Reviews with content warning for Violence - The Bandit Queens

Man, oh man, I have a lot of complex feelings about this book, and I think I felt every single emotion while I read it. It is a lovely show of sistership and a heartbreaking glimpse into womanhood. The differences and similarities of these women are discussed throughout the book, and they’re important conversations and characters.

The Bandit Queens follows a group of women as they navigate life under the patriarchy of their small village. Geeta is our main character and the story opens with her choosing a life of isolation after her abusive husband has left her. As the story evolves, we see these tumultuous but beautiful between these women become their lifeline.

I would highly suggest checking trigger warnings before reading this book. Violence and assault are vividly described on page, and there is a significant amount of fatphobia scattered throughout the entire book. That said, I think it was very well written and and extremely captivating story. More than that, it’s a story that should be heard, and I appreciate the care the author took in researching the inspiration of the story.

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myk_yeah's review against another edition

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5.0

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rubyfusca's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective fast-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? No

3.5

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angela005's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny 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

5.0

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lauracrawford823's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious sad medium-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

4.0

I heard about this book on NPR and it sounded like such an interesting plot. This is outside my usual purview and I loved it! There are hard realities throughout the book including domestic violence and infertility. But I loved peeking into another culture, no matter how absurd the plot is!

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victoriafrombookclub's review against another edition

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dark funny fast-paced

3.75

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renwah's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny fast-paced

4.5

kind of a really masterful book! i was VERY hesitant about what the tone of this book would be before i picked it up. And while it does have that cozy mystery vibe, it doesn't shy away from a setting that I think a lot of readers in the western world would consider severe poverty, and a lot of things that are a lot darker than what the average cozy mystery is dealing with. I don't think I've *ever* read a book like this. It's SO fun to read, and Geeta and her social network are so engaging. While there is a good amount of straight up violence in this book, it stays pretty punchy without taking away the seriousness of what's taken place (for the most part

i do think the final sequence where the Dalit character is the most brutalized and then also suddenly is fully capable of stunts is a little too crazy

).
All in all, though, I really enjoyed this book. Frankly a little upset this is her debut novel, because I want more to read!

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plaingirl21's review against another edition

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dark funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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