Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff

45 reviews

victoriafrombookclub's review against another edition

dark funny fast-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Murder, Misogyny, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Trafficking, Body shaming, Violence, Rape, Blood, and Religious bigotry

jtpgdavey's review against another edition

dark funny 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: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Rape, Sexism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Classism

Moderate: Terminal illness, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Grief, Miscarriage, Bullying, and Gun violence

rashmig's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

First and foremost, what struck me was the way it captures the complexity of female friendships. Geeta and Saloni, our central characters, have a childhood friendship that’s evolved into something different in adulthood. This dynamic is intriguingly contrasted with Geeta’s relationships with her other women friends, like Farah, Priya, Preeti, and Khushi. The vulnerability that Geeta can share with Saloni is unique and heartwarming, but she fulfills other needs with her adult friendships that bring their own special qualities.

Now, let’s talk about the women in this story and their independent working lives. The book beautifully portrays the way they navigate their careers, sharing experiences and providing support. What’s even more striking is how it delves into the shared traumatic experiences these women endure. The author’s writing truly hits home when it showcases these experiences as an unfortunate reality, highlighting societal issues like acid attacks, domestic abuse, and gender power imbalances.

I also want to mention the heartwarming snippets of the bond between Geeta and Bandit, her dog. Their relationship adds depth and warmth to the story, with Geeta being fiercely protective of her furry companion.

Throughout the novel, we see these women striving to live their lives on their own terms, but they face numerous challenges imposed by society or their circumstances. Geeta’s experience as a single woman with a complicated marital past and Saloni’s juggling act between family, work, and a seat in the village’s senate are just a few examples. The way they support each other through these struggles is a testament to the strength of female bonds.

Now, let’s touch on the theme of male entitlement and the prevalence of abusive behavior. The book doesn’t shy away from portraying the harsh reality that many women face, where most men are perpetrators of emotional, physical, mental, and sexual abuse. However, the story also highlights a few exceptions like Kareem and Sarah, who treat women with respect and empathy.

The novel briefly delves into the issue of caste, which might feel a bit tangential at first, but it soon merges seamlessly with the broader theme of women’s issues, offering a layered perspective on societal challenges.

Despite the heavy themes, Parini Shroff manages to infuse humor into her storytelling, making the book a breeze to read. I found myself chuckling in various places, and the climax of the novel even features some dark comedy at its finest.

In conclusion, “Bandit Queens” is a thought-provoking and brilliantly written book that seamlessly weaves together themes of female friendship, independent working women, vulnerability, shared trauma, humor, and societal challenges. It’s an impressive debut work from Parini Shroff that I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone seeking a compelling and impactful read. So, add it to your reading list—you won’t be disappointed!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault

Moderate: Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Murder

Minor: Animal cruelty, Alcohol, and Blood

apple_atcha_reading's review

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape, Animal cruelty, Classism, and Sexual assault

danielle_sips_tea's review against another edition

dark funny hopeful mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Bullying, Suicide, Gun violence, Body shaming, and Fatphobia

schnaucl's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad 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

This was a well told story about a woman whose husband left her but the village thinks she murdered him. Consequently she's been socially isolated.  But then women trapped in their own abusive marriages come to her for advice on getting rid of their husbands.  

The characters were compelling and the setting vivid.   

Shroff does a good job of showing how abusers work, systematically isolating people from their support network. 

And how easy it is to fall back into old patterns without realizing it.  She also does a good job showing how things can be self reinforcing.   Geeta is socially isolated by the villagers at first but reinforces it herself in later years.  Patterns of all kinds are hard to break.

I could have done without the focus on a Solani's weight at the beginning and throughout though.

She also does a good job showing that when people want to play savior, the consequences of trying to change the system often fall on the very people they're trying to save.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Murder, Misogyny, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, and Violence

Minor: Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Animal cruelty, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Alcohol, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Infertility, Rape, and Religious bigotry

tashtasher's review against another edition

dark emotional funny informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Gore, Infertility, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Rape, Alcoholism, Death, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Suicide, Classism, Islamophobia, Racism, Fatphobia, Infertility, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, and Police brutality

Minor: Cancer, Stalking, Excrement, Miscarriage, Sexual harassment, and Vomit

sedgewren's review against another edition

dark funny tense fast-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 loved this book — it was an absolute romp! It had a rambunctious cast of characters, a tight and brilliant plot, a light-hearted and genuinely funny tone that balanced a critique of patriarchy, sexism, the caste system, lookism, religion, aid in India, the idea of a sisterhood, and empowerment. It's the kind of book that I wish I could write.

(very mild spoilers ahead)

The characters were ingenious, compelling and vibrant; I loved reading it from Geeta's perspective despite (although this truly added to her believability) her frustrating moments and unreliable narrator-ness (but don't we all rewrite the past to turn ourselves into the main protagonist of our own narrative?)

tl;dr: READ THIS BOOK (read the content warnings first, to make sure it's right for you of course!)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Classism, Body shaming, Bullying, Addiction, Death, Alcohol, Animal death, Misogyny, and Rape

Minor: Child abuse

rnbhargava's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing 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? Yes

4.25

This book is a great dark comedy. If anything, I wanted even more chapters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Confinement, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Trafficking, Body shaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Slavery, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Violence, Vomit, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Bullying, Classism, Grief, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, and Infidelity

There is evidence of all of these triggers but essentially all of it gets avenged or is discussed regarding how unfair it is. No characters performing these triggers fully gets away with anything. That said, our core group of characters also do plenty of awful things. It’s a dark comedy with murders. Brace yourself.

ladykatka's review

mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I hope I can be half as sassy as these women if my life is ever threatened.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Murder, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Death, and Alcohol

Moderate: Rape