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The Bandit Queens
The Bandit Queens: A Novel | Parini Shroff
A young Indian woman finds the false rumors that she killed her husband surprisingly useful—until other women in the village start asking for her help getting rid of their own husbands—in this razor-sharp debut. “Shroff captures the complexity of female friendship with acuity, wit, and a certain kind of magic irreverence. . . . The Bandit Queens is tender, unpredictable, and brimming with laugh-out-loud moments.”—Tιa Obreht, New York Times bestselling author of The Tiger’s Wife Five years ago, Geeta lost her no-good husband. As in, she actually lost him—he walked out on her and she has no idea where he is. But in her remote village in India, rumor has it that Geeta killed him. And it’s a rumor that just won’t die. It turns out that being known as a “self-made” widow comes with some perks. No one messes with her, harasses her, or tries to control (ahem, marry) her. It’s even been good for business; no one dares to not buy her jewelry. Freedom must look good on Geeta, because now other women are asking for her “expertise,” making her an unwitting consultant for husband disposal. And not all of them are asking nicely. With Geeta’s dangerous reputation becoming a double-edged sword, she has to find a way to protect the life she’s built—but even the best-laid plans of would-be widows tend to go awry. What happens next sets in motion a chain of events that will change everything, not just for Geeta, but for all the women in their village. Filled with clever criminals, second chances, and wry and witty women, Parini Shroff’s The Bandit Queens is a razor-sharp debut of humor and heart that readers won’t soon forget.
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Deblovestoread
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For those interested in the #WomensPrizeLonglist this ebook deal showed up this morning.

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squirrelbrain
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Pickpick

Geeta‘s husband disappeared, and everyone in their small village believes she killed him. When she‘s assumed to be an expert and is asked to help another woman kill her husband, all sorts of chaos ensues.

This book is full of bitchy women, and is funny whilst still being dark, but we still learn about the caste system, classism and sexism in India.

It‘s up at the top on my #womensprize longlist (alongside Demon, Memphis and Marriage Portrait)

BarbaraBB Great review! 1w
jlhammar So excited for this one! 1w
Megabooks I‘m on the list for this at library. I had originally checked out the audiobook, but the narrator was πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ» so I‘m at the back of the line. Great review H!! 1w
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Addison_Reads I just cataloged this for the library I work at and decided to bring it home with me before putting it out on the shelves. I can't wait to start it this weekend. 1w
squirrelbrain It‘s no good if the narrator is rubbish @Megabooks 😞 1w
squirrelbrain Lucky you @addison_reads - getting first pick of the best books! 😁 1w
Megabooks It was just weird because the narrator spoke with a straight American accent. At first I thought it was Indian-American women, but when I saw it was set in India, it just really took me out of the story. And it was a mediocre American-accented narrator too. πŸ€·πŸ»β€β™€οΈπŸ€·πŸ»β€β™€οΈπŸ€·πŸ»β€β™€οΈπŸ€·πŸ»β€β™€οΈπŸ‘ŽπŸ» 1w
squirrelbrain It certainly needs someone with an Indian accent to read it @Megabooks - if so I bet it would have been great to listen to. 1w
Megabooks @squirrelbrain exactly! Who narrates definitely matters. πŸ’―πŸ’―πŸ’― 1w
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I like this cover! 1w
batsy I'm looking forward to this! 7d
youneverarrived Stacking for sure! 7d
Cathythoughts Sounds good , stacking πŸ‘πŸ»β™₯️ 1d
67 likes5 stack adds13 comments
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janeycanuck
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Pickpick

I don't know if "cute" is the right word for this but I thought it was? It was funny and smart and had great character development. Worth picking up!

jlhammar Glad to hear you enjoyed! Looking forward to this one. 1w
janeycanuck @jlhammar I hope you like it!! 1w
BkClubCare I am looking forward to this! 3d
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GinaKButler
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Up next on audio! 🎧

#bookspinbingo

dabbe Lovely!❣️ 2w
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
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What should I read next?! So many and so little time!!!

πŸ“šβ€οΈ

vlwelser Lessons in Chemistry for sure. But then also Remarkably Bright Creatures. 2w
BkClubCare @vlwelser - exactly what I was going to suggest! 2w
ChaoticMissAdventures I am reading this one soon it made it onto the Women's Prize long list and I am so curious 2w
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Bookwormjillk I‘ve only read Remarkably Bright Creatures but I loved it. I guarantee it is better than any other book you‘ve read narrated by an octopus. 2w
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Bookwormjillk 🀣🀣🀣 too funny!! 2w
Clouds07 Our local book club is reading Lessons in Chemistry next for our April meeting. 2w
robinb Chemistry and Georgie are both good. πŸ‘ 2w
RebelReader You have a great stack there! 2w
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @RebelReader thank you!! 😊 2w
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @robinb πŸ˜πŸ“šπŸ‘ŒπŸ» 2w
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Clouds07 awesome!! πŸ§‘πŸ“š 2w
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @ChaoticMissAdventures I am really looking forward to this one! 2w
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @BkClubCare πŸ™ŒπŸ»πŸ“š 2w
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @vlwelser I was leaning towards that one first πŸ§‘πŸ“š 2w
vlwelser We're reading Georgie and Bandit Queens for IRL book club this summer. So I haven't gotten to those yet. Looking forward to seeing your take on those as well. 2w
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @vlwelser I‘m leaning toward. Georgie! I need something a little lighter to read with (edited) 1w
vlwelser Oh. That's a good one too, but not exactly light. 1w
85 likes19 comments
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
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#titlestartswithb
#MarchMagic

I‘m excited to read this one!! πŸ–€πŸ–€

DinoMom I just saw this one the other day and it looks good. 2w
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @DinoMom I picked it up at Barnes and Noble on a whim!! I also talked with the author on Instagram and she is super nice!! πŸ–€ 2w
Eggs πŸ–€πŸ§‘πŸ’š 2w
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akfreeborn
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Pickpick

I actually loved this feminist story set in India. A nice quick read with great friends and the best dog ever!

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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
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Totally fangirling right now!! I sent some random questions to each of these authors and they all responded! Makes me so happy that they took time out of their day for a fan ❀️

The funniest answer to a question asking β€œwhat is your guilty pleasure β€œ was Freida‘s answer which was baby food! 😊 I love their honesty!

#LitsyLove

Images from google!

KateReadsYA That's so awesome to get to connect. Very happy for you! πŸ’› 1mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @KateReadsYA thank you!!! They were all super nice and friendly! 1mo
thebackyardgnome That's so great ! 1mo
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @thebackyardgnome I really didn‘t think they would respond, but it‘s my lucky day! 1mo
StayCurious This is so great! 1mo
Bklover Baby food❀️❀️ 1mo
marleed Oh cool! 1mo
59 likes7 comments
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
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If you could do a short interview with an author what would you ask?

I just had the opportunity to interview Parini Shroff, Frieda McFadden, & Fiona Davis πŸŽŠπŸŽ‰πŸŽŠπŸŽ‰ I had to fly by the seat of my pants with the questions! I‘m waiting on replies πŸ’— Will keep you posted?

Shoot me some interesting questions!!

#LitsyLove
#LitsyLoveReads

IndoorDame Wow! Fiona Davis is such a big name! 1mo
DGRachel I think it‘s V. E. Schwab who asks other authors my favorite question (for non-debut authors) - if only one of your books outlived you, which would you want it to be and why? 1mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @DGRachel great question!!! 1mo
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @IndoorDame πŸ’—πŸ’—πŸ’—love her!! 1mo
IuliaC What first comes to my mind: has any of your characters been built in such a way to reflect a large extent of your personality? 1mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @IuliaC that‘s a great one! 1mo
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mamareading
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β€œThe women were arguing.” #firstlinefridays @ShyBookOwl

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ShelfSpaceIsLimited
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Pickpick

This debut was a treat to read. Delving into issues such as classism and sexism in a way that was entertaining and made these serious issues feel honest without being too heavy.

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Coueriamb
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Pickpick

While it could be a little blunt and a little preachy at points, this was fun!! It ramped up in crazy at the 30% point kept the energy almost toward the end- and the end was pretty satisfying. It was also a lot funnier than expected, even when it got dark

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akfreeborn
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Pickpick

Loved this book. It transported me to a small town in India full of caste, religious and gender struggles. The characters were great, including the rescued dog, Bandit! So glad I found this tale of surviving and thriving with the help of your friends!

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Jen2
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Pickpick

Great story!

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ErikasMindfulShelf
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This was great. Dark humor, female friendship, while also commenting on the oppression and abuse that are present in society.

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Hooked_on_books
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Pickpick

A woman in small town India is left by her husband and everyone assumes she‘s killed him. She learns to live with this narrative and the relative power it gives her, but then another woman asks her to use her expertise to help kill her husband. This could have ended up as just a fluffy, silly book, but it blends humor with an exploration of how people, especially women and those if low caste, are treated in India. I really enjoyed this.

LeahBergen I‘m looking forward to this. πŸ‘ 2mo
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Kangaj1
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Birthday book haul from B&N - with a gift card from work kudos points + my birthday coupon, I got all for $25 tonight!

33 likes1 comment
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BriannaT
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Pickpick

When Geeta‘s abusive husband leaves her, the village believes she kills him. She comes to like the freedom and isolation, but after five years things change when someone asks for her help to murder their own terrible husband. It was funny and insightful, but it also reminds you of the harsh realities women face in India (and everywhere). I also learned that female bonobos will often band together in the wild to drive away aggressive males!

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KristiAhlers
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Pickpick

This is the first book club pick for 2023 and leading this discussion will be so much fun. This book touches on so many important issues but in a way thats empower and funny. Geeta is seriously a character I enjoyed reading about! #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 2mo
53 likes1 comment
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LatrelWhite
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Five years ago, Geeta lost her no-good husband. As in, she actually lost himβ€”he walked out on her and she has no idea where he is. But in her remote village in India, rumor has it that Geeta killed him. And it‘s a rumor that just won‘t die.
🎧Barnes & Noble 1st book club of 2023.

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Mpcacher
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Pickpick

This debut novel in set in India and features a cast of female characters dealing with poverty, misogyny, abusive husbands and trying to live in a new world still hampered with old ideas. It has a wonderful dose of dark humour and some decent suspense and I thoroughly enjoyed it and think it would make a great movie. Both the author and her main character were inspired by the real Bandit Queen 'Phoolan Devi' (she is worth Googling). 4/5 stars