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thetearex's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Mental illness, Rape, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Infertility, Islamophobia, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, and Violence
queeniecraft's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Sexism, Child death, Sexual harassment, Murder, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Violence, Toxic friendship, Racism, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Gun violence, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Rape, Religious bigotry, Violence, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Racism, Pedophilia, Murder, Misogyny, Drug use, Cursing, Suicide, Islamophobia, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Fatphobia, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Pregnancy, Classism, and Toxic relationship
patchworkninja's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Addiction, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Infertility, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Violence
Minor: Bullying, Death of parent, Body shaming, Gun violence, Animal cruelty, Child death, and Classism
nicolaparty's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Murder, Sexism, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and Cursing
Minor: Death of parent, Islamophobia, and Animal cruelty
The book deals quite a lot with caste and caste discrimination in India.xread_write_repeatx's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Violence, Sexual assault, Murder, Blood, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Body horror, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Fatphobia, Cursing, Gaslighting, Rape, Child death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Addiction, Torture, Alcoholism, Pedophilia, and Infertility
Moderate: Transphobia, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, and Alcohol
darumachan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Rape, and Body shaming
javafenn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Animal cruelty, Police brutality, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Misogyny
heatherjchin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Racism, Religious bigotry, Gun violence, Abandonment, Sexism, Murder, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Rape
Moderate: Child death, Pedophilia, and Child abuse
Minor: Terminal illness, Animal death, Infidelity, Self harm, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Slavery, Vomit, Animal cruelty, and Suicide
cheye13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The main element that turns the tropes of the micro-genre into something fresh is that Geeta actively wants no part in these murders. She is not the typical man-killing mentor that the trope usually calls for, which makes for a unique plot and some amusing shenanigans. At the same time, the book does not hide the pervasive and severe misogyny these women live through, but strikes a delicate balance between acknowledging these genuinely horrifying events with the persistence of daily life.
A surpsingly fun read.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Murder, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Death, Misogyny, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Classism, Gore, Blood, Infertility, Gun violence, and Sexual violence
Minor: Miscarriage, Sexual content, Body shaming, Bullying, Rape, and Death of parent
While graphic elements such as child rape and brutal killings are mentioned quite a few times, it is always brief and without detail.kelly_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Author: Parini Shroff
Genre: Literary Fiction
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: January 3, 2023
T H R E E • W O R D S
Cinematic • Sassy • Empowering
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Geeta is believed to have killed her vanished husband – a rumour she hasn’t bothered trying to correct, because a reputation like that can keep a single woman safe in rural India. But when she’s approached for help in ridding another wife of her abusive drunk of a husband, her reluctant agreement sets in motion a chain of events that will change the lives of all the women in the village.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Initially intrigued by the premise, I added The Bandit Queens to my TBR earlier in the year. But what really encouraged me to get to this debut sooner rather than later was its inclusion on the 2023 Women's Prize for Fiction longlist. And I must say this book is unlike anything else I've read.
Firstly, Parini Shroff does an extraordinary job portraying the sense of place of this small rural Indian village. The author expertly highlights the plight of women living within both the caste system and a patriarchal society. It's clear she's done her research as she details the historical context of constraints put into place in order to keep women oppressed. Additionally, she cleverly uses dark humour to really help situate the reader.
The audio narrated by Soneela Nankani is excellent. Yet because there are so many characters, I relied on tandem reading with a digital copy in order to keep track of everyone and everything. Each of the characters' stories had an important place and I really wanted everything to flow, but it's quite possible with so much going on it disrupted the pacing. It lulled from time to time, and really took me longer to get through than it normally would.
Overall, I enjoyed the writing, the characters, the cultural insight, and the humour, even though there were some kinks with the structure and pacing. This novel based on friendship and women banding together to form a community was incredibly empowering, and I'm glad it was highlighted on the longlist for the Women's Prize for Fiction. The Bandit Queens would certainly make an excellent movie.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Desperate Housewives devotees
• dark humorists
• fans of female camaraderie
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"This was the version of her who had survived and there was no sense in apologizing for being a survivor."
"The amount of bullshit that fell from that fucker’s mouth could fertilize half of India."
"He broke the contract first. When someone threatens your body, you have every right to protect yourself."
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexism, Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Classism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Murder, Gun violence, Bullying, Gaslighting, Blood, Violence, Death, Animal cruelty, Police brutality, and Mental illness
Minor: Child death, Suicide, Infertility, and Infidelity