Welcome to Litsy!

Entertaining #audiolisten full of intrigue and blackmail. I liked how the backstory was slowly unveiled explaining the tensions between the characters and how perception and reality were different for each one. Seeing the caste system and cultural references in action were interesting as well.

First September bookspin bingo read done ✔️ the premise of this book is a good one I enjoyed the beginning and the end but started to get alittle bored 😑 mid way a so so read for me, sometimes a certain book just doesn‘t fit with your current mood. Funny how our reading moods shift. Happy Friday folks and happy 😃 weekend reading

It‘s September and we‘re closing up #CampLitsy23 by announcing our winner. It was a VERY close call but this year‘s #CampChamp is The Bandit Queens!

Thanks to nominations by @Eraderneely @Megpiegem @Jenniferw88 @CSeydel @ImperfectCJ and @Read4Life the book was shortlisted for #CampLitsy23. With 15 votes it was our number 3 on the shortlist (behind Birnam Wood with 16 and Yellowface with 21 votes).
 
Continued below ⬇️

This was good! Light hearted mixed with serious themes. The power of the women working together is inspiring, and the insight into rural India is interesting

I thoroughly enjoyed this story that had far more depth than it appeared at first blush. The fact that I already knew the story of Phoolan Devi definitely added to the reading experience. Full review at https://booknaround.blogspot.com/2023/07/review-bandit-queens-by-parini-shroff.h...

This book really grew on me by the end! A combination of tasteful and sophisticated prose combined with sitcom-like friendship antics made this a great story. Female friendships, caste systems and a colourful cultural setting make this a unique read.

I went into this book thinking I was going to love it from the start and in reality it took me most of the novel to become invested. In the end, I loved the power of female friendships and the empowerment it spoke of, I just wish I felt that right from the beginning.

I put this on hold at the library as the WPrize longlist was announced & only just got it! But it was perfect timing for me to lose myself in Geeta‘s life and to RAIL against her awful husband. You could say some of the twists in this book are foreseeable but Shroff does such a great job of character, its so rich in personality and foibles, that who really cares! Oh i just wanted to blow some people up and this was cathartic for me! Loved it 💕

I went in knowing that I really wanted to read this. I picked it for my IRL book club. Assigning it to August had more to do with library availability than anything else. And then it ended up on the longlist for the Women's prize. So I was hopeful. And I wasn't disappointed. I loved it.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

My book club meets later today to discuss this one, so I finished in the nick of time! Geeta‘s story, set in a very small village in northern India, makes for a fast & genuinely engaging read. Five years earlier, her husband vanished & town gossip lays the blame on Geeta as his murderer. When another wife looks to become a widow to stop her alcoholic husband‘s fists, she turns to Geeta for her expertise. The humor balances the violence throughout.

Read in June😳so late in reviews. In general I liked this novel and the story, which could be absurd sometimes but that I loved that sarcastic humor and there funny scenes. It was so terrible how women were treated and the life of the real “bandit queen” was harder. So interesting about different religious beliefs and cultural traditions. This novel is a debut, so let see what else the author writes in the future. 3.5/3.75⭐️

Super loved this one, and laughed out loud more than a few times. Something about dark, twisted humor…. Anyway, this is the story of how a small group of women in a rural Indian village come together (tho not easily) to rise up & actually kill their abusive, alcoholic husbands (one of whom was also known to molest children). There‘s a lot packed in, and I thought it was a wild ride. #bookspinbingo #bookspin #bbrc:once bitten

Forgot to post a review. A soft pick for me. I enjoyed parts of it but the first half didn‘t keep my attention and it took forever for me to finish. Not entirely sure why. Perhaps I couldn‘t get invested in some of the characters. But glad to read it with the #camplitsy crew.

On the one hand, this is a well crafted, entertaining girl power novel. But on the other, the powers the women come up against make it difficult to simply enjoy the ride. All men in the story - with 1 exception - are violent, manipulative monsters. The women are mostly selfish and scheming but eventually decide to stick together. Quite a bit of suspension of disbelief is required, but the dialogues are great fun.

fourteenth book of summer.

Madcap yet oddly relatable.

1 tough decision - I tagged one of the best
2 Jodi Taylor: The Good, The Bad and The History
3 Juno Dawson: The Shadow Cabinet
4 Travis Baldree: Bookshops&Bonedust
5 Martha Wells: Witch King
6 Wesley Chu: The Art of Prophecy
7 Shannon Chakraborty
8 Tress of the Emerald Sea
9 ⬆️
10 ⬆️
11 Laura Shepherd-Robinson: The Square of Sevens
12 all on #MountARC?

#MidYearBookFreakOut

Thanks for the tag, @Klou

Want to join in? You're tagged. 😁

This was a fun read. Geeta's husband disappeared 5 years ago, and her village believes she killed him. Other women in the village start going to her to have her get rid of their husbands too.

I had good intentions of participating in #CampLitsy2023 but things didn't work out as I'd planned. However, I did manage to finish this book which I loved! The characters were wonderful, and I enjoyed both the humour and the exploration of ethical questions that are not so easy to answer.

@BarbaraBB @Megabooks @squirrelbrain

34/23 I am so wildly behind on #camplitsy 😂 because… life. I finished The Bandit Queens last week and am only a little way through Birnam Wood BUT I absolutely loved The Bandit Queens. I found it refreshing, funny, enlightening, and a page turner. It was interesting to read just after Invisible Women as a lot of the story is directly linked to the gender imbalance of the books focus. I loved reading the discussing afterwards too - thanks campers!

The Bandit Queen wins this month, and faces off with The Very Secret Society, and the two were just so different, made me feel totally different (cozy satisfaction vs hell yeah badassery), so I‘m going to need some time before the winner makes itself clear.
#ReadingBracket2023

So, I made it through this. Barely. How is this about sisterhood when the women are terrible to each other most of the time? Full of stereotypes, bad writing and generalisations.
Nuance and subtlety never stood a chance here 😅

The Bandit Queens did quite well in my #fiction #readingbracket2023, but I think I'd have gone down a rabbit hole with Poolan before now so The Postscript Murders just edges it out and becomes my top book for the first half of 2023 as I want to listen to book #3 soon!

@chasjjlee

I liked the mood of this novel: dark, funny, and strong female characters. This almost had a slapstick nature to the plot which could have been really annoying and ridiculous, but was actually charming and welcome given the heavy themes of violence, misogyny, and class. However, the plotting was a bit off and I struggled to get through the first third or so before settling in. The moments where true female friendship shined made this worth it. 3⭐️

Playing catch-up: this was the first book for #CampLitsy23 .

Geeta is alienated by village society because they all think she killed her husband. This reputation suits her fine, even though the truth is, he simply left her. But when another abused woman asks for Geeta‘s help in killing her husband, Geeta has to either fess up or aid and abet. This was a farcical black comedy taking aim at the caste system and women‘s rights in India.

Unpopular opinion: I am hating it so far.🙈
The characters are all behaving like immature teenagers and I am getting really fed up with stories that seem to feel the need to make all men monsters. I realise this is an attempt at dark humour, but it's not working and the laissez-faire attitude to murder is getting out of hand in this one.
Also there is addressing social issues and there is making a culture all about them.
And there is 7h to go...🙄

I had wanted to finish this when reading along with #camplitsy23 but for some reason every time I went to read it I fell asleep. I ended up reserving the audiobook at my library. I enjoyed this book with its dark humor and insight into life for women in India.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Look at this face! Nothing whatsoever to do with this book review but I don‘t have the energy to find the book and create the scene. #CopperBopper #Griff #whpg #TotalWeirdoDogLoveBug

I am giving this 5 star because it made me feel and made me think. It made me mad and it made my heart ache. It impressed me mightily as a debut! And I love that Elizabeth McCracken is one of the author‘s friends. (My dog is a weirdo, so am I.) & I embrace theme 👇

4⭐️/5⭐️

I enjoyed our #camplitsy23 discussions so much and am finally posting my review. I love any book about fierce lady friendships and this took that to a whole new level! A story of pain and sacrifice but also of hope and love. A great story to highlight so many injustices that still exist today. I found myself rooting for these women to succeed. 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#VolumesAndVocals

#IWillSurvive made me think of this enjoyable book read this month for #CampLitsy23

Geeta & her idol, Phoolan Devi, India‘s true-life Bandit Queen are strong women & survivors.

An excellent farcical satire set in rural India. A group of women set about murdering their good-for-nothing husbands. Melodrama ensues.

This is one of the most entertaining books I've read in recent years. Maybe my sense of humour is just very dark.

A clever exploration of serious issues that manages to be genuinely funny.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I‘m in the way minority and did not like Bandit Queens however if it leads people to read I, Phoolan Devi : The Autobiography of India's Bandit Queen and learn about her and the plight of women in India that makes me happy. Pictured book I read last year for food and lit and it is just excellent! #camplitsy2023

I‘m behind in my reviews! I read this for #camplitsy and found it highly entertaining. Sometimes the writing got away from her a little bit - like she was trying for more “literary” prose but it ends up sounding forced - but the plot and characters were really well done. I wouldn‘t have expected the dark-comic tone to mesh with the serious social issues being examined, but Shroff strikes a good balance. And the ending is off-the-rails hilarious.

I learned a lot from this book: suppression of women in India, caste clashes, women vs. some awfully evil men, toiling life in an Indian village, the power of women who unite to work together; the list goes on and on. It would have been overwhelmingly sad if not for the stinging humor that threaded its way through the novel. The last chapter should be studied as the epitome of dark humor. Thanks @CampLitsy; I never would have read this w/out you!

Is Geeta a #goodheartedwoman in love with a good-timing man? Debatable! #volumesandvocals

Read for #CampLitsy23 & it was a great book to start camp with-I loved it! Even if the subjects it delves into like domestic violence, sexual abuse, poverty, discrimination & the caste system in India are serious, it approaches them with a dark, sly wit. A good balance of tension & humor with strong & endearing characters. I loved the #womenpower & friendship themes as well. Thanks to @BarbaraBB for being our camp host & leading the discussions.

Hi campers, it‘s time for our next #camplitsy23 activity! @squirrelbrain @Megabooks and I have loved all your insightful comments and thoughts on the first half of The Bandit Queens. Now it‘s time to discuss the rest of the book. We‘ll post 3 questions again and look forward to discussing them. Enjoy!

I wasn‘t expecting to like this one as much as I did. I LOVED the humour - for a book with serious and dark topics it had me laughing out loud - it‘s got the perfect balance between dark and light. The friendship between the women was written so well too. The first discussion made me think about the book differently - a great book to discuss. #camplitsy23

I liked this; a fun & entertaining read that was fast-paced. I found myself turning the pages with ease. The multiple issues that plague women in India are always at the forefront, though the author also situates it in context of the oppression of Dalits & discrimination of Muslims. The characters could have easily been stereotypical spitfires, but emerged as more than that. It's a great pick for #camplitsy23 because there's so much to discuss.

Traveling by myself for the first time in 4 years…🥰

A great combination of light/humor with serious/informative commentary on the way women are treated and the caste system in contemporary India. I still have much to learn, but I feel that this was a great way to introduce the culture to readers who may be unfamiliar with the way caste operates in daily life. A great discussion book for #camplitsy23. Thanks to camp counselors @BarbaraBB @Megabooks @squirrelbrain

I found this book entertaining and uplifting despite the difficult themes: abuse, inequality… The author brought the right balance of humor to create a compelling and thoughtful story without it being too dark or too comedic. I did not realize the bandit queen Phoolan Devi was real until reading the author‘s note at the end of the book. I wish I had known earlier-I think that would have added to my read.

#CampLitsy23
This was between a soft pick and so-so for me. It started slow for me and I almost bailed a few times. I stuck with it, found part‘s interesting and I‘ve enjoyed seeing what others have thought.
#BookSpinBingo

I loved this book! It deals with so many dark, sad topics, but manages to do so with humor. The author injects levity at some of the oddest moments… but it works. What really comes through is the power of women‘s friendships, even when the women are flawed, or oppressed, or sometimes not even very nice. This would make a great movie!
Great choice to kick off #CampLitsy23 . Can‘t wait for part 2 of our discussion.

This is my first outstanding read since January. I *loved* it. The nuance and complexity, the humor in the midst of heavy situations, the fantastic dialogue. As a non-violent Quaker, I feel a little sheepish at adoring a book so full of violence. I also really appreciated the author‘s commentary on things like motherhood, gender, and caste. I‘m not sure I would have read this if not for #CampLitsy23. Looking forward to our next discussion.

Loved this! The almost slapstick bits and the women-coming-together were my favorite parts. Thanks, #camplitsy, for making me finally pick this one up! This was one of my votes, and I‘m glad it lived up to my expectations.

I loved this powerful, ultimately encouraging book. I hope the author will be favoring us with more books in the future. I don‘t think I would have listened to this book if it hadn‘t been chosen for #CampLitsy23 My thanks to @BarbaraBB for hosting the June selections.