"Riotously raw, funny fiction propelled by an unforgettable heroine who’ll sweep readers up in her risky exploits, not least when her (expensive champagne) bubble bursts."
Angela Makholwa’s The Blessed Girl is a wildly witty South Africa-set novel underpinned by smart and serious commentary on corruption, duplicity, drug abuse, sexual abuse, and what it’s like to be “blessed” (“a person, usually female, who lives a luxurious lifestyle funded by an older, often married partner, in return for sexual favours”). Hats off to the author for interweaving a rambunctious, read-in-one-sitting rollercoaster with shining a light on real-life struggles.
Super-confident Bontle has been “charming the pants off people since the day I was born” when her parents “knew that I was destined to go far because of the way I looked, hence they named me Bontle – The Beautiful One… Watch out, world!” Bontle sure knows how to get what she wants from one of the many men she has falling over her, paying for her penthouse, flash cars, designer clothes, cosmetic surgery - luxuries her hair extension business would never give her. Bontle may not have excelled at school, but she does have a “PhD in MENcology, baby!” and manages to juggle several men at once, putting her troubled past behind her – for a time at least. Cracks begin to show when some of the men slip from her manicured grasp, when her past starts snapping at her heels, and Bontle must piece herself back together.
Balancing outrageous entertainment with exposing ugly underbellies and a young woman’s realignment of a life swerved off-course, readers who enjoyed Sarong Party Girls will adore this.
Head to our 'Black Lit Matters' list to find more must-read novels by black writers.
| Primary Genre | Modern and Contemporary Fiction |
| Other Genres: |
Win a Copy of The Sisters of Hope Square by Faith Hogan and a Bucket List Scratch Book
Closing date: 04/07/2026
Comedy Women in Print Prize 2020 Shortlist
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?
Blessed adj. [pronounced bles-id] The state of being blessed, often referring to a person, usually female, who lives a luxurious lifestyle funded by an older, often married partner, in return for sexual favours.
The Blessed Girl features in the following genres: Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Erotic Fiction, Family Drama, Humorous Fiction, Sharing Diverse Voices, General Fiction, Fiction, Romance / Relationship Stories
The Blessed Girl is available in Paperback, Hardback
The Blessed Girl was written by Angela Makholwa and published by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
The Blessed Girl has 304 pages
£9.89
.jpg)
