Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - La Bastarda

La Bastarda (The Bastard) was the first novel by a female Equatorial Guinean writer to be translated into English and due to its lesbian MC, it is currently banned in Equatorial Guinea. These two things, along with the fact that the author herself is bisexual and an outspoken advocate for LGBTQI+ issues, made this feel like a perfect pick for The Diverse Baseline March prompt A: a translated book by a BIPOC author.

La Bastarda is a novella, and an easy one to read in one sitting. Although I loved the themes and ideas in this book, the writing style felt clunky at times to me. This could have been a translation issue, but I’ve read other translated books that didn’t have this problem.

The main issue I had with the writing was that it felt like there was a lot of telling, not a lot of showing. There were chunks of dialogue that felt unnatural and forced, and were very much just there to make sure the reader was getting the point. Whenever a book does this it just feels like the author doesn’t have enough trust in their audience to understand the point they’re trying to make. In the case of this novel, the point was clear without the paragraphs of unnecessary exposition.

A LOT happens plot-wise in this book for how short it was. Possibly a little too much, as some of the plot points felt rushed and unrealistic, but overall I enjoyed it and was glad there was a relatively happy ending.

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megansoetaert's review against another edition

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emotional fast-paced

4.5

a very very quick read that packs a punch. I don’t know why this is rated so low—i thought it was well done, emotional, and authentic. the ending did feel a little rushed, i agree w others about that!

sending love to my queer siblings the world round, especially other women & girls. this book shows how impossible it can be to be us, but there’s always hope for our futures.

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kitta's review

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challenging dark hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

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duarshe's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Sinceramente, no esperaba que me gustase tanto, pero lo hizo. Es exactamente lo que necesitaba leer: algo corto, ameno y que a la vez enganchase y me mantuviese entretenida. La verdad es que puede llegar a ser una lectura fría y dura de leer, pero demuestra y da voz a una realidad latente.

A pesar de que tomé el libro por una de mis clases universitarias, no me arrepiento en lo más mínimo de haberlo leído. Ojalá todas las lecturas obligatorias fuesen así de interesantes.

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