Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Anita de Monte Laughs Last

Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez

38 reviews

snarkycrafter's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious 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

5.0

Wow! What a book. It's so beautifully and incredibly written. The story is nuanced, and layered, and deep. It touches on the female experience, specifically the Latina female experience who take up space in predominately white spaces. I had a difficult time making it through the book. Not because it was bad, but because it was hitting some hard truths for me that were enraging, sad, and overall difficult to process.

I absolutely loved Anita's character. So strong and powerful. So sassy. So confident in herself and her art. I enjoyed seeing Raquel's growth. Her journey resonated with me. It was frustrating and made me so angry to see her settling for crumbs and being made to feel "less than". Seeing her seek validation from outside herself. It hurt to read a story that reflected a lot of my own experiences during college and spending time in white spaces feeling like the odd one out, and like I should feel grateful for merely being there.

There's the feminist POV. A woman sacrificing herself to uplift her male partner. Her partner who the world assumes is more successful than you. Like people reading "Dr." and assuming the person is male. The man's feeling of entitlement. Entitlement to her time, her body, her affection. The assumption that "he knows best" or that his dreams and desires are more important than hers. And her, willing to disappear herself, make herself small (literally, TW: ED) just to fit into his life.

And finally, the spaces. Elevating men and their work to the detriment of women in the field. And this erasure being perpetrated by fellow women! Who gets to have a legacy? Who dictates who that is?

This was such a good read! Painful and enraging at times, but so, so worth it! Honestly, there was more than once I wanted to "burn the whole b*tch down!"

Specific notes:

Anita was so friggin' sassy and I loved it so much!
Jack wanted all the control and power in the dynamic. He can leave when he wants, if he wants. But him? He cannot be “leavable.” She cannot leave him.
He's the typical needy, mediocre white man who needs his own personal cheerleader at all times. He needs his ego constantly fed.
On top of everything he needs to be her hero. He needs to be her comforter and soother. He needs to be needed.
Margot and Claire's entitlement and racism is fricking enraging! The only way a woman of color con obtain a position over them is a result of affirmative action? Please!! Ugh. This section had me screaming in rage.
Anita's first show in New York is followed by a panel called "How women's art practices have affected male artists social attitudes." Not only was Anita not on the panel but there were NO women on the panel.
Nick getting Raquel tummy control party hose had me seeing red.
Narcissists will always accuse you of being the narcissist.

Content Warnings

princessfabulous's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

katiebugdpm's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

0.25

as well written and engaging as this book is, it is deeply uncomfortable to read. while I understand this book sets out to tackle some heavy topics, there were times when it felt slimy, the way she wrote. what made it worse was the utter lack of care the author has for the subject.
Anita de Monte is based off a real life artist named Ana Mendieta- a women mentioned only vaguely in the dedication (just called 'Ana'). Ana Mendieta was a Cuban artist with (essentially) the same life as the fictional Anita, who has a living family that has spoken out regarding her treatment in the book. Like Anita, Ana Mendieta was murdered by her artist husband, also thrown out of a 34th story window. A husband who was also aquitted. Had this book not been as disrespectful and exploitative towards Ana and her family, it would have earned 2 or 2.5 stars (due to how uncomfortable it was to read, and how excessive some of the misogyny/DV/racism was). For more information about Ana, here is an article that can be found in the NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/02/style/ana-mendieta-family-estate.html

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seshat59's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

There are some solid criticisms of <u>Anita de Monte Laughs Last</u>, namely that Gonzalez never once mentions the name of the real life artist, Ana Mendieta, on whom this story is so heavily based. Some speculate it’s due to legal purposes, and others that she never consulted Mendieta’s family. Either way, I encourage you to read their reviews. I’m adding this as a forward to my previous review because I think it’s important to have all the facts.

As a book, however, I did really like what Gonzalez did. The duality between Anita and Raquel, basing Anita and Jack on real artists, bringing some publicity to Ana Mendieta. (As an art history minor, I never learned anything about Mendieta, but my focus was on ancient art, but still…) The novel was so compelling that I did google and find the real story, and it’s fascinating. Mostly I wanted to see if the art described was real, and it certainly is.

I love the exploration of gender, of egos, of imbalances in relationships, and abuse therein as well. Gonzalez really explores how lonely it is to be a person of color learning about white washed history and how isolating it is.

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just_one_more_paige's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

González's first book, Olga Dies Dreaming, was so good - I read it right after it came out a couple years ago and loved it. So I was really excited for this sophomore novel.
Goodreads does a great job with this blurb, so I'm just gonna copy it over here and save myself some effort: In 1985, Anita de Monte, a rising star in the art world, is found dead in New York City; her tragic death is the talk of the town. Until it isn’t. By 1998 Anita’s name has been all but forgotten—certainly by the time Raquel, a third-year art history student is preparing her final thesis. On College Hill, surrounded by privileged students whose futures are already paved out for them, Raquel feels like an outsider. Students of color, like her, are the minority there, and the pressure to work twice as hard for the same opportunities is no secret. But when Raquel becomes romantically involved with a well-connected older art student, she finds herself unexpectedly rising up the social ranks. As she attempts to straddle both worlds, she stumbles upon Anita’s story, raising questions about the dynamics of her own relationship, which eerily mirrors that of the forgotten artist.

First, I listened to the audiobook for this and it was one of the most dramatically narrated audiobooks I have ever experienced. These narrators gave it all their effort and acting, which was such an immersive experience (though did involve a lot of volume adjustments, as things got heated and voices raised...which happened quite often).

As to the story as a whole, I am partial to Olga, if I'm being honest. However, this was still *really* good. I honestly think the primary reason is that the very real, as in emotionally intense, aspects of this one were harder hitting to me personally. Both novels do a fantastic job of creating an entertaining and enjoyable story, balanced with diverse and interesting plot, great - and varied - character development (of note here: I love how some characters were exactly as bad as expected, and some were able to surprise you with their willingness to consider a challenged POV...that is a large part of what made this story and these characters more than just caricatures, what made it truly compelling), and a heavy dose of salient social (justice) commentary. This one though, had me mired in dread for about two thirds of the total reading experience. The train wrecks of these relationships, the patterns of manipulation and abuse and gaslighting are hard to read. Raquel’s sections were especially difficult, claustrophobic, to read. So, shout out to González for writing that was that palpable. But also, warning to other potential readers if that is content that is tough for you.

One of the major themes of this novel was the straddling of worlds, as it were: the parallel of being caught between the US and Cuba, for Anita, and between socioeconomic statuses, for Raquel. (Of particular note, Raquel’s difficulties with the social lines of respect and casual-ness with her professor, lines that seemed to come so easily to those from a different social background, was a quietly done but spectacular example of the intangibles of privilege. And in the end, as she finds that comfort for herself, we see that it's born out of self-confidence, with a strong and important commentary about how that self-confidence is harder to come by/maintain based on social messages about your worth that you receive as the norm.) Both were struggling to figure out how to follow their own passions and live their own lives, even when their past says that makes them traitors/“changed,” and the current day questions whether they deserve to be there or if following their interests/heart makes them “taking advantage of” the partner’s wealth/access. There is no winning, really. And if you aren’t steadfast in who you are/what you want, it’s so easy to lose yourself in that push-pull. Watching both Anita and Raquel live through this, even with a generation of change between them, is so frustrating and heartbreaking. Especially in light of another major theme of the novel: the power of visibility for art and artists - who is allowed to have access to that audience and who controls it and creates barriers to it. Perhaps, if Anita's name and work had been given space and allowed to stand in the public eye, then Raquel wouldn't have had to feel as alone as she did.

To start, I felt like these parallel women and stories as a stylistic device seemed obvious. But as the story unfolded, the depth of the women and their stories, the emotional intensity of their narratives, separately and in juxtaposition with each other, had me invested. So, obvious it may have been, but it was skillfully enough done that I was riveted. And there were elements that weren't anticipated, and they were enough for me to keep this story unique. In particular, the way González conveyed the power of loneliness and thinking/hoping things would be different next time, the need to matter to someone, thoroughly touched my heart. I also really enjoyed the messaging about the way our identity and culture and upbringing can influence both our art and the way we see others’ art. It's so important that we not dismiss or ignore or not consider that, for ourselves or others. Art and the artist - and the viewer - cannot be separated or considered in silos, not if we're being honest.

Finally, I liked the little bonus of unexpected elements of the mystical. That was, as I said, not something I'd anticipated, but it was one of the unique aspects of this novel that gave it a little something extra. I'm very much now hoping to be able to come back as a bat and antagonize any haters. Lol. But seriously, this was a great read. Some relationship drama, some social commentary, some mystery/thriller, a lot of art and music, and a splash of the paranormal and well-deserved comeuppance (Anita really did get the last laugh). Page-turning all the way through.

“…and remind herself that she was not the first to walk this path, nor would she be the last. Nor would either of them be forgotten.”

Content Warnings

lilastoddard28's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

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rltcoach's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I really loved this book. Extremely well-developed characters growing through some very intense topics worthy of discussion! I hope there's a follow-up!

Content Warnings