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calicos's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Fun enough story but it dragged on in parts and the dialogue felt clunky a lot of the time. Sometimes the humor and situations veered more into slapstick / parody and it just didn’t work for me. The lessons at the end felt a bit heavy handed.
That being said, I enjoyed reading about the village life and Indian culture mentioned throughout the book.
That being said, I enjoyed reading about the village life and Indian culture mentioned throughout the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Fatphobia and Suicide
archiebb's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This was such a good book. I worried at first that it was gonna be all “see women are so catty” but that was really flipped on its head and instead the complexities of friendship between women was really well done. It was funny and the plot was always unexpected and gripping. The voice acting of the narrator was an added benefit.
My main criticism come from some harmful tropes/bigotry: fatphobia is throughout and ableismthe husband faking blindness is like a very common and harmful trope about disabled ppl faking it.
My main criticism come from some harmful tropes/bigotry: fatphobia is throughout and ableism
Spoilers ahead
I loved seeing the friendship between Geeta and Saloni reunited and made more of a main focus. That and the ever surprising Farah.
Interesting comments about how the micro loans don’t mean that the women are not still beholden to patriarchy.
When Saloni comes back to warn Geeta and she finds that Geeta is back under her ex’s spell. Oof did i feel that as a guttural punch. It is SO HARD to watch someone you care about be drawn in by their abuser.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Ableism, Fatphobia, and Toxic relationship
radhikag's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Such a treat! Had the chance to hear the author speak in early 2023 but didn’t actually get to start reading this until this year. It also coincided with me visiting India (family wedding) for the first time in six years. For reasons I don’t want to + won’t get into during a book review, the authors note at the end around Phoolan Devi and honouring her were resonant for me. The questions that came up, all there is to consider. And as a survivor of SV & that so much of my work is focused on anti GBV support n stuff idk! n the DV prevalent in the lives of my loved ones too idk this just felt so so close to home
And it was satisfying to see the women take agency & come together in that way. I appreciate this as a story of friendship & feminism and maybe it’s just because of what came up for and what all of these stories meant to me but I loved this. I want to read more of the authors work :’) and im so happy for Geeta & Saloni and Geeta’s new fridge! <3
Also the revelations with Geeta & Saloni about Geeta’s parents + her marriage? my tender heart! :-( ❤️🩹❤️🩹❤️🩹
Loved this book so very much! I think I have some questions around some of the themes (eg. Fatphobia) and their purpose? Some of the casteist or misogynistic language, even the anti SWer/whorephobia (halkat randi over n over again lol) felt more clearly like it was known to be bad + used to show the bigotry and evil of the characters in question. The fat phobia was …not this, or not as clearly. There’s just a lot of questions there & for someone who seems to be aware of other systemic harm, it is strange to not understand fatphobia a) as harmful but b) as intertwined with the other harms she notes (eg. sexism, GBV, casteism & colourism, etc.) ….much to think about.
but yeah the “she decided” part really really did something for me! almost made this 5 stars for me for that alone lol
And it was satisfying to see the women take agency & come together in that way. I appreciate this as a story of friendship & feminism and maybe it’s just because of what came up for and what all of these stories meant to me but I loved this. I want to read more of the authors work :’) and im so happy for Geeta & Saloni and Geeta’s new fridge! <3
Also the revelations with Geeta & Saloni about Geeta’s parents + her marriage? my tender heart! :-( ❤️🩹❤️🩹❤️🩹
Loved this book so very much! I think I have some questions around some of the themes (eg. Fatphobia) and their purpose? Some of the casteist or misogynistic language, even the anti SWer/whorephobia (halkat randi over n over again lol) felt more clearly like it was known to be bad + used to show the bigotry and evil of the characters in question. The fat phobia was …not this, or not as clearly. There’s just a lot of questions there & for someone who seems to be aware of other systemic harm, it is strange to not understand fatphobia a) as harmful but b) as intertwined with the other harms she notes (eg. sexism, GBV, casteism & colourism, etc.) ….much to think about.
but yeah the “she decided” part really really did something for me! almost made this 5 stars for me for that alone lol
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Violence, and Blood
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
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
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
nikspandya's review
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I enjoyed so much about this book, but I do not recommend it specifically because of the amount of fat phobia throughout. Saloni, a plus sized side character who becomes a main character, is constantly vilified bc of her size and there are no conversations of why this is wrong or why she shouldn’t be ashamed of her body. I want to say having sensitive readers would have helped this book, but I think it’s actually Parini Shroff who needs to unlearn fatphobia. There was no care in writing this character, and only a minute amount of empathy for her. It’s prominent enough that this review only mentions this display and nothing else.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Rape
Minor: Addiction
emg3's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-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
2.75
The blurb was the best bit of this book. There was quite a lot of tactlessness and, though I tried to give it the benefit of the doubt, it just felt offensive and insensitive sometimes. Maybe I missed something crucial while reading, but it really felt like the most important parts of this book were given the fewest words.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Fatphobia, Pedophilia, and Islamophobia
dewo0019's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
4.0
This book was a rollercoaster. I really liked it at first, then wasn't fond of the Indian stereotypes and relationships between the women, but am glad I stuck with it because I ended up enjoying the character development and message of female friendships.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Classism
skbat's review against another edition
Couldn't get past the fatphobic character description in the first chapter
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia
siria's review against another edition
2.75
Five years ago, Geeta's no-good husband disappeared, and most other people in their rural Indian village think she killed him. She didn't. But her reputation gets around, and some other women with terrible husbands start seeking her help with offing them, and shenanigans ensue.
There are things to like about Parini Shroff's The Bandit Queens—mostly the moments of somewhat dark humour, and the complicated and prickly female friendships—but this was a debut novel that needed not just one but probably at least two more drafts before it was published. The tone is wildly uneven and the dialogue often stilted.
I get there are always compromises to be made when you're writing a book in English but the characters are really "speaking" in another language (in this case, Gujarati). Not every concept will translate, capturing particular cadences might be difficult, and so on. But here Shroff repeatedly indulges in one of my pet hates, where a word that does have an equivalent in English is left in the "original" language for... coyness? Humour? Colour? I don't know. But I do know that every time a character goes to "make su-su" in this book (and it's a lot), I was gritting my teeth and saying "just say 'pee'!" Shroff's linguistic register is also all over the map—characters sprinkle their dialogue with as many "likes" as an American millennial and much of the prose is fairly informal, but occasionally we're told that a character has a "falcate back" or that one of the women has made an "aperçu". At one point, one woman refers to another as "zaftig." Encountering Yiddish slang in a rural west Indian context does break suspension of disbelief a little.
And that ties into the other major issue that I had with The Bandit Queens, which is that there was a lot about the framing and subtlety of approach (or lack thereof) which made it clear that Shroff is an American of Indian heritage rather than being born and raised in India. I had the sense that for an Indian to read this would probably be what it's like for me most of the time when I read a book by an Irish-American set in Ireland.
I think Shroff has potential as a writer and I wouldn't swear off her future work, but this was a bit of a disappointment.
There are things to like about Parini Shroff's The Bandit Queens—mostly the moments of somewhat dark humour, and the complicated and prickly female friendships—but this was a debut novel that needed not just one but probably at least two more drafts before it was published. The tone is wildly uneven and the dialogue often stilted.
I get there are always compromises to be made when you're writing a book in English but the characters are really "speaking" in another language (in this case, Gujarati). Not every concept will translate, capturing particular cadences might be difficult, and so on. But here Shroff repeatedly indulges in one of my pet hates, where a word that does have an equivalent in English is left in the "original" language for... coyness? Humour? Colour? I don't know. But I do know that every time a character goes to "make su-su" in this book (and it's a lot), I was gritting my teeth and saying "just say 'pee'!" Shroff's linguistic register is also all over the map—characters sprinkle their dialogue with as many "likes" as an American millennial and much of the prose is fairly informal, but occasionally we're told that a character has a "falcate back" or that one of the women has made an "aperçu". At one point, one woman refers to another as "zaftig." Encountering Yiddish slang in a rural west Indian context does break suspension of disbelief a little.
And that ties into the other major issue that I had with The Bandit Queens, which is that there was a lot about the framing and subtlety of approach (or lack thereof) which made it clear that Shroff is an American of Indian heritage rather than being born and raised in India. I had the sense that for an Indian to read this would probably be what it's like for me most of the time when I read a book by an Irish-American set in Ireland.
I think Shroff has potential as a writer and I wouldn't swear off her future work, but this was a bit of a disappointment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Fatphobia and Islamophobia