The Bandit Queens: A Novel
(OverDrive MP3 Audiobook, OverDrive Listen)
"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.
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Parini Shroff. (2023). The Bandit Queens: A Novel. Unabridged Books on Tape.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Parini Shroff. 2023. The Bandit Queens: A Novel. Books on Tape.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Parini Shroff, The Bandit Queens: A Novel. Books on Tape, 2023.
MLA Citation (style guide)Parini Shroff. The Bandit Queens: A Novel. Unabridged Books on Tape, 2023.
| Library | Owned | Available |
|---|---|---|
| Shared Digital Collection | 16 | 6 |
There are 9 holds on this title.
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- bioText: Parini Shroff received her MFA from the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied under Elizabeth McCracken, Alexander Chee, and Cristina García. She is a practicing attorney and currently lives in the Bay Area. The Bandit Queens is her debut novel.
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- 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. - reviews
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October 17, 2022
In Shroff’s acerbic debut, a woman helps other women escape their abusive marriages in their small village in India, often through murder. Geeta’s unearned reputation for having killed her physically abusive husband, Ramesh (he’s not dead, he just ran off), prompts women to approach her for help. It’s a fortuitous development for Geeta, who’s become socially isolated after a fight with her lifelong friend Saloni, who’s part of the microloan group that funds Geeta’s jewelry business. As well, Geeta admires the legendary Bandit Queen, who exacted revenge on those who’d wronged her, and agrees to help a local named Farah kill her husband (Farah’s first attempt backfired because she mistook hair growth pills for sleeping pills). Geeta also connects with widower Karem, a bootlegger, though not before costing him his livelihood by putting a stop to Karem’s biggest buyer, Bada-Bhai (Bada-Bhai was cutting the booze with methanol and testing it on dogs, and Geeta frees the dogs). After Geeta adopts Bada-Bhai’s sickest dog, whom she names Bandit, she begins allowing others into her life, including Saloni, which helps after Ramesh resurfaces. Shroff deals sharply with misogyny and abuse, describing the misery inflicted as well as its consequences in unflinching detail, and is equally unsparing in her depictions of mean-girl culture in the village. Readers are in for a razor-stuffed treat.
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- content: Soneela Nankani's lilting voice turns this genre-bending novel--part comedy/part mystery--into an exciting adventure. Five years after Geeta's brutish husband disappears, everyone in her tiny Indian village believes she murdered him. Soon, other village women seek her help to rid themselves of their vicious husbands. This results in danger, confusion, and occasional hilarity. Nankani's performance highlights her superb acting skills. Every character sounds authentic. Her men's voices are believable. Her women's voices are precise and easily identifiable. Nankani's deft, subtle narration captures author Parini Shroff's dark humor, never missing an inference or nuance. Delivering clever, stinging dialogue, Nankani allows the women's stories to unfold, revealing the terrible secret abuses they've suffered, as well as highlighting the importance of friendships among women. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
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March 1, 2023
Veteran narrator Soneela Nankani takes Shroff's rave-worthy debut to the next level. A group microloan affords Geeta, Saloni, Farah, and twins Preity and Priya some independence, but the men in (and out of) their lives still define them, according to village custom. Even among the women, Geeta's husband Ramesh's questionable disappearance six years prior marks her as either pitiable or perhaps even dangerous. When Farah approaches Geeta for help dispatching her own abusive husband, Geeta can't bring herself to admit that Ramesh merely abandoned her. Accordingly, her reputation becomes fact, and Geeta is caught in an escalating series of violent "favors" to her loan group. Calling attention to the very real issues of misogyny, caste oppression, and bias against non-Hindu people in rural India, Shroff's first novel educates through morbid humor and vivid characters. The "Bandit Queen" Phoolan Devi is Geeta's role model for bravery (and vengeance), and a concluding author's note fills in the history behind this real-life legend for interested listeners. VERDICT From beginning to end, Nankani inhabits characters of all genders, castes, and faiths and applies impeccable comic timing for a funny, dramatic experience with broad appeal. Highly recommended for all public libraries.--Lauren Kage
Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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- 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.
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