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adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If you enjoy theater or anything literary, I beg you, please read this book.
This is an eloquent lens into the world of pain, especially female pain. There is a deep desire in today’s society to suppress and forget about pain.
Miranda, the main character speaks about her perpetual agony and the widespread effects that it has had on her life. She also speaks on how the once smiling faces of people whom she loved, eventually became the coldest to her and her agony. I feel like this is something that gets overlooked in media. We want to believe that the people we love the most will always be there for us, but when it comes down to it even they can experience the taxing repercussions of pain.
I also IMMENSELY appreciated the theatrical aspects of this book. I have never read something that I could so vividly imagine being a film. I’m not just talking about the possibility of it being a film, but literally imagine it scene for scene. I adored that. Awad did an excellent job of incorporating aspects from both All’s Well and The Scottish Play, into something that breathed new life into Shakespeare. With that being said YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE FAMILIAR WITH EITHER PLAY OR EVEN SHAKESPEARE TO APPRECIATE THIS STORY. Albeit, it does help especially concerning the mysterious three men and their motives, but I have not read/seen All’s Well and I never felt lost of a moment. With that being said, I do intend to brush up on both plays in order to fully appreciate this work and all the hidden easter eggs in it.
This is an eloquent lens into the world of pain, especially female pain. There is a deep desire in today’s society to suppress and forget about pain.
Miranda, the main character speaks about her perpetual agony and the widespread effects that it has had on her life. She also speaks on how the once smiling faces of people whom she loved, eventually became the coldest to her and her agony. I feel like this is something that gets overlooked in media. We want to believe that the people we love the most will always be there for us, but when it comes down to it even they can experience the taxing repercussions of pain.
I also IMMENSELY appreciated the theatrical aspects of this book. I have never read something that I could so vividly imagine being a film. I’m not just talking about the possibility of it being a film, but literally imagine it scene for scene. I adored that. Awad did an excellent job of incorporating aspects from both All’s Well and The Scottish Play, into something that breathed new life into Shakespeare. With that being said YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE FAMILIAR WITH EITHER PLAY OR EVEN SHAKESPEARE TO APPRECIATE THIS STORY. Albeit, it does help especially concerning the mysterious three men and their motives, but I have not read/seen All’s Well and I never felt lost of a moment. With that being said, I do intend to brush up on both plays in order to fully appreciate this work and all the hidden easter eggs in it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Sexual content
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
god i love love LOVED the beginning of the book and the depictions of chronic pain so much, they way they were written were so interesting and real and relatable. i also really love that i was at times angrily on miranda’s side, while at other times i felt horrifically guilty for almost beginning to doubt her pain and deem her an unreliable narrator, like everyone else in her life clearly has. the book was a bit confusing, and the end didn’t quite satisfy me, but i still absolutely adored the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Medical content, Medical trauma
Moderate: Drug abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood, Gaslighting
funny
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a ride. Awad certainly has a way of making you feel like you’re in some sort of daydream.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual content
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Abandonment, Alcohol
Minor: Child death
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Gaslighting
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What in the world did I just read?
On one hand, it was kind of interesting, I guess. On the other hand, it was SO LONG! Like yes, it was decent, but did it really need to be over three hundred pages? Probably not.
What I Liked:
- The general plot. I'm really living for these chaotic novels about messy, disorganized, unhappy people these days. Something about them is just so satisfying to my soul. I feel like a lot of the books I've read recently have been about people whose lives SHOULD be amazing, but something is just ruining it all for them. Throw in some dead parents, chronic pain, and/or divorce, and you've got a perfect novel. In all seriousness, I really enjoy reading about adults. Teenagers are so boring. I'd much rather read about someone twice (or thrice) my age.
- That ending. It was just *perfect.* I love a good bit of insanity, and this was just perfection. It's a sign of a truly talented writer if you feel like you're going insane right along with the characters. Overall I really liked the writing style of this book too. It was darkly funny, shockingly witty, and entirely unapologetic. I really, really enjoyed it. Which is great, because I have another Mona Awad book waiting in the wings for me.
- It had an ✨Unreliable Narrator✨ and I love those. Like, yes, Miranda, please do go crazy and make a deal with the devil and hallucinate your friends dying. I'm here for it.
What I Didn't Like:
- It was long and a little bit slow. It took me TWENTY DAYS to read. Twenty days! (Yes, I did stop to read something else in the middle, but we'll ignore that for plot convenience.)
- I didn't really connect with any of the characters/they didn't feel like real people.
- Hugo. That's all I'll say for that one.
Overall, it was okay. Not my favorite, but I did really like some aspects of it (and I loved the cover (not the one that Goodreads shows, but the one with the theatre mask made out of pills)). 3.75/5, rounded up.
On one hand, it was kind of interesting, I guess. On the other hand, it was SO LONG! Like yes, it was decent, but did it really need to be over three hundred pages? Probably not.
What I Liked:
- The general plot. I'm really living for these chaotic novels about messy, disorganized, unhappy people these days. Something about them is just so satisfying to my soul. I feel like a lot of the books I've read recently have been about people whose lives SHOULD be amazing, but something is just ruining it all for them. Throw in some dead parents, chronic pain, and/or divorce, and you've got a perfect novel. In all seriousness, I really enjoy reading about adults. Teenagers are so boring. I'd much rather read about someone twice (or thrice) my age.
- That ending. It was just *perfect.* I love a good bit of insanity, and this was just perfection. It's a sign of a truly talented writer if you feel like you're going insane right along with the characters. Overall I really liked the writing style of this book too. It was darkly funny, shockingly witty, and entirely unapologetic. I really, really enjoyed it. Which is great, because I have another Mona Awad book waiting in the wings for me.
- It had an ✨Unreliable Narrator✨ and I love those.
What I Didn't Like:
- It was long and a little bit slow. It took me TWENTY DAYS to read. Twenty days! (Yes, I did stop to read something else in the middle, but we'll ignore that for plot convenience.)
- I didn't really connect with any of the characters/they didn't feel like real people.
- Hugo. That's all I'll say for that one.
Overall, it was okay. Not my favorite, but I did really like some aspects of it (and I loved the cover (not the one that Goodreads shows, but the one with the theatre mask made out of pills)). 3.75/5, rounded up.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A bizarre rating for a bizarre book! This is my second encounter with Mona Awad's work and it was just as surreal and unpredictable as the first.
"All's Well" is the story of former stage actress Miranda whose life in the spotlight is cut short after a nasty fall leaves her with chronic pain and an addiction to painkillers. The woman who once graced the stage, bringing popular plays to life, is now relegated to working a college drama course where she directs talentless students in the art of performance. And she hates it. That is until three strange men (peep the three witches from Macbeth) enter her life and offer her a fantastical opportunity to turn it all around.
This is a story that explores the struggles of chronic suffering, medical trauma, and female pain. Mona Awad takes 'mid-life crisis' to a whole new realm of conception with her eerie portrayal of a woman living in deep pain, deep envy, and deep fear. Reading this book made me think that if Oscar Wilde, Franz Kafka, and Hayao Miyazaki put together their most bizarre but brilliant ideas, this would be the result. And of course, we cannot forget Shakespeare. He is the key influencer and motif of this story. Drawing on Shakespeare's "All's Well That Ends Well" and "Macbeth", Mona Awad presents a story that encompasses his many 'tragic heroes' but set in a modern world. However, despite all the links I could make between this book and other writers, "All's Well" is quintessentially Mona Awad.
Awad writes books that reflect and critique the human psyche. I believe her protagonists are fundamentally unlikeable BECAUSE they show the innermost facets - desires, beliefs, inhibitions, unbridled emotions, etc. - of human character. These protagonists think and act and express in a way that makes you want to turn away in disagreement or revulsion, but at the same time, a part of you may empathize and/or relate. Like Mona Awad's other works, "All's Well" plays on the perception of reality. The story is told through Miranda's twisted, distressed, and unreliable point of view. This creates a narrative made up of superstitious imaginings, rudimentary thoughts, questionable happenings, and dubious deductions stemming from Miranda's own insecurities. Emotions are conveyed with depth and viscera. Commentary is made on gender and patriarchy. Flaws in the art, medical, AND education systems are brought to light. The use of intertextuality is brilliant. I mean, using one of Shakespeare's problem plays to create a problem story of your own? That's pretty badass Ms Awad!
I had great fun wrapping my mind around the peculiar world of "All's Well" and picking apart my own brain as I pick apart the storyline. I am already desperate to pick up another book by this author!
"All's Well" is the story of former stage actress Miranda whose life in the spotlight is cut short after a nasty fall leaves her with chronic pain and an addiction to painkillers. The woman who once graced the stage, bringing popular plays to life, is now relegated to working a college drama course where she directs talentless students in the art of performance. And she hates it. That is until three strange men (peep the three witches from Macbeth) enter her life and offer her a fantastical opportunity to turn it all around.
This is a story that explores the struggles of chronic suffering, medical trauma, and female pain. Mona Awad takes 'mid-life crisis' to a whole new realm of conception with her eerie portrayal of a woman living in deep pain, deep envy, and deep fear. Reading this book made me think that if Oscar Wilde, Franz Kafka, and Hayao Miyazaki put together their most bizarre but brilliant ideas, this would be the result. And of course, we cannot forget Shakespeare. He is the key influencer and motif of this story. Drawing on Shakespeare's "All's Well That Ends Well" and "Macbeth", Mona Awad presents a story that encompasses his many 'tragic heroes' but set in a modern world. However, despite all the links I could make between this book and other writers, "All's Well" is quintessentially Mona Awad.
Awad writes books that reflect and critique the human psyche. I believe her protagonists are fundamentally unlikeable BECAUSE they show the innermost facets - desires, beliefs, inhibitions, unbridled emotions, etc. - of human character. These protagonists think and act and express in a way that makes you want to turn away in disagreement or revulsion, but at the same time, a part of you may empathize and/or relate. Like Mona Awad's other works, "All's Well" plays on the perception of reality. The story is told through Miranda's twisted, distressed, and unreliable point of view. This creates a narrative made up of superstitious imaginings, rudimentary thoughts, questionable happenings, and dubious deductions stemming from Miranda's own insecurities. Emotions are conveyed with depth and viscera. Commentary is made on gender and patriarchy. Flaws in the art, medical, AND education systems are brought to light. The use of intertextuality is brilliant. I mean, using one of Shakespeare's problem plays to create a problem story of your own? That's pretty badass Ms Awad!
I had great fun wrapping my mind around the peculiar world of "All's Well" and picking apart my own brain as I pick apart the storyline. I am already desperate to pick up another book by this author!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug abuse