From the Bookshelf of The Perks Of Being A Book Addict…

Babel

R.F. Kuang

Start date: June 1, 2024

Finish date: June 30, 2024

Discussion: Group Books of the Month (BotM)

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 17 topics — 685 comments total

Group Books of the Month (BotM)

* Notes on an Execution
By Perks Moderat… , Know-it-all · 3 posts · 49 views

last updated Sep 21, 2025 07:04AM

* Blood Over Bright Haven
By Perks Moderat… , Know-it-all · 2 posts · 43 views

last updated Aug 29, 2025 12:23AM

showing 10 of 11 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Jan 28, 2023 Trisha rated it liked it

Shelves: goodreadschoice2022

I hate that I didn't love this one. It has so many interesting pieces to it and such a good message. It's powerful. But it's long. I didn't like the day to day details of Robin's life. We get the intimate details of all 4 years of school. The day to day learning, the small nuances of language, the petty fights and the random glasses of wine. It was a slog to get through and it took me days to dig through these stories to find the rebellion inbetween.

Robin was a great character. Nuanced with both ...more

18 likes · Like · see review

Dec 30, 2022 Meera rated it liked it

Shelves: npr, poc-author, fantasy, book-of-the-month, bought2022, tob23

I think this book had some great moments in it, but overall, I did not love it. I liked the diverse cast of characters, the realistic historical setting, and the unique quality of silver working. It was refreshing to relate to the main characters more meaningfully than I, a POC reader, get to do most of the time in this genre. What didn't work for me was the pacing of the plot. There were too many slow moments where nothing really happened except for us to get more of Robin's internal conflicts. ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Jul 27, 2024 Lynne Reeves Griffin rated it really liked it

Shelves: audio, 2024

There is much to appreciate about this novel exploring the complexities of colonialism. While there is much to admire about the world building and the social questions being posed, it did lack deep characterization and some of the plot choices felt contrived. Overall I’m very glad to have read it. I imagine I’ll be thinking about it for quite awhile.

1 like · Like · see review

Sep 09, 2023 J. Lynn Else rated it liked it

This book held me hostage this past week. I could read nothing else. There is so much substance to the story. It's very deep, heavy, and thought-provoking. The examination of the use of translation and language is astounding. I've heard it said this book is like reading a textbook. Perhaps it is a bit as students discuss the difficulties and theories about translating different languages. But it's also quite fascinating.

What really affects my review, though, is the pay off. (view spoiler) ...more

Like · see review