Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Bandit Queens

I was wondering what makes a five star read for me. I've read some good books this year but not given our any 5-stars yet, even though I've read some things I can't really fault and massively enjoyed. I was thinking, what really is a 5-star book for me, then? Maybe I'll never rate a book 5/5. I've also been reading a lot of audiobooks and I was wondering if that's having an impact on how much I enjoy books, that maybe I'll never LOVE a fiction audiobook.

THEN THIS BOOK CAME ALONG.

TEN OUT OF TEN FIVE STARS NO NOTES. SOMEONE MAKE THIS GORGEOUS, HILARIOUS, HEARTBREAKING, BEAUTIFUL BOOK INTO A FILM RIGHT NOW!!!!!

This just blew me away. It's GENUINELY funny, not the kind of smile-to-yourself amusing that I usually mean when I call a book funny. It's so warm and tender, especially on female friendship, whilst also touching on some really big, difficult, dark issues like racism, caste, domestic abuse and rape. I felt like I learned a lot about India (or at least, a certain part of India) and had a rollicking good time while I was at it. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

Content Warnings

maychecksout's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

dielizabeth's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-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

I laughed, cried, and screamed, sometimes all at once. Completely amazing. Vivid characters and brilliant representation of flawed and complex friendships. Emphasis on the myriad challenges women face the world over. It also gave me a small, relatable window into a place and a culture completely unfamiliar to me. The best book I've read recently.

Content Warnings

laedyred's review against another edition

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dark funny inspiring 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

Hilarious to the point of it feeling almost like a sitcom in some scenes, completely in a good way. The truly horrible things the men in this book do is hard to read sometimes, but the book does a good job at making the realities known while still being an enjoyable, entertaining read. My criticism is that the messages of feminism, equality, female friendship, etc are most often explicitly stated, and they began to cheapen from the blatant repetition.

Content Warnings