Reviews

The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff

abi224_'s review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense slow-paced

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

3.75

alexandramiller's review against another edition

emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

tigeresseyes13's review against another edition

funny mysterious

4.0

mwritesdragons's review against another edition

dark emotional funny informative reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

bookcreek's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

athenas99's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book has so much heart. The pacing was a bit odd, especially in the middle of the book

when Geeta is dealing with the falllout of her first murder and ends up being at odds with her accomplice, Farah

. However, I really enjoyed the woman-centered plot line and the feminist themes. Geeta, like many women in her community and around the world, is a survivor of abuse and it was really wonderful to watch her grow into a feminist mindset and wake up to all kinds of injustice. I loved watching her and her childhood best friend Saloni find their way back to each other after men and the demands of marriage pulled them apart. Despite dealing nimbly with difficult subject matter like sexual assault, domestic violence and caste discrimination, the book remains humorous and lighthearted. A wonderful read for women’s history month.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence and Domestic abuse

krisandthesea's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

irritablepowell's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted tense 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? Yes

4.0

janet_haviland's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Loved! Deciding between 4 ⭐️ and 4.5 ⭐️

Such an interesting, fun style! Bitingly funny, great characters. Dialogue read sometimes like a play or film. Dark humor was fantastic. Such poignant commentary on caste, religion, patriarchy…And female friendship. Fantastic. 

jon_thereader's review against another edition

4.0

This book does a great job on educating about aspects of Indian culture, telling stories of women marginalized in a (relatively heavy) patriarchal society, addressing casteism, and many other things. The author employs humor to break up the tough topics discussed in the book without minimizing them. 

We follow Geeta who starts off quite ostracized due to the mysterious disappearance of her husband. Women in her loan group, having assumed she killed the husband, begin asking her for assistance to repeat the process for them. The story snowballs into a fun climax of female rage and, while many might assume a “knight in shining armor moment was impending,” the book holds true to its tone. Very fun, very culturally educational, dialogue that made me giggle a few times.

This book also highlights the importance of having girlfriends (or friends in general) that will tell you what you need to hear even if you might not want to hear it.

Also, the “bandit queen” - who our main character kind of respects as a woman who fought against the Indian patriarchy and atrocities committed against herself personally - is a real person! Her name is Phoolan Devi.