Young, beautiful and ambitious, Bontle Tau has Johannesburg wrapped around her finger. Her generous admirers are falling over themselves to pay for her Mercedes, her penthouse, and her Instagrammable holidays.
It's her duty to look fabulous – after all, people didn't sacrifice their lives in the freedom struggle for black women to wear the same cheap T-shirts they wore during apartheid.
Bontle's come a long way, and it hasn't been easy. Her shrink keeps wanted to talk about a past she's put firmly behind her. And what she doesn't think about can't hurt her, can it?
My Review of The Blessed Girl by Angela Makholwa.
First of all, this book is the bomb! Damn!!! I really really enjoyed every bit of it. As a lover of humor, this book gave me so many 'damn!
This is so funny' moments. I love the story telling technique, the story line itself, and the protagonist, Bontle Tau.
Bontle has lots of baggage, but you can't just hate her. She tells this story from her heart, and makes you see reasons why she is behaving the way she's behaving.
Our girl, Bontle, is a 'blessee' which means she's a beneficiary of different benefactors who we call 'sugar daddies' in Nigeria.
But in South Africa, girls who sleep around with rich men for monetary and non monetary benefits are called 'blessees' while those who fund these lifestyles are called 'blessers.'
Bontle loves the good life, she drives a convertible and lives in a pent house. She loves money and every good thing money can buy, and she doesn't even pretend to be modest. She has an 'almost' ex husband, Ntokozo.
Because even though they have been separated for two years, he still doesn't want to sign the divorce papers and set her free totally.
But Ntokozo has nothing on her lifestyle. One thing about Bontle is that she's only there for the good time.
Once the money stops pouring into her account, she dumps you for better blessers. She has many lovers like Teddy Bear, Papa Jeff, Mr. Emmanuel, and her aunt's husband, Uncle Chino.
No, don't judge her. She already knows she lives a messy life, but she can't stop. Won't stop. One thing I love about her though is that she's industrious.
She has like three businesses she runs on the side, and though she relies on her blessers to fund her lavish lifestyle, she also does her businesses and is happy.
Though this book is humorous and interesting, there are lots of lessons to pick from it. First is that promiscuity never really pays.
Bontle, our girl, would make a lot of mistakes in the quest of living and enjoying the good life. She bleaches her skin to attract men, and also does a lot of plastic surgeries just to keep looking young and attractive. She'd later regret most of her choices in life.
Then there's the theme of the effects of bad parental upbringing. Gladys, Bontle's mother is a bad influence.
She is rough and doesn't give Bontle a good upbringing, and growing up in that very unfit environment makes Bontle into what she is. She never wants to go back to the trenches again, so she does her best to get money by any means possible.
There's also Loki, her younger brother, who is also neglected by her mother and her, and who turns into a drug addict under her mother's nose.
Because Bontle is engrossediving her lavish life in the city, she is never present for her family. She only sends Loki money from time to time to make him happy, but he mingles with the bad guys, and at the tender age of fourteen, becomes a drug addict.
Bontle is also the kind of girl you don't introduce to your boyfriend or husband, especially if he's stinkingly rich. She doesn't care if you're her best friend or not, she's going to snatch your man and there's nothing you can do about it.
When Iris, one of her best friends, tells her and Tsholo about her Nigerian blesser, Mr. Emmanuel, Bontle becomes extremely interested and plans to snatch the rich guy.
There's no stopping our dear Bontle, once she smells a rich man who looks like a potential blesser. Being a self acclaimed street smart girl, she knows all the tactics to get a man in her bed. And she puts so much energy and time in doing that, till she achieves her aims.
I enjoyed reading this story. I like the fact that Makholwa approaches such a serious topic subtly and humorously.
I also like the way Bontle tells her story. She tells this story in a way that you feel like you're inside the book with her, listening to her story direct from the horse's mouth.
I also love the fact that there is a strong use of language in the book. There are so many South African words, and I'm happy to learn a few like wena. 😂
This is my first time reading Angela Makholwa and trust me, she just got herself a new fan. I totally enjoyed reading Bontle's story, and finding out the extent her childhood and various personal experiences shape her life and affect her decisions.
I'd totally recommend this book to everyone who loves to read, and I'll rate it as 4.8 /5.
Have you read the book? What do you think about it? Please share your thoughts with me in the comment section.
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