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alexisgarcia's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
hallenoelle's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
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
3.75
This book was a brilliant piece on the complexity of art, minority voices in the education system, friendship, and class. I was absolutely amazed when I learned this was based on the true story of Ana Mendieta’s murder and art. Xochitl Gomez is such a smart writer and her ability to convey death and life was clear and touching. However, I did not love the third person/ multi-prospective element of this book. It felt unnecessary and the swap to first person was a relief because it was what the story wanted to be the whole time. I also felt like there were some unfinished stories that I would’ve loved to read more about (rooting for Claire and Margot)!! Overall, gorgeous story with a super important message. Would recommend to anyone interested in art, justice, feminism of the 80s/90s, and Latin America!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Racism
bestknownfor's review against another edition
dark
funny
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
4.25
Took a little while to get going but I really like where it went. The character voices are so vivid and distinctive. My only complaint is I would've liked more nuance to Belinda's character. In a story full of complex and contradictory people, she felt a little too straightforward and neat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying and Eating disorder
bekkah_co's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book was a challenge for me at the start. The writing was dense and the bulk of the characters within the book were awful-even those I believe we were meant to like. I wish I liked Anita's character more, something I will loop back to in a moment. Jack and Nick, while genuinely awful, are awful in their own degrees. The people Anita and Raquel both surround themselves with mostly sucks.
I wish more characters had substance instead of falling into their archetypes. Jack was a cut and paste villain from a Lifetime movie. I hated it. He was someone that could have easily had depth, given the time we spent in his POV. He would have been someone easy to make not just villain shitty, but scary villain shitty It wasn't until Anita's death that we began to break away from the general "villain" vibes.
Anita was frustrating in the most understandable away. I would change nothing about her, frankly. I just wish we knew more about her art and the conflicts with the art world that she had while alive. Instead, I felt like all of her problems were caused by Jack...which is fair, given he killed her.
Raquel was equally as frustrating. She was insta-loved with Nick and I hated it. While Nick wasn't "that bad" at the start, after she was consistently belittled and continued to excuse his behavior, I was over it. I wanted more time with Raquel and her work. I wanted to see her researching Anita and bringing someone who was lost to time back. I wisht that was the focus of the book.
It wasn't until the last quarter of the book that I found myself enjoying the book for its content. I wish that this book focused more on the premise of Raqueldiscovering Anita through Belinda. I feel like this came in way too late in the narrative for the blurb to mention Raquel seeing the parallels between herself and Anita. It was mostly for the reader, not the characters. Going into this as a BOTM pick, I thought this was what it was going to be: A parallel timeline of discovery. I thought it would be Raquel's discovery leading to the unfolding of Anita's story. I wish it was that.
The ending was exceptional. It was what one would expect for contemporary fiction. It was artful and ultimately satisfying.
I wish more characters had substance instead of falling into their archetypes. Jack was a cut and paste villain from a Lifetime movie. I hated it. He was someone that could have easily had depth, given the time we spent in his POV. He would have been someone easy to make not just villain shitty, but scary villain shitty It wasn't until Anita's death that we began to break away from the general "villain" vibes.
Anita was frustrating in the most understandable away. I would change nothing about her, frankly. I just wish we knew more about her art and the conflicts with the art world that she had while alive. Instead, I felt like all of her problems were caused by Jack...
Raquel was equally as frustrating. She was insta-loved with Nick and I hated it. While Nick wasn't "that bad" at the start, after she was consistently belittled and continued to excuse his behavior, I was over it. I wanted more time with Raquel and her work. I wanted to see her researching Anita and bringing someone who was lost to time back. I wisht that was the focus of the book.
It wasn't until the last quarter of the book that I found myself enjoying the book for its content. I wish that this book focused more on the premise of Raquel
The ending was exceptional. It was what one would expect for contemporary fiction. It was artful and ultimately satisfying.
Xochitl Gonzalez is a talented writer. The writing of Anita de Monte Laughs Last is phenomenal, but I can understand how it could be difficult for some other readers.
Now, with all this being said, upon looking at reviews here and on Goodreads, it does appear that there is some controversy surrounding this novel. Apparently, the "Ana" that is mentioned in the dedication is in reference to a real artist, Ana Mendieta. Ana's own death at the hands of her husband appears to be the "inspiration" between Anita's death. However, after researching further on my own, I struggled to distinguish between fact and fiction - from their art to their shitty husbands.
Gonzalez did not consult the Mendieta estate regarding the similarities between Ana and the fictional Anita. Gonzalez centers Anita's story on being forgotten and having to be unearthed by a new generation. However, Mendieta's family has vehemently argued against Ana being forgotten.
Now, with all this being said, upon looking at reviews here and on Goodreads, it does appear that there is some controversy surrounding this novel. Apparently, the "Ana" that is mentioned in the dedication is in reference to a real artist, Ana Mendieta. Ana's own death at the hands of her husband appears to be the "inspiration" between Anita's death. However, after researching further on my own, I struggled to distinguish between fact and fiction - from their art to their shitty husbands.
Gonzalez did not consult the Mendieta estate regarding the similarities between Ana and the fictional Anita. Gonzalez centers Anita's story on being forgotten and having to be unearthed by a new generation. However, Mendieta's family has vehemently argued against Ana being forgotten.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Racism, Sexism, and Murder
Moderate: Eating disorder
rltcoach's review against another edition
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
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, and Classism
meg_merr's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Eating disorder
ukponge's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Homophobia
elliehoney's review against another edition
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Racism, and Murder
sailormar's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Eating disorder, Racism, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Classism
spookymartinireads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
4.0
Art history meets magical realism meets scorned women getting their revenge meets white fragility meets first gen experiences. Slow burn but towards the end of the second half of the book I could not stop thinking about Anita and Raquel, the protagonists, so worth finishing imo
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Violence
Moderate: Racism