Ally

Gave up on page 235

I always finish this book and am still wondering what I was reading about the whole time.

I love Pat Conroy and have read most of his work. His descriptions of setting, namely the low country of South Carolina (and Charleston in particular, in this book), are so vivid and evocative that the location almost becomes another character. He also writes dialogue, particularly sharp and sarcastic banter, in such an accurate way that I feel like I'm eavesdropping on a real conversation. He handles the complexities of emotions within and between the characters deftly. It all just feels very real, and I feel like my descriptions come nowhere close to doing his work justice. 

Lords of Discipline isn't a super easy book to read. It tells the story of a cadet at 'Carolina Military Institute,' a fictionalized account based on Conroy's own experience at the Citadel. It details the main character's own terribly brutal plebe year, as well as his efforts to moderate the system for those who came behind him during his senior year. Along the way, he learns the good, the bad, and the ugly about himself, his friends, military culture, Charlestonians, and society as a whole. 

Fun fact, after the publication of this book, Conroy became persona non grata with his alma mater for a few decades, but was later welcomed back, awarded an honorary degree, was the 2001 graduation speaker, and inducted into the Citadel's athletic Hall of Fame. 

This is my first book of Kuang's, and I'm glad I started with Babel, because I loved it. It's set in mid-1800s, primarily in Oxford, in a world where language (and specifically the translation of languages) powers the modernization of the world and the expansion of the British empire. Ostensibly, it's the story of a linguistically brilliant young boy, who is groomed from an early age to become one of the vaulted translators. But really it's an indictment of all the ills of this world: colonialism, exploitation, & prejudices (racism, sexism, classism, etc).

I love words and language (I always say that in another life I would've liked to be a translator), and I appreciate how language is really at the heart of the story. I also enjoyed the incorporation of the ancient story of Babel, the dedication to detail of 19th century Oxford, the accuracy of the casual disdain coming from the elites, and the imperfect characters. And after if finished reading, I start thinking about the exceedingly precise research that must have gone into the translations incorporated throughout the whole book, which is just impressive!

I keep seeing it billed as a fantasy, and then some reviews that didn't like it because it didn't have enough fantasy elements... And I think that's because it's NOT a fantasy novel! It's an alternative history with magical realism, and I get that maybe that's splitting hairs, but they are different in my opinion.

4.5