I read “Babel” by Rebecca Kuang and it was very good

I've heard a lot about this book. Some said she was racist, some said she wasn't. And I decided to read it to make up my mind about it. And as a result, I liked the book.

Lore

An alternative UK, people were able to use translation as a tool because of the silver plates. Both the original word and its translation were engraved on them, which is why people could conjure, for example, so that roses would never wither.

It's simple in itself, and Rebecca Kuang talks in great detail about working with plates and the intricacies of translation. That sometimes the same word in the original has several meanings, that for an accurate translation it has to be combined with other words, and so on. And she explains it quite interesting.

Plot

Robin Swift comes to study in Oxford, or rather in Babel, where he learns the intricacies of translation. He likes to study, but soon he will realize that everything is not as simple as it seemed at first glance.

It is divided into two halves. The first tells about studying at Oxford, and the second about the riot, to put it mildly. I liked the first half better. You can feel the atmosphere and love of Oxford in it. It is written so aesthetically pleasing that I myself want to go to study at Oxford Academia, even though the author writes the disadvantages of studying in this place. The second half turned out to be weaker. It's just a typical but well-made riot story. She's sad and fascinating. And the ending is open, offering readers to choose their own development. Will everything go as in reality, or vice versa?

Characters

I don't understand those who say that the book is racist. Yes, there are a lot of bad white characters here, but there are also a lot of good ones, for example, Professor Kraft. Also, not all the actions of the heroes are good, and they suffer from some of them. And they are of different nationalities because this is a story about colonialism and through them Kuang shows all his problems.

And if you forget about it, they turned out to be normal. They are prescribed not bad, but not to say that it is good. Although the dilemma of the main character turned out to be interesting, and I followed it.

Text

The author writes very well. Even despite the huge volume, it was easy to read, and the descriptions turned out to be atmospheric, and some even beautiful.

I liked the book. I understand that the author is too direct in her statements, but I don't understand why most people pay attention only to the fact that there are a lot of bad white characters here if the book is about colonialism.