Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff

142 reviews

rockcommander's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

loved this! funny and mysterious and loved the focus on friendship and community. the descriptions of violence/assault definitely got a bit intense at times 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

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

caleykapowski's review against another edition

This wasn't the book I hoped it would be, I struggled to pay attention to this audiobook
I didn't enjoy the characters and the book was far darker than expected. Not for me

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

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

arnoles's review against another edition

dark funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

5.0

I absolutely LOVED this book and could barely put it down for about the last 2/3 of the story. I really liked the liberal use of dialogue, which felt so authentic and really fleshed out each character's unique personality and perspective. I cared about all the women so much by the end. it's a huge testament to the author's excellent writing that she was able to create so many vibrant, well developed characters and craft an action packed plot in just over 300 pages without anything feeling rushed or unearned. The subject matter of the book is very dark, but Schroff's writing is filled with humor and humanism. I genuinely laughed out loud throughout the book. I will be excitedly looking forward to this author's next publication!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Murder, and Gaslighting

Minor: Fatphobia, Gun violence, Infertility, Pedophilia, Suicide, Blood, Police brutality, Islamophobia, and Death of parent

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

imchelsi's review

dark funny tense 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? Yes

4.0

A funny and heartfelt look at the caste system and the injustices women face everyday.  I thoroughly enjoyed this story of women taking hold of their lives.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, and Classism

cirrenamarie's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

2.75

I really wanted to like this book but I hated the first half. It was a bit slow and felt like it was trying to hard to be funny. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, and Violence

Minor: Animal cruelty and Classism