Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal

28 reviews

mazzeroo's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Grief and Religious bigotry

Minor: Emotional abuse, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

prittypeaches's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Nikki and the widows will live rent-free in my head for a long time. As they tell each other erotic stories, all of the woman find renewed strength to live their lives on their terms. Sprinkled with romance and thriller subplots, this novel has a little bit of something for any reader. 

The erotic short stories are part of the fun (and some would say the the point of the book) but even if you want to skip them the book would read well.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Child death, Death, Suicide, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Racism, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Stalking, and Alcohol

lkjones19's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Islamophobia, Car accident, and Lesbophobia

jennp28's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.5

Really liked this one! Enjoyable to read about a different culture and also their experiences living in London - and to see how we’re all after the same things in the end. Love, community, friendship, trust. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide and Murder

Minor: Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, and Religious bigotry

shinypurplepants's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Sexual violence and Religious bigotry

lauraleafromthelibrary's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny mysterious sad slow-paced

• 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Sexual content, Grief, and Religious bigotry

turophile's review against another edition

challenging funny reflective 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

Though not without flaws, I really enjoyed and highly recommend this book. Our heroine, Nikki, is the oldest daughter in a Sikh family living in London. She’s disappointed her family by dropping out of law school and working at a bar. She’s even convinced that disappointment caused her father’s heart attack.  Nikki’s disappointed with her sister Mindi who was an arranged marriage, or at least a marriage with someone closely tied to their culture and religion. With some reluctance, Nikki agrees to go pin Mindi’s personal add up in Southall, a part of London where a large population of Indian Sikh live and maintain their culture. 

 

There she meets a man and spots a want add that both catch her eye. The ad seeks a teacher for a literary course. She’s hired but soon discovers the Punjabi widows who have signed up for her course were really looking for a literacy course, not literary.  Most can not read, but boy do they have stories to tell. 

 

They all start creating erotic romantic tales based on their lived experiences, or what they wish they had experienced.  One of the class members, a younger widow, agrees to help transcribe the stories. 

 

This journey alone would have been enough for a book, but there’s much more in a tale that really explores a woman’s role in the Punjabi diaspora. There’s a few mysteries, som nastiness, cultural sexism, and so beautifully crafted stories within the stories. 

 

I really enjoyed the book, BUT I thought it was trying to do much, especially at the end. It’s hard to describe without spoiling, but a couple of the storylines just went crazy sauce.  I think the book would have been a little better if the author would have stayed a little more focused. 

 

Still loved it however and highly recommend. 4.25/5 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, and Murder

solenekeleroux's review against another edition

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Suicide, Religious bigotry, and Murder

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Rape

corriejn's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Chronic illness, Infidelity, Mental illness, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, and Alcohol

loelam's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny informative inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, Grief, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Religious bigotry

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, and Xenophobia