Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff

128 reviews

lani03's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Animal cruelty

kirsto's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny informative 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? It's complicated

5.0

Loved this book! While the subject matter (domestic violence, misogyny, casteism, murder) is undeniably dark, Parini Shroff’s brilliant use of humor as a balm made it a shockingly pleasant read. The Bandit Queens ensemble of female characters are first shown to the reader as every negative stereotype women are believed to be—gossipy, cruel to other women, and unwilling to resist male abuse; by end of the book we see them through all their complexity—women who are vengeful, crass, bitter, and manipulative as well as loving, resilient, and loyal. Shroff writes women and their friendships that form between them in a way that feels tangible and honest. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Murder

Moderate: Infertility and Pedophilia

moonbloomandgrow's review against another edition

challenging dark funny tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was my book club’s pick for August and I honestly don’t think I’d have stuck it out and read it all if it wasn’t. Unfortunately I struggled to get into this book and found myself googling vocabulary and cultural references too much to fully feel like I could get stuck in. I did enjoy the camaraderie that eventually grows between the women of the village and admired their strength and quick wit but the dark humour was a little bit hard for me to take given then amount of abuse and trauma the book delves into. It’s definitely one that I wish I’d read the trigger warnings for before reading but it was eye-opening to learn about how things are in remote villages such as the one featured in this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Islamophobia, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

amanda_reads89's review

challenging hopeful informative inspiring mysterious 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

mximlay's review

challenging dark funny inspiring medium-paced

• 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

rachaelcandoit's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny 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

4.0

I really loved this book! I found Geeta to be incredibly charming. I loved watching her reform (and stumble through) relationships as an adult. 

I also loved the story of Phoolan, I think it really added a proper weight to everything. A real figure who's story is so incredible. I loved learning about her. 

I also thought this book was really funny! Although it covers many heavy topics the banter and antics between the characters felt so real to me and had me laughing a couple times. 

I think the messaging of this story was also really great. I do wish -minor spoiler ahead - that I had known about the attempted assault scene. This is my own fault, and if I'd known going into it, it wouldn't have been as big of a deal. 

The only thing that bothered me slightly was the miscommunication. It only happens a couple of times and they are handled well I just didn't think they were necessary. It's also just not something I love in my media. Otherwise everything else was really great!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Murder, and Sexual harassment

flimsy_whimsy's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, and Sexism

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

itsredandread's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Gaslighting

Minor: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Slavery, and Religious bigotry

lboits's review

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Rape

just_justine's review

dark emotional funny hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• 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: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Gore, and Gun violence