Reviews with content warning for Racism - Anita de Monte Laughs Last

I loved this book, even more than Olga Dies Dreaming, which I also really enjoyed. Anita de Monte Laughs Last alternates between three perspectives over the course of nearly 20 years, following renowned artist/sculptor Jack Martin, his wife and up and coming Cuban-American artist (and titular character) Anita de Monte, and 20-year-old art history student Raquel Torro, who is navigating a new (but familiar) romantic relationship and a thesis on Jack Martin when she discovers the work of the forgotten Anita, who is still very much around to haunt those who have buried her and her work.

This novel has so much fantastic feminine rage and excellent critiques of patriarchy and white feminism. The majority of it is an incredibly frustrating and infuriating read, with moments of righteous revenge to counterbalance the overwhelming injustice and inequity that’s happening, but the title tells you what you need to know to keep reading. Anita and Raquel are both excellent characters, set up to have so many similarities while still having such distinct voices and personas that made them both feel so real. While I understand why we get Jack’s point of view, those were undoubtedly my least favorite chapters, as it’s hard to stomach being inside the self-righteous delusion of an evil and insecure man, but it certainly did only fuel my ire and my desire for justice. I do think that the characters of Claire and Margot were almost cartoonishly awful, (and I mean come on, that night was so bad that I can’t believe be Mavette could ever come back from it, her lack of action and support for Raquel) but I’m glad that the point was made (though these two didn’t get the justice they deserved in my mind!). I love how Xochitl Gonzalez writes about class and privilege and womanhood and I will always read whatever she writes!

Content Warnings

katielong84's review against another edition

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dark sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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martinjen98's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

frustrating!

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laurenexploresbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? Yes

4.5

Art, power, love, murder, and finding yourself all come together in this challenging and beautiful novel. I felt so much rage, sorrow, and hope while reading this work. It is a work that particularly to me as a Chicana woman reminds me to not make myself small, or palatable to a white gaze and be myself, and demand change in systems.

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martinj's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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museumnerd15's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-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

4.5

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lorettalucia's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad 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? Yes

4.75

This was a gorgeous novel. The plotting and characterizations were impeccable. The critique or racism in halls of the elite—the Ivy League, Upper East Side shindigs, the Art Establishment—was incisive and pulled no punches. (Believe me, I’ve been the Brooklyn-reared “ethnic” female outsider in those rooms for most of my life.)

The prose is straightforward rather than flowery but Gonzalez’s ability to get straight to the root of an emotion, big or small, is brilliant.

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lngoldstein's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The more I learn about this book the harder it is to review it. This novel is based (not loosely) on the actual life of Cuban artist Ana Mendieta. Gonzalez says in an interview that Mendieta’s ghost vented to her in frustration that she hadn’t been able to tell her story on her own terms and insisted Gonzalez use her voice in the story which is how we end up with a first person POV from the titular character, Anita De Monte, who is based on Mendieta, in the novel. Gonzalez also says that Anita was meant to be an homage to the artist, not a direct analogue, except that reading both Ana and Anita’s stories blurs the line between fact and fiction, as Mendieta’s niece pointed out after receiving an advance copy. Besides the similarity of their names, Anita’s art in the novel closely resembles Mendieta’s and Anita’s husband Jack’s resembles Mendieta’s husband Carl Andres’. Anita dies in the exact same way, in almost the same location as Mendieta, potentially even in the same year as the actual events took place. Raquel Mendieta has expressed concerns about how her aunt’s story is told and there have been debates about if the Ana Mendieta estate’s blessing should be secured before producing works based on Mendieta’s life story.

I get the idea of pulling inspiration but this feels too close to Mendieta’s life to have not not given written homage to the actual woman and work that inspired this novel, which is sad and ironic as the main theme of Gonzalez’s novel is the under representation, mistreatment and discreditation of Latin artists. In the novel, Anita’s family loses control over her estate so it feels icky for Gonzalez to have written about how that hurt the fictional Anita and her family but then find out she did not consult the Mendieta estate throughout the process of writing or selling this novel.

Finally, however, a quick note on the actual contents of the book. I can’t say it was great; I found every character at least mildly annoying, the plot predictable and the writing a little over-explicit in describing things that were made obvious from the characters’ personalities and actions but it still managed to be compelling. The personalities really came through (for better or worse) in the audiobook, which was engaging. I personally didn’t mind the elements of magical realism and even enjoyed certain parts especially towards the end but be warned it goes into that territory.

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