The Bandit Queens

A Novel

De: Parini Shroff

Narrado por: Soneela Nankani

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BUZZ PICK • 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.

"A radically feel-good story about the murder of no-good husbands by a cast of unsinkable women.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)

Longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Shondaland, She Reads, CrimeReads

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.

©2023 Parini Shroff (P)2023 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A radically feel-good story about the murder of no-good husbands by a cast of unsinkable women . . . A tale that demonstrates how the antidote to bleak circumstances is female friendship.”—New York Times Book Review

“[A] wild ride. Very funny—like, laugh-out-loud funny.”—NPR

“This funny, feel-good read is a rollicking ride rife with memorable characters involved in ill-fated hijinks. It also serves up commentary on class, power dynamics and the role of women in society, with a feminist history lesson to boot.”—Good Housekeeping

the plot

I liked the storyline, environment, and that it was based on a real person but the high pitched back and forth dialog was too childish in nature and delivery. A bit annoying to listen to.

Good, with a few hiccups

This book was super fun, but most of the non-English words used in the book were Hindi even though the book took place in Gujarat. Similarly, most of the translated idioms were Hindi-based. I know this won’t bother most, but as a Gujarati speaker it was jarring.

Otherwise, I loved the book and loved the narrator for the most part (other than that her pronunciation of the Hindi wasn’t the best).

Perfection!

Unexpected because I simply had never read anything like it, but I am so glad I listened to the glowing reviews. Hilarious, stunning, heartbreaking, and very satisfying. ❤️

Loved the performance and story

I very much enjoyed the story and the audiobook performance. I look forward to more from each of these artists

The humor

The humor of the author was good as was the reading of the book. It was somewhat of an unusual story

The story was so captivating

It was so good I couldn’t stop listening. The Bandit Queens is a great story about women and all our social dynamics and most importantly our support for one another.

Worth your time.

As a fan of Indian literature, I initially did not like it. I was upset by the Valley Girl-type conversations, and the unreality of a friendship between a Muslim man and a Hindu woman. Once I let go of that, and got into the characters’ inner lives, I really enjoyed it.

A great story, really had my emotions entangled

Very pro-female, without being overt. Really makes one think how proud they are to be in place, and in a position to not have to know the extremes of much of this, although as a female, still are incredibly vulnerable to. The way the author words things, was incredibly relatable

Just a silly story

The biggest problem was trying to follow the names and to keep track of who the characters were. This book would be better if read. I also felt like the characters should have an Indian dialect. The only reason I finished this book was because Audible wouldn’t let me return it and I wanted my money’s worth.

Very fun read

I loved the Indian Culture…very different from my normal white fork reads. It was worth it. The women chose not to be victims. Perfect for this era in history. Now I want to read the real Bandit Queen stories.