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A review by ladyelfriede
The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff
5.0
don't like fiction books not necessarily because they're depressing, because they're too real.
Yes, this book is a bit too eerily accurate to rural life India (I know cause my parents came from this), yet it gives us an outsider looking in what women still face in the 21st century and our work is never done to change.
It might be over done in Western culture, though the feminist movement is all new to other countries and we need to keep fanning the flames to help get them out of an outdated caste system. Never stop helping BIPOC women, never stop encouraging them, they need the courage to keep going, just like we still need it in the west.
Content Warnings: There are mentions of graphic sexual assault, however, every mention is in the past and already done and doesn't milk it.
For animal deaths, there is one, but never died on screen and we don't know that animal at all.
Bandit lives, don't worry.
Prose: I listened to this on audiobook and I'm mad that I did. I think, while you'll get a good experience on audiobook, read it physically/ebook it so you have time to process wtf you just read. Still, the audio and voices were pretty good, If you're Indian, you can already substitute a lot of the voices so I think you don't have to audiobook it. If you're in the west, sure, audiobook it.
Plot: Solid and actually twisted and turned in a few directions I didn't expect!
Pace: Very rarily lulls, once it got going, it got GOING
Vibe: Rural India, you're not going to see high tech here, the technology we all rely on is slowly making its way to India yet it's a long way to go where everyone has basic appliances.
Characters: All the characters were great and you never know who may surprise you
Worldbuilding: Some background info since this isn't a fantasy.
You're going to see mentions of Poolan Devi.
The TLDR is, she fucked over men who were abusive pieces of shit though was sadly assassinated in 2001. She became a politcal activist and spoke out against the oppresive caste system in which she was forced into.
To say she was brave is understating things and the fact she got the title of being a devi, goddess, shows how badass she was.
This book doesn't exploit her name but honors it by raising up other women to become Bandit Queens in a fucked up society.
Caste system would take forever to explain so just wiki it. Think of a class society but taken to the far extreme of life.
-
There are so many books that uplift women that it's not even funny. What makes this book rise against the rest is how raw and realistic it was. Most are highly unlikely with magic or another man involving themselves to save the day. That didn't happen here. Women saved each other and that's how we can save ourselves.
5/5
Yes, this book is a bit too eerily accurate to rural life India (I know cause my parents came from this), yet it gives us an outsider looking in what women still face in the 21st century and our work is never done to change.
It might be over done in Western culture, though the feminist movement is all new to other countries and we need to keep fanning the flames to help get them out of an outdated caste system. Never stop helping BIPOC women, never stop encouraging them, they need the courage to keep going, just like we still need it in the west.
Content Warnings: There are mentions of graphic sexual assault, however, every mention is in the past and already done and doesn't milk it.
For animal deaths, there is one, but never died on screen and we don't know that animal at all.
Bandit lives, don't worry.
Prose: I listened to this on audiobook and I'm mad that I did. I think, while you'll get a good experience on audiobook, read it physically/ebook it so you have time to process wtf you just read. Still, the audio and voices were pretty good, If you're Indian, you can already substitute a lot of the voices so I think you don't have to audiobook it. If you're in the west, sure, audiobook it.
Plot: Solid and actually twisted and turned in a few directions I didn't expect!
Pace: Very rarily lulls, once it got going, it got GOING
Vibe: Rural India, you're not going to see high tech here, the technology we all rely on is slowly making its way to India yet it's a long way to go where everyone has basic appliances.
Characters: All the characters were great and you never know who may surprise you
Worldbuilding: Some background info since this isn't a fantasy.
You're going to see mentions of Poolan Devi.
The TLDR is, she fucked over men who were abusive pieces of shit though was sadly assassinated in 2001. She became a politcal activist and spoke out against the oppresive caste system in which she was forced into.
To say she was brave is understating things and the fact she got the title of being a devi, goddess, shows how badass she was.
This book doesn't exploit her name but honors it by raising up other women to become Bandit Queens in a fucked up society.
Caste system would take forever to explain so just wiki it. Think of a class society but taken to the far extreme of life.
-
There are so many books that uplift women that it's not even funny. What makes this book rise against the rest is how raw and realistic it was. Most are highly unlikely with magic or another man involving themselves to save the day. That didn't happen here. Women saved each other and that's how we can save ourselves.
5/5