Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Good Girls: An Ordinary Killing by Sonia Faleiro

12 reviews

abby_can_read's review against another edition

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dark informative medium-paced

3.0

🎧
I listened to the audiobook. I liked the narrator. The book was alright. It seemed well researched and well written. I like that Faleiro wrote this in a narrative form. 

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marlireads's review against another edition

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challenging informative sad fast-paced

3.5

I originally heard of this case through one of my favourite true crime podcasts, Redhanded. Suruthi and Hannah referred to this book for a lot of their info, so I wanted to pick it up. They also interviewed the author about this story, which gave an interesting insight into the research that went into this book.

The story about the deaths of Padma and Lalli (not their real names) is harrowing, especially when you get into how the living handled it. From family that didn't cooperate because of fear of dishonour to the underfunded and unwilling authorities, it's not what these girls deserved. It's not what anyone deserves. The book also gives a peak into Hindu culture: Faleiro touches on castes, what it means to live in poor rural India and what it means to be a woman. I felt like it gave a very ful and real picture of what happened around this case and around these issues in general. It was very eye-opening. 

The chapters were short, which I appreciate in a non fiction book. The story explains different issues and shows the different perspectives almost, as the search for justice continues. Was there a kidnapping? Was there a rape? Was it Pappu? Was the police involved? Was it caste violence? Did the parents have anything to do with it? Stories changed, opinions and interpretations shifted, politics got involved, evidence got tamptered with: it was all a mess! This entire case just had me shaking my head in dismay. 

I learned a lot, and not just about the case. Unfortunately, there's no conclusion to this case (not for me and many others at least). The girls' deaths were eventually ruled to be a suicide, but I don't believe that, looking at how botched this entire investigation was. I really appreciate the author's attempt to find out what happened and, especially how she sheds light on all of the related issues the country is dealing with. I feel like, if you want to read more about crimes against women and girls, this book is a good example, but it's not for the faint-hearted (obviously, like many crimes against women and girls aren't). I'm happy I finally got to it.

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mandkips's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

4.0


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slowsho's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

4.0


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bahamyulala's review against another edition

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dark informative sad slow-paced

5.0


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manasvini's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

5.0

TL;DR: An impactful book. Difficult read because of the subject matter, an easy read because of the incredible writing.

The story was of course harrowing and nightmarish. Gender, caste and class interact in ways that are unfathomable, creating misery and violence on an unimaginable scale. If your justice doesn't heal, but instead reproduces violence, can we call that justice? 

I am so incredibly impressed by Faleiro's dedication and hardwork in writing this book. Not only does she manage to provide a detailed and thorough account of the events, but she does so while maintaining an ease in her language, that makes the reading accessible. Juggling a million characters, and timelines, and adding relevant facts and case studies while still maintaining readability is a herculean task that Faleiro has somehow accomplished. 

The precise and concise writing brings the horror of the story to the forefront, which is exactly why this is an impactful read.

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hbmelum's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.25


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alexture's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative reflective slow-paced

3.5

📖 Dans ce livre de #truecrime autour de la mort de deux adolescentes dans l'Uttar Pradesh en 2014, Sonia Faleiro nous parle de pauvreté, de corruption et de sexisme. Dans une région extrêmement pauvre, deux jeunes filles sont retrouvées pendues. Autopsie sans matériel par un balayeur du coin, police régionale corrompue, politiciens qui ne s'en mêlent que si ça les fait monter dans les sondages s'enchaînent alors que les médias commencent à relayer une histoire de viol collectif et d'assassinat.
Quand la police nationale s'en mêle, plusieurs semaines plus tard, tout le monde parle de cette affaire et des droits des femmes qui y sont associés. Et quand elle affirme qu'il n'y a pas eu viol et qu'il s'agit d'un suicide, le monde a du mal à y croire.

💭 Le livre est écrit de façon très sèche : pas de suppositions ni de fioritures, juste des faits rédigés en phrases très courtes et en chapitre d'une à trois pages le plus souvent. Le contexte national et historique, suivant l'affaire du viol en bande organisé de Delhi et une prise de conscience sur les violences sexistes dans le pays, sont très bien expliqués, et on suit chaque nouvelle information d'un oeil atterré, pour arriver à une conclusion dont on ne saura pas plus que la famille de Padma et Lalli si elle est crédible.
Le livre contient de nombreuses coquilles et fautes d'accord, ce qui est dommage ; une relecture n'aurait pas fait de mal. Mais il est bien écrit et nous fait découvrir un monde très particulier.
(Comme d'habitude avec le true crime et les histoires de violences, si vous connaissez mal le sous-continent indien, n'hésitez pas à compléter votre lecture avec quelque chose qui le met en valeur pour ne pas tomber dans la condescendance coloniale.)

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amytrick's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

4.0


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readingwithk's review against another edition

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informative slow-paced

3.0

I admire the reporting and telling of this important story that highlights inequality and violence against women in India as well as the idea of honor and purity. It’s a heartbreaking story that led to important conversations and policy changes within India. 

I do think the organization of this story was a bit all over the place. There’s no much information presented in this book (which is great), but with how it was organized, it became hard to follow at times

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