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A review by jlrescel13
Bulaklak sa City Jail (Bagong Edisyon) by Lualhati Bautista
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
This is the second novel of Lualhati Bautista that I've read. The other one was Dekada '70 or The 70s which was one of her more popular novels. Both novels showed a strong indication of Bautista's feminism, having Filipino women protagonists that go against the cultural limitations being enforced on them. Both also used Philippine societal issues as their backdrops to tell a story. In Dekada '70, the backdrop was the brutality and corruption during the Martial Law by the Marcos regime. Bulaklak sa City Jail, on the other hand, tackles the poor prison conditions and the outdated and unfair justice system of the country.
Bulaklak sa City Jail is the story of 26-year old Angela who finds herself in a desperate situation after she was penalized for frustrated murder. While awaiting her trial, she was sent to Manila City Jail where she met different types of women who committed the pettiest or most horrendous of crimes. But despite their rough surface, each of these women have their own stories to tell, most of which were similar to Angela's own experiences.
Characters
I love how the women in City Jail were given the spotlight. Each had a moment for their own story, and each story served to deepen and flesh them out. This made me sympathize with them, even with Barang-- one of the antagonistic forces inside the jail. I understood Yolly's pain that led her to commit suicide when Lando was sent away, because Lualhati vividly painted the trauma she went through in her childhood, the pain and abandonment she suffered through the hands of her own mother. I understood Viring's anger at the husband who beat her, and the torment of losing her child in the prison where she was sent after she killed her abusive husband. My heart melted at Tonya's softheartedness for children. It broke the stereotype of stone-hearted lesbians in prison.
All the side characters were strong, and I see how Lualhati intended them to complement and be foil characters for the protagonist, Angela.
However, that's where the problem lies.
Yolly, Viring, Tonya, Nora, Isabela... all these were strong characters that have compelling stories to tell. Angela paled in comparison to them. Angela's story was handed to us in bits and pieces, mostly through the technique of telling. I think it would have been more effective had Bautista shown the severity of Angela's childhood. What we knew of her childhood was mostly set aside. Bautista focused on her relationship with Crisanto. I find it hard, then, to sympathize with her character. Yolly's obssession with Lando was justified by her grim childhood but Angela's strong feelings for Crisanto appeared to be no more than a lack of thinking in her part. She knew that Crisanto had a live-in partner-- Adela-- and still she continued to see him, and it wasn't justified clearly why. She also acted impulsively and stupidly throughout the story. By the second act, she started to get on my nerves.
If it was for Angela alone, I wouldn't have continued reading. Thank God for the other characters.
Writing Style
Bautista's writing style was blunt. The language she used was course, which makes sense since she was telling the story of people who lived in an environment that use that kind of vernacular. I just think the prose could have benefitted more if Bautista favored showing rather than telling. There are moments where she could have extracted more emotional response from the readers by using a different diction or subtly imply rather than tell. But maybe that's just a personal preference.
Overall, Bautista's prose was not bad. But it was not brilliant either.
Plot
I love the plot. At first, I thought it would be depressing. Compared to the antagonistic forces, Angela was powerless. But I'm glad Bautista opted to end everything in a hopeful note. And it's not just luck. Angela got out of prison because of the sympathy and help of the women who were in similar situations as her. It's a good message to send to your readers and it certainly made an impact to me.
To end this review, I would say that Bulaklak sa City Jail is a good read. It has its ups and downs, just like any other book but it is worth it. It achieved what it was set to do: it dished out a commentary about the judicial system and how the fight is tipped against the poor, specifically the women. It also entertained me. Others said that they found it boring. Yes, there can be slow moments. But I think it was a necessity rather than a flaw. Bautista was setting the stage for her characters. And if you stuck long enough, you'd find that it pays off in the end.
Bulaklak sa City Jail is the story of 26-year old Angela who finds herself in a desperate situation after she was penalized for frustrated murder. While awaiting her trial, she was sent to Manila City Jail where she met different types of women who committed the pettiest or most horrendous of crimes. But despite their rough surface, each of these women have their own stories to tell, most of which were similar to Angela's own experiences.
Characters
I love how the women in City Jail were given the spotlight. Each had a moment for their own story, and each story served to deepen and flesh them out. This made me sympathize with them, even with Barang-- one of the antagonistic forces inside the jail. I understood Yolly's pain that led her to commit suicide when Lando was sent away, because Lualhati vividly painted the trauma she went through in her childhood, the pain and abandonment she suffered through the hands of her own mother. I understood Viring's anger at the husband who beat her, and the torment of losing her child in the prison where she was sent after she killed her abusive husband. My heart melted at Tonya's softheartedness for children. It broke the stereotype of stone-hearted lesbians in prison.
All the side characters were strong, and I see how Lualhati intended them to complement and be foil characters for the protagonist, Angela.
However, that's where the problem lies.
Yolly, Viring, Tonya, Nora, Isabela... all these were strong characters that have compelling stories to tell. Angela paled in comparison to them. Angela's story was handed to us in bits and pieces, mostly through the technique of telling. I think it would have been more effective had Bautista shown the severity of Angela's childhood. What we knew of her childhood was mostly set aside. Bautista focused on her relationship with Crisanto. I find it hard, then, to sympathize with her character. Yolly's obssession with Lando was justified by her grim childhood but Angela's strong feelings for Crisanto appeared to be no more than a lack of thinking in her part. She knew that Crisanto had a live-in partner-- Adela-- and still she continued to see him, and it wasn't justified clearly why. She also acted impulsively and stupidly throughout the story. By the second act, she started to get on my nerves.
If it was for Angela alone, I wouldn't have continued reading. Thank God for the other characters.
Writing Style
Bautista's writing style was blunt. The language she used was course, which makes sense since she was telling the story of people who lived in an environment that use that kind of vernacular. I just think the prose could have benefitted more if Bautista favored showing rather than telling. There are moments where she could have extracted more emotional response from the readers by using a different diction or subtly imply rather than tell. But maybe that's just a personal preference.
Overall, Bautista's prose was not bad. But it was not brilliant either.
Plot
I love the plot. At first, I thought it would be depressing. Compared to the antagonistic forces, Angela was powerless. But I'm glad Bautista opted to end everything in a hopeful note. And it's not just luck. Angela got out of prison because of the sympathy and help of the women who were in similar situations as her. It's a good message to send to your readers and it certainly made an impact to me.
To end this review, I would say that Bulaklak sa City Jail is a good read. It has its ups and downs, just like any other book but it is worth it. It achieved what it was set to do: it dished out a commentary about the judicial system and how the fight is tipped against the poor, specifically the women. It also entertained me. Others said that they found it boring. Yes, there can be slow moments. But I think it was a necessity rather than a flaw. Bautista was setting the stage for her characters. And if you stuck long enough, you'd find that it pays off in the end.