way in which grades, work, obsession can hurt physically and mentally the students. The competitive atmosphere... But also, how deeply rooted colonialism is in every aspect of academia.
Thus, the novel explores and discusses topics such as systemic racism, colorism, slavery, colonialism and the ways in which the latter works to increase the power of the Empire. These are characters who have been extracted from their homelands and treated as assets (Robin-Canton, Ramy-Calcutta, Victoire-Haiti; Letty is the only white British woman in their group). They are the language they speak because that is valuable for the Crown, but they are nothing more than devices, another instance of colonizers exploiting colonized people and taking away their languages, culture, etc...
Some reviews complain about timelines (the author stated at the beginning that it was a piece of fiction and some changes were made to accomodate the plot) and the use of anacronisms like "whiteness" as we understand it today, but I like them. After all, this text speaks to a modern audience, us, and even though at that time they didn't have a word for this thing, now that we do, we should use it.
The novel reads in some parts much like an academic paper, as it deals in depth with etymology, linguistics, history, a little bit of literature, philosophy and politics. So, as a language nerd who could recognize from my degree studies and further research, many of the authors, concepts, explanations and dilemmas discussed, I was elated. Like a cat smelling catnip or their favourite treat. Nevertheless, that didn't make it a dense book for me, in fact, it just sparkled my interest in languages even more.
Other people feel like it was a bit too-much-on-your-nose or handholding the reader through the book. They argue that it feels patronizing, as if we wouldn't be able to recognize the problems, the racist comments they receive, without the characters pointing it out. For people well versed in these topics and who have lived through all of these experiences, it's normal to think it was too much. Nonetheless, I think it was still useful, it will be useful for people who are starting to deconstructe themselves. Furthermore, I kind of love how she hammered into every paragraph thousands of critiques, moral dilemmas about justice, rightness, exploitatin, betrayal, belonging, grief, privilege, class, race and gender differences. Because I love angry characters full of spite and vengeful thoughts. As with Rin in The Poppy Wars, I was all in with Robin and the necessity of violence to occur for an Empire or an entire system to fall. And I am also fond of lots of descriptions :D
Moreover, the intricate relationship between translation and betrayal, translation and commodification, translation and colonization, translation and identity... It was exquisite and a very beautiful defense on why preserving every single language in the world is such an important task, as it is not just about the language, but also, culture, history, identity, a whole world behind that cannot be replaced or reconstructed. A richness that must be preserved.
Finally, Victorie, my love. You are so strong and one of my favourite characters. Ramy, you were the best of them all, since your first appearance I knew you would be my favourite. Robin, oh Robin and his constant dilemmas, feeling as if he was living two lives, as if he was never complete. I loved his character development. And Letty... Fuck you! And she represents so many white people who turn a blind eye to these kind of situations, because it doesn't affect them, because it is inconvenient, shows the venom in the system, and because it shows their lack of compromise, love, morality and humanity in regards to others. In contrast, that teacher (I think Mrs Craft) at the end proved to be at least decent among the white characters.
Final thought, did anyone else read some intense feelings between Robin and Ramy or was it just me? Romantic or really really platonic that go beyond their friendship in the group, like soulmates kinda.
Thus, the novel explores and discusses topics such as systemic racism, colorism, slavery, colonialism and the ways in which the latter works to increase the power of the Empire. These are characters who have been extracted from their homelands and treated as assets (Robin-Canton, Ramy-Calcutta, Victoire-Haiti; Letty is the only white British woman in their group). They are the language they speak because that is valuable for the Crown, but they are nothing more than devices, another instance of colonizers exploiting colonized people and taking away their languages, culture, etc...
Some reviews complain about timelines (the author stated at the beginning that it was a piece of fiction and some changes were made to accomodate the plot) and the use of anacronisms like "whiteness" as we understand it today, but I like them. After all, this text speaks to a modern audience, us, and even though at that time they didn't have a word for this thing, now that we do, we should use it.
The novel reads in some parts much like an academic paper, as it deals in depth with etymology, linguistics, history, a little bit of literature, philosophy and politics. So, as a language nerd who could recognize from my degree studies and further research, many of the authors, concepts, explanations and dilemmas discussed, I was elated. Like a cat smelling catnip or their favourite treat. Nevertheless, that didn't make it a dense book for me, in fact, it just sparkled my interest in languages even more.
Other people feel like it was a bit too-much-on-your-nose or handholding the reader through the book. They argue that it feels patronizing, as if we wouldn't be able to recognize the problems, the racist comments they receive, without the characters pointing it out. For people well versed in these topics and who have lived through all of these experiences, it's normal to think it was too much. Nonetheless, I think it was still useful, it will be useful for people who are starting to deconstructe themselves. Furthermore, I kind of love how she hammered into every paragraph thousands of critiques, moral dilemmas about justice, rightness, exploitatin, betrayal, belonging, grief, privilege, class, race and gender differences. Because I love angry characters full of spite and vengeful thoughts. As with Rin in The Poppy Wars, I was all in with Robin and the necessity of violence to occur for an Empire or an entire system to fall. And I am also fond of lots of descriptions :D
Moreover, the intricate relationship between translation and betrayal, translation and commodification, translation and colonization, translation and identity... It was exquisite and a very beautiful defense on why preserving every single language in the world is such an important task, as it is not just about the language, but also, culture, history, identity, a whole world behind that cannot be replaced or reconstructed. A richness that must be preserved.
Finally, Victorie, my love. You are so strong and one of my favourite characters. Ramy, you were the best of them all, since your first appearance I knew you would be my favourite. Robin, oh Robin and his constant dilemmas, feeling as if he was living two lives, as if he was never complete. I loved his character development. And Letty... Fuck you!
Spoiler
I knew she wouldn't get it (and I say this being a white person) and I wanted to punch her so bad. She was so disrespecftul, racist, classist, self-centered, selfish, self-victimicizing, arrogant, ignorant... She could have listened, but she didn't want to see the truth because it was ugly and it proved she was part of the problem. She was a coward and a terrible friend. She never loved them as they loved her. She never made the effort to go beyond her prejudices, she never put herself on their shoes. She enraged me so much. AND SHE FUCKING KILLED RAMY IN COLD BLOOD, HER SUPPOSED FRIEND ON WHOM SHE HAD A CRUSH ON, JUST BECAUSE HE REJECTED HER AND IT HURT HER WHITE EGO ???? JAIL TIME, GO TO HELLFinal thought, did anyone else read some intense feelings between Robin and Ramy or was it just me? Romantic or really really platonic that go beyond their friendship in the group, like soulmates kinda.
Spoiler
specially given Robin's reaction and fixation on Ramy's death among all of the Hermes Society's members and his memory of him on that first day before Robin dies, which is so idyllic and queer coded in my opinion
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Sexism, Islamophobia, Slavery, War, Addiction, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Drug abuse, Murder, Racial slurs, Trafficking, Classism, Racism, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Xenophobia
nialiversuch's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Suicide, Violence, Bullying, Confinement, Misogyny, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, War, and Xenophobia