Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal

89 reviews

matmatmatty's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative 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? No

5.0

This story focuses on a Sikh community in Southall, London where a young "modern" woman is hired to teach a literacy class (although she thinks it's a creative writing class) and while giving her students (who are, of course, the titular Punjabi widows) the confidence to express themselves properly, she starts to uncover the truth about some of the community's secrets.

I really liked the dynamic between the m in characters- coming from a religious immigrant community myself, I could completely understand Nikki's thinking and the way she acts, but could also see some of my family in Kulwinder and some of the widows.

This book gave me a lot to think about - from how our safe communities can become toxic, to how it's important to stand up to our ideals even if the world is against us.

I know what happened to Maya does happen - there was a lot of talk of "honour killings" in the UK a few years ago, but it sometimes feel like things are out of our hands with things like this, and this story helped me realise that it doesn't have to be.


Really loved this book and looking forward to reading more from this author!
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sophiestasyna's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful sad 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

3.75

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chaos_na_regale's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful 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

4.5

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serenspace's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious 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

4.5

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dani_reis's review against another edition

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

Kind of bored with the pace feeling too slow. Bit too much like an anthology of erotica, which I should have expected.
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hoagie's review against another edition

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3.5

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xoxo_biz's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This book is delightful with a twist. 
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ashleytalksbooks's review against another edition

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challenging funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

Oh my God. I am in love with this book. It made me laugh. It made me cry. The erotic stories were very hot at times. It handled feminism, culture, desire, and the every day lives of women beautifully. 
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felishacb's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A really lovely tale that features Nikki, a young Indian woman, who is trying to find her place in the world and in her own community. Teaching writing to a group of Indian women, mostly widows, presents a way for her to make the money she needs, do something she loves, and help her community. 

Kulwinder, the woman who hires Nikki, doesn't share the complete story. Many of these women do not read or write in English; their goal is to learn in the class. 

And the students have their own ideas! After finding a book Nikki checked out as a joke, they start sharing erotic stories. They all end up having more fun than expected. 

In the center of this story is a mystery of Kulwinder's daughter, a young woman who died under mysterious circumstances. Nikki commences sleuthing!

This was a fun read, and I would recommend to most.

CN: sex, suicide, violence, murder, discussion of honor killings
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scmiller's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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