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

Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez

15 reviews

kjordan96's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.25

I really enjoyed the concept for this book. I liked Raquel’s character and loved that she came into her own by the end. I also loved Anita’s character and the idea of her haunting Jack. It was tough to read Jack’s POV (obviously given he was the worst); however, I also felt like it was not always needed to progress the story. I did feel the plot lagged at times, it really picked up the last 20 pages or so when Raquel discovers Anita’s works. I also have learned that the family of Ana Mendieta (who Anita is based on) was not consulted and did not support the project. If you are ever in NYC, some of her work is at MoMa - I would highly suggest checking it out.

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snarkycrafter's review against another edition

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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

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.

Content Warnings

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

this book was going to be 4-5 stars until i looked into this book further and found out that it is almost an exact replication of someone’s real life whose family doesn’t approve of this book. the author does exactly what was done to her main character to the real person. there is so much irony here

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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!

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sarahrose_a's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

I wish there had been a lot less/none from the POV of the chauvinist abuser…

Content Warnings

cesca_natalia's review against another edition

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emotional sad tense slow-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? Yes

4.5

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kelly_e's review against another edition

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challenging emotional 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? Yes

4.0

Title: Anita de Monte Laughs Last
Author: Xóchitl González
Genre: Literary Fiction
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: March 5, 2024

I received a complimentary ALC from Macmillan Audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad

T H R E E • W O R D S

Theatrical • Electric • Haunting

📖 S Y N O P S I S

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 progeny of film producers, C-Suite executives, and international art-dealers, most of whom float through life knowing that their futures are secured, Raquel feels herself an outsider. Students of color, like Raquel, 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.

💭 T H O U G H T S

After being captivated by Xóchitl González's writing in her debut, Olga Dies Dreaming, I immediately added Anita de Monte Laughs Last to my list of anticipated releases for 2024. I was graciously offered an ALC, which I tandem read with the book once it was released.

The audiobook, narrated by a full cast of Jessica Pimentel, Jonathan Gregg, and Stacy Gonzalez is absolutely fantastic. I would even venture to say the narration takes this book to the next level. The narrators really bring their characters to life and I could hear the emotion of the narrative in their voices. Because the story is told from multiple perspectives and in a nonlinear fashion it was definitely easier for me to tandem read than listen alone.

The pacing starts out on the slow side, yet it builds steadily to a satisfying ending. I will admit to being slightly caught off guard by the ghost element, but somehow it fit perfectly into the narrative. There is ample commentary on race and womanhood and when the two stories start to converge the story gets stronger.

I don't know that I enjoyed this one as much as her debut, yet it was definitely worth my time. It's easy to imagine Anita de Monte Laughs Last transitioning to the big screen down the road. This book isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but it establishes Xóchitl González as a force in the literary world.

📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• art history
• strong female characters

⚠️ CW: toxic relationship, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, racism, sexism, misogyny, classism, death, murder, cursing, drug use, drug abuse, alcohol, infidelity, mental illness, eating disorder, anorexia, body shaming, fatphobia

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Everything worth doing hurts at least a little bit."

Content Warnings

afrenette's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

marcostorin's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

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