Scan barcode
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
- 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
sueec's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
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
4.5
kngregory's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
Welcome to a small Indian village, where women are worthless and men are pigs.
Meet Geeta — an outcast, and freedom fighter. Presumed to have “disposed” of her rotten husband, Geeta isn’t the villages prized pony. Until she is cohered into helping murder not one but TWO other husbands by scared wives. Don’t get me wrong — these men are absolutely terrible. One is a horrible drunk, another is a rapist but this story was nothing like I imagined.
This is a very slow burn and dives deep into Indian culture, casteism, and how truly worthless women are viewed in this time set of India. I think the author did a very good job of showing the hidden strengths of these women who are often beaten, raped, and even burned alive as described in this book. It has a great developing feminist tone and I appreciated watching the character growth as some of these women really began to add fuel to their own fire and discover their self worth.
The reason I rated this story so low is it truly was way too slow for me. The authors voice was also very confusing for me to follow and all of the deep layers that she began to make seemed to unravel. I especially did not like the ending at all. It seemed so rushed and just very out of character for the way this book was headed but not in a good way for me.
This book definitely invoked emotion which I applaud the author for. I am not sure if this is meant to represent past or present day Indian culture but it definitely makes you think about how different women were and are viewed today.
Welcome to a small Indian village, where women are worthless and men are pigs.
Meet Geeta — an outcast, and freedom fighter. Presumed to have “disposed” of her rotten husband, Geeta isn’t the villages prized pony. Until she is cohered into helping murder not one but TWO other husbands by scared wives. Don’t get me wrong — these men are absolutely terrible. One is a horrible drunk, another is a rapist but this story was nothing like I imagined.
This is a very slow burn and dives deep into Indian culture, casteism, and how truly worthless women are viewed in this time set of India. I think the author did a very good job of showing the hidden strengths of these women who are often beaten, raped, and even burned alive as described in this book. It has a great developing feminist tone and I appreciated watching the character growth as some of these women really began to add fuel to their own fire and discover their self worth.
The reason I rated this story so low is it truly was way too slow for me. The authors voice was also very confusing for me to follow and all of the deep layers that she began to make seemed to unravel. I especially did not like the ending at all. It seemed so rushed and just very out of character for the way this book was headed but not in a good way for me.
This book definitely invoked emotion which I applaud the author for. I am not sure if this is meant to represent past or present day Indian culture but it definitely makes you think about how different women were and are viewed today.
daisyjupiter's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
brebeingwell's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This book was chosen for North Dallas Book Club's May meeting.
This book follows a woman (Geeta) who has been marked as someone who killed her husband years ago and got away with it. It follows her and her other female friends through the true hardships and injustices of being a female in India. This book explores the caste system, the governmental corruption, and the legends and stories the systematic oppression is based off of.
I really enjoyed the Shroff's writing style. She brought humor into really dark situations. Towards the middle it was easy to keep going one more chapter because her chapters felt short, even if they were not. She mixes a good amount of dialogue, inner thoughts/tangents, and descriptions of surroundings and happenings.
Overall, I found it an interesting read. I was kind of bored the first 50 pages, but it really picked up towards the middle. I appreciate the message it sends. I love how the main character becomes an activist, even if it is short lived. The book poses the question- if you are in a system that is unfair to you and want to instill change, do you work with that system or become as corrupt as it is?
I think my lower rating of this book was partially due to the mental state I was in while reading it. Had I have been in a better state, the book probably would have hit a little more. I could think of a few people I would recommend this to.
This book follows a woman (Geeta) who has been marked as someone who killed her husband years ago and got away with it. It follows her and her other female friends through the true hardships and injustices of being a female in India. This book explores the caste system, the governmental corruption, and the legends and stories the systematic oppression is based off of.
I really enjoyed the Shroff's writing style. She brought humor into really dark situations. Towards the middle it was easy to keep going one more chapter because her chapters felt short, even if they were not. She mixes a good amount of dialogue, inner thoughts/tangents, and descriptions of surroundings and happenings.
Overall, I found it an interesting read. I was kind of bored the first 50 pages, but it really picked up towards the middle. I appreciate the message it sends. I love how the main character becomes an activist, even if it is short lived. The book poses the question- if you are in a system that is unfair to you and want to instill change, do you work with that system or become as corrupt as it is?
I think my lower rating of this book was partially due to the mental state I was in while reading it. Had I have been in a better state, the book probably would have hit a little more. I could think of a few people I would recommend this to.
juliannez's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.25
ccm13c's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
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? Yes
3.0