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ewayne's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Xenophobia, Gun violence, Murder, Sexual violence, and Rape
dewo0019's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
3.75
This book was a rollercoaster. I really liked it at first, then wasn't fond of the Indian stereotypes and relationships between the women, but am glad I stuck with it because I ended up enjoying the character development and message of female friendships.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Child abuse, Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Misogyny, Bullying, Physical abuse, Murder, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Classism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, and Rape
dale_in_va's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
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
5.0
Not for the weak minded... this book is disturbing, but in a good way. A really entertaining book about a really complicated set of issues. This is a dark comedy is a way to make you smile through "darkness and absurdity of life" (author's quote). I find the words of the author's note sums it up "“Fiction is when research meets compassion. I believe that this is why facts don’t change people’s minds, but stories do”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Murder, Violence, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, and Abandonment
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Rape, and Blood
Minor: Gun violence, Animal cruelty, Vomit, and Kidnapping
This book is a "fantasy" about female empowerment in a patriarchal society. Readers need to have the sophistication to understand that the absurdity presented here is a way to grant people agency in a society that doesn't value them. It can leave the reader with an existential discomfort with the issues that it raises.ebbie_casuallereading's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
To be fair, I've read this book while in a weird state of extreme fatigue, sickness and grief. So my reading experience was weird.
The end conflict is what saved the book for me, because at times, I was considering giving it a little less than 3 stars. Why? Because the dance between "the characters are intelligent" and "the characters are absolutely stupid" wasn't well balanced. I don't think it's that good of an idea to dance between the 2 anyways, or not in the way it was done here, because it wasn't really believable or felt too goofy ah-ah jokey-joke in a book that didn't exactly had that tone to it. And I'm not just talking about how the women are faking being lesser than, or how this specific secondary character plays on the perception people have of her as a simpleton. I'm talking about all the character, and most importantly the MC.
Geeta's growth is weird and a bit chaotic imo. I'm not saying character growth as to be linear, but the inconsistencies feel a little off at times. I wanted to slap her, but also a few other, a number of times, espescially when she's trying to lie. She's shown to be capable and stubborn, even in front of adversity, in the first few chapter. She even lie properly, yet afterward, she can't anymore. It's hard to compute why she falls back into a less capable state in the middle of the story, or else it's not written to make you feel something major happened that would make this earned.
Also, if you need to know if something bad happens to the dog (Bandit):the dog doesn't die, though there is another death dog at some point, that is already dead when we get to it
I did like the parts where the women uses patriarchy to their advantage. The BEST parts are where they are confronted to a powerful figure or someone with autority, and are able to "charm" or talk their way out of a bad situation. And then the friendships are nice, the bonobo thing is too.
I want to say the story is lighthearted, but at the same time not really. It's hard to pinpoint where it lends tone-wise. I really think I might have enjoyed it more in other personnal circumstances. And I bet it's easier to enjoy if you get into it with the expectations it's not going to be super serious.
The end conflict is what saved the book for me, because at times, I was considering giving it a little less than 3 stars. Why? Because the dance between "the characters are intelligent" and "the characters are absolutely stupid" wasn't well balanced. I don't think it's that good of an idea to dance between the 2 anyways, or not in the way it was done here, because it wasn't really believable or felt too goofy ah-ah jokey-joke in a book that didn't exactly had that tone to it. And I'm not just talking about how the women are faking being lesser than, or how this specific secondary character plays on the perception people have of her as a simpleton. I'm talking about all the character, and most importantly the MC.
Geeta's growth is weird and a bit chaotic imo. I'm not saying character growth as to be linear, but the inconsistencies feel a little off at times. I wanted to slap her, but also a few other, a number of times, espescially when she's trying to lie. She's shown to be capable and stubborn, even in front of adversity, in the first few chapter. She even lie properly, yet afterward, she can't anymore. It's hard to compute why she falls back into a less capable state in the middle of the story, or else it's not written to make you feel something major happened that would make this earned.
Also, if you need to know if something bad happens to the dog (Bandit):
I did like the parts where the women uses patriarchy to their advantage. The BEST parts are where they are confronted to a powerful figure or someone with autority, and are able to "charm" or talk their way out of a bad situation. And then the friendships are nice, the bonobo thing is too.
I want to say the story is lighthearted, but at the same time not really. It's hard to pinpoint where it lends tone-wise. I really think I might have enjoyed it more in other personnal circumstances. And I bet it's easier to enjoy if you get into it with the expectations it's not going to be super serious.
Content Warnings
Minor: Pedophilia and Rape
baielleebooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.25
Great book; richly written dialogue (Saloni's shade is SECOND to none), deeply affecting in rendering Geeta's isolation and her charged journey to self-liberation, and informative in its framing of the intersection of caste and gender-politics in India, and its honouring of Phoolan Devi, the book's guiding motif.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, and Rape
Minor: Child abuse
nightsparks's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
👍🏼👍🏼
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Religious bigotry, Rape, Alcohol, Classism, Death, Body shaming, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Gun violence, and Sexual harassment
mrsmeowmix's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The subjects explored in the book were shocking but understandably that is the reality that many women may face in that society. I felt like it was really thrown in my face gratuitously and wish there was more of a warm up to it. There was one part I truly chuckled at but found the shifts between serious discussions of said topics and the banter between the women jarring.
At times I found the many of the characters unlikeable and found the events leading up to the ending to be overly theatrical and incredulous. But it did tie up nicely. I wish there were more explanation of Karem and ASP Sinha. I suppose they were my favorite characters as the least manipulative people in the story.
Overall, it seemed like the author tried to explore a lot of themes and was in a rush to wrap up.
At times I found the many of the characters unlikeable and found the events leading up to the ending to be overly theatrical and incredulous. But it did tie up nicely. I wish there were more explanation of Karem and ASP Sinha. I suppose they were my favorite characters as the least manipulative people in the story.
Overall, it seemed like the author tried to explore a lot of themes and was in a rush to wrap up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Pedophilia, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, and Sexual assault
mondovertigo's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Infertility, Alcoholism, Sexual violence, Murder, Domestic abuse, Classism, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Rape, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Gun violence, Animal cruelty, and Child abuse
differentsisters's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
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? No
4.75
A book that deals with so many triggering topics should not be this funny. It’s been a really long time since a book has made me laugh out loud this many times.
This book deals with many things, domestic abuse, the caste system, the treatment of women being the main ones. But they are handled with a biting dark humour that can only thrust through the grittiness of the lives of women living in these villages and circumstances.
The plot of murdering husbands is quite absurd but the characters also know this, so they are also looking at the situation as ridiculous.
One of the main features of this book is the female relationships; the complexity, the envy, the loyalty, the ups and downs that come with life. They are not all perfect women, but they bite harder than any dog (wink wink). But it’s so good. They’re are so funny together.
Greta is a perfect protagonist for the Western reader to enter this world vastly different from our own. She has quite Western and liberal ideas, but she’s also a cranky grumpy middle-aged woman. She always has something to mutter and groan about. However as our plot goes on and she’s forced into action but never loses her quips.
(it really should be 5, maybe at another time)
This book deals with many things, domestic abuse, the caste system, the treatment of women being the main ones. But they are handled with a biting dark humour that can only thrust through the grittiness of the lives of women living in these villages and circumstances.
The plot of murdering husbands is quite absurd but the characters also know this, so they are also looking at the situation as ridiculous.
One of the main features of this book is the female relationships; the complexity, the envy, the loyalty, the ups and downs that come with life. They are not all perfect women, but they bite harder than any dog (wink wink). But it’s so good. They’re are so funny together.
Greta is a perfect protagonist for the Western reader to enter this world vastly different from our own. She has quite Western and liberal ideas, but she’s also a cranky grumpy middle-aged woman. She always has something to mutter and groan about. However as our plot goes on and she’s forced into action but never loses her quips.
(it really should be 5, maybe at another time)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Physical abuse, Murder, Misogyny, Gun violence, Death, and Classism
Minor: Animal cruelty and Body shaming
siria's review against another edition
2.75
Five years ago, Geeta's no-good husband disappeared, and most other people in their rural Indian village think she killed him. She didn't. But her reputation gets around, and some other women with terrible husbands start seeking her help with offing them, and shenanigans ensue.
There are things to like about Parini Shroff's The Bandit Queens—mostly the moments of somewhat dark humour, and the complicated and prickly female friendships—but this was a debut novel that needed not just one but probably at least two more drafts before it was published. The tone is wildly uneven and the dialogue often stilted.
I get there are always compromises to be made when you're writing a book in English but the characters are really "speaking" in another language (in this case, Gujarati). Not every concept will translate, capturing particular cadences might be difficult, and so on. But here Shroff repeatedly indulges in one of my pet hates, where a word that does have an equivalent in English is left in the "original" language for... coyness? Humour? Colour? I don't know. But I do know that every time a character goes to "make su-su" in this book (and it's a lot), I was gritting my teeth and saying "just say 'pee'!" Shroff's linguistic register is also all over the map—characters sprinkle their dialogue with as many "likes" as an American millennial and much of the prose is fairly informal, but occasionally we're told that a character has a "falcate back" or that one of the women has made an "aperçu". At one point, one woman refers to another as "zaftig." Encountering Yiddish slang in a rural west Indian context does break suspension of disbelief a little.
And that ties into the other major issue that I had with The Bandit Queens, which is that there was a lot about the framing and subtlety of approach (or lack thereof) which made it clear that Shroff is an American of Indian heritage rather than being born and raised in India. I had the sense that for an Indian to read this would probably be what it's like for me most of the time when I read a book by an Irish-American set in Ireland.
I think Shroff has potential as a writer and I wouldn't swear off her future work, but this was a bit of a disappointment.
There are things to like about Parini Shroff's The Bandit Queens—mostly the moments of somewhat dark humour, and the complicated and prickly female friendships—but this was a debut novel that needed not just one but probably at least two more drafts before it was published. The tone is wildly uneven and the dialogue often stilted.
I get there are always compromises to be made when you're writing a book in English but the characters are really "speaking" in another language (in this case, Gujarati). Not every concept will translate, capturing particular cadences might be difficult, and so on. But here Shroff repeatedly indulges in one of my pet hates, where a word that does have an equivalent in English is left in the "original" language for... coyness? Humour? Colour? I don't know. But I do know that every time a character goes to "make su-su" in this book (and it's a lot), I was gritting my teeth and saying "just say 'pee'!" Shroff's linguistic register is also all over the map—characters sprinkle their dialogue with as many "likes" as an American millennial and much of the prose is fairly informal, but occasionally we're told that a character has a "falcate back" or that one of the women has made an "aperçu". At one point, one woman refers to another as "zaftig." Encountering Yiddish slang in a rural west Indian context does break suspension of disbelief a little.
And that ties into the other major issue that I had with The Bandit Queens, which is that there was a lot about the framing and subtlety of approach (or lack thereof) which made it clear that Shroff is an American of Indian heritage rather than being born and raised in India. I had the sense that for an Indian to read this would probably be what it's like for me most of the time when I read a book by an Irish-American set in Ireland.
I think Shroff has potential as a writer and I wouldn't swear off her future work, but this was a bit of a disappointment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Alcoholism, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, and Misogyny
Moderate: Fatphobia and Islamophobia