The author, Markus Orths, together with his translator, Helen Atkins, has produced a fantastic book, which takes the reader on a wild ride through not just the life of its central character but also through a range of genres from its post-modernist style recourse to 17th century documents to the rather surrealist re-enactments of Catalina’s transforming birth process and on to educated and insightful asides.

A rollicking, captivating account of Catalina d'Erauso, a real-life 17th-century Spanish woman who went to the New World and lived as a man. Based on Catalina's own autobiography of her life as the "Lieutenant Nun," and other historical documents, German debut novelist Orths creates a thoroughly modern narrative filled with tangential tall tales and odd bits of history as Catalina renegotiates the territories of custom and gender.

German writer Orths's recounting of the miraculous and ribald life of the 17th-century Basque transvestite Catalina D'Erauso proceeds with all the manic, guileful momentum of a classic picaresque. [...] The author's and translator's enthusiasm for the material keeps nick-of-time escapes from becoming plot cheats, while tongue-in-cheek narration and action-packed episodes (Catalina has turns as a thief, soldier and cuckolder) feed the reader's urge to root for Catalina-as-Francisco.

Catalina is not depicted as friendless and incapable of love, but her ability to form intimate relationships with either men or women is hampered by fear that her true identity will be discovered. Yet the book remains largely unsentimental in tone, offering tinges of irony rather than focusing on loss. A fast-paced and fascinating exploration of gender and historical fiction, this book is recommended for larger public libraries and where interest in historic fiction is strong.