Cristy! I need your take on Babel, the other R.F. Kuang book that's so popular. I just finished it and I have a lot of thoughts but not sure if I'm being too harsh.
I really, really didn't like it. A few months ago, I did a buddy read of Babel with two of my sisters. It was so well-written and the characters were engaging, but so many things kept me thinking, "There's something off here." I still think about the many problematic elements.
Ya, I found the prose good and the story kept me reading, but I had some meta issues - seemed like the fantasy element wasn’t critical to the story or the themes (if I wanted to read a book about the opium wars I’d just read a book about the opium wars….)? And like British colonialism was exactly as bad as she described without the magic silver element? And I thought the ending was off…..didn’t give me any catharsis or hope but it also wasn’t a proper horror/tragedy where everything ends badly in a poetic way?
I was tempted by that fairy-tale-ish Puritan book too! Christy, should I join WRM? A group recently started up in my neck of the woods, but then I glance over at my "to-read" book pile and wonder...can I add one more book to it?!
I’m glad you liked Charis! I missed our WRM meeting, and I couldn’t talk myself into giving it a chance despite the Puritan setting and Odyssean plot. My eyes immediately glazed over when I read the description online haha- but maybe I’ll give it another shot.
the “family drama with weird plot twists and moral relativism” genre -- this is such a funny descriptor but honestly so accurate. why so many though!!
Cristy! I need your take on Babel, the other R.F. Kuang book that's so popular. I just finished it and I have a lot of thoughts but not sure if I'm being too harsh.
It's been on my tbr!
I really, really didn't like it. A few months ago, I did a buddy read of Babel with two of my sisters. It was so well-written and the characters were engaging, but so many things kept me thinking, "There's something off here." I still think about the many problematic elements.
Ya, I found the prose good and the story kept me reading, but I had some meta issues - seemed like the fantasy element wasn’t critical to the story or the themes (if I wanted to read a book about the opium wars I’d just read a book about the opium wars….)? And like British colonialism was exactly as bad as she described without the magic silver element? And I thought the ending was off…..didn’t give me any catharsis or hope but it also wasn’t a proper horror/tragedy where everything ends badly in a poetic way?
I was tempted by that fairy-tale-ish Puritan book too! Christy, should I join WRM? A group recently started up in my neck of the woods, but then I glance over at my "to-read" book pile and wonder...can I add one more book to it?!
I’m glad you liked Charis! I missed our WRM meeting, and I couldn’t talk myself into giving it a chance despite the Puritan setting and Odyssean plot. My eyes immediately glazed over when I read the description online haha- but maybe I’ll give it another shot.