Take a photo of a barcode or cover
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-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
ββπ±ππ ππππ’ π πππ πππ πππππ, πππππππππ’. πππ, π·ππππ, πππ πππ πππ πππππππππ πππ πππππ. π°πππβπ π’ππ?ββ
Thank you to @jonathanballpublishers for the gifted copy!
Miranda is a woman in pain. She was an actress who fell off of the stage and is now permanently damaged. Her career as an actress was gone and there was a constant ache in her leg, hip and back. Then she meets three men who give her the power to transfer her pain onto someone else.
This woman was unhinged in a Macbeth kind of way. None of the story made sense to me and I was left wondering what exactly I had just read at the end. This is neither a light read nor a good one and I was very disappointed that I had spent six days to finish it.
I saw that some folks gave this book 4 β 5 stars and Iβm happy that they could understand the story but I was lost (and a little grossed out, to be honest). Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this story and Iβm sorry to say that I wouldnβt recommend it.
ππππππ:
βππππ ππππ ππππππ πππππππ πππππ. ππππ ππππ πππ’π πΈ ππππ πππππ, πΈβπ πππππ. ππππ ππππ πππ’π πΈβππ ππππ π πππ’ πππ ππππ, ππππ π ππππ ππππ. πΈβππ ππππ ππππ πππππ.β
βπΎππ, πππ, πππππ ππππππ. π»πππβπ πππ π π ππππππ ππππππ . π° ππππ ππππ’ππ ππππ ππππππ πππ πππππ πππ ππππ ππππ πππ πππππ πππ ππππ ππ πππππ ππ ππππ.β
Thank you to @jonathanballpublishers for the gifted copy!
Miranda is a woman in pain. She was an actress who fell off of the stage and is now permanently damaged. Her career as an actress was gone and there was a constant ache in her leg, hip and back. Then she meets three men who give her the power to transfer her pain onto someone else.
This woman was unhinged in a Macbeth kind of way. None of the story made sense to me and I was left wondering what exactly I had just read at the end. This is neither a light read nor a good one and I was very disappointed that I had spent six days to finish it.
I saw that some folks gave this book 4 β 5 stars and Iβm happy that they could understand the story but I was lost (and a little grossed out, to be honest). Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this story and Iβm sorry to say that I wouldnβt recommend it.
ππππππ:
βππππ ππππ ππππππ πππππππ πππππ. ππππ ππππ πππ’π πΈ ππππ πππππ, πΈβπ πππππ. ππππ ππππ πππ’π πΈβππ ππππ π πππ’ πππ ππππ, ππππ π ππππ ππππ. πΈβππ ππππ ππππ πππππ.β
βπΎππ, πππ, πππππ ππππππ. π»πππβπ πππ π π ππππππ ππππππ . π° ππππ ππππ’ππ ππππ ππππππ πππ πππππ πππ ππππ ππππ πππ πππππ πππ ππππ ππ πππππ ππ ππππ.β
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction
dark
emotional
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug use, Infertility, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Abandonment
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hallucinatory and bizarre. the only way i can describe it.
the way this book is set up is to function as a retelling of allβs well, the play being put on during the book. iβm not too familiar with allβs well that ends well but from what iβve gathered, it does it adequately. but a part of me wonders why it even bothered at all, considering it had nothing new to contribute. i feel like if youβre going to create a retelling of a shakespearean play and put your own spin on it, you should at least have something to say.
the main on going theme throughout this book is pain (physical and emotional) but with the odd pacing, and overwhelming plot that got a bit lost in the noise. i feel like mona actually had really insightful things to say, but she tried to make a metaphor a plot, (which can absolutely be done and done well, writers do it all the time, i just donβt think it was here) and then it just went off the rails.
the plot builds to an immense degree, to the point where the ending just feels lackluster. i usually donβt mind an open ended finish but i donβt think it was executed to its fullest potential here. at the end of it all i was left thinking βok now what? why did we do all of that?β
and thatβs really the question i have about the novel as a whole. what was the point? i feel like there may have been one at some moment or another, or popping in and out, but it drowned in the sea of weird. this book has several hundred pages and manages to say too much and not enough at the same time.
the writing style, reflective of mirandaβs mental state, is longwinded and repetitive. i didnβt mind this much, but there were several times where my eyes glazed of the descriptions because it became too much.
i think this review gives off a harsher view of this book than i have. i did actually enjoy this, and itβs a total page turner. mona awad is in excellent writer and i do plan to read more from her. but this book wasnβt what i thought it would be coming into it, and even while reading it. if you wanna have a fun, weird, worrying, time and have a background metaphor for pain weaved in throughout, you should read it.
itβs not a bad book in the least, but at the end of it i came away feeling βthatβs it?β
the way this book is set up is to function as a retelling of allβs well, the play being put on during the book. iβm not too familiar with allβs well that ends well but from what iβve gathered, it does it adequately. but a part of me wonders why it even bothered at all, considering it had nothing new to contribute. i feel like if youβre going to create a retelling of a shakespearean play and put your own spin on it, you should at least have something to say.
the main on going theme throughout this book is pain (physical and emotional) but with the odd pacing, and overwhelming plot that got a bit lost in the noise. i feel like mona actually had really insightful things to say, but she tried to make a metaphor a plot, (which can absolutely be done and done well, writers do it all the time, i just donβt think it was here) and then it just went off the rails.
the plot builds to an immense degree, to the point where the ending just feels lackluster. i usually donβt mind an open ended finish but i donβt think it was executed to its fullest potential here. at the end of it all i was left thinking βok now what? why did we do all of that?β
and thatβs really the question i have about the novel as a whole. what was the point? i feel like there may have been one at some moment or another, or popping in and out, but it drowned in the sea of weird. this book has several hundred pages and manages to say too much and not enough at the same time.
the writing style, reflective of mirandaβs mental state, is longwinded and repetitive. i didnβt mind this much, but there were several times where my eyes glazed of the descriptions because it became too much.
i think this review gives off a harsher view of this book than i have. i did actually enjoy this, and itβs a total page turner. mona awad is in excellent writer and i do plan to read more from her. but this book wasnβt what i thought it would be coming into it, and even while reading it. if you wanna have a fun, weird, worrying, time and have a background metaphor for pain weaved in throughout, you should read it.
itβs not a bad book in the least, but at the end of it i came away feeling βthatβs it?β
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Cursing, Mental illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent
challenging
dark
mysterious
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:
Yes
Reading Mona Awad's books requires a certain amount of faith. It is a leap, in a way, to give yourself over to the extreme and the absurd so wholly. Is it worth it? Will I reach the end of the journey and wonder whether the journey even happened? I've certainly felt that way reading literature like this before. Bret Easton Ellis comes to mind. But after reading 'Bunny' and letting myself go along for the insane, quirky, ride, I knew what I was getting into when I started 'All's Well.'
I'm so glad I was able to put aside all of my concerns and preconceptions, and dive into this work. 'All's Well' is a story of magic, of witches, of the fantastical and the mundane. It's also, primarily, a story about living with chronic pain. How it feels to be rendered invisible to professionals and loved ones alike. How it transforms you.
I think this book is an absolute masterpiece. I loved it even as I hated it.
I'm so glad I was able to put aside all of my concerns and preconceptions, and dive into this work. 'All's Well' is a story of magic, of witches, of the fantastical and the mundane. It's also, primarily, a story about living with chronic pain. How it feels to be rendered invisible to professionals and loved ones alike. How it transforms you.
I think this book is an absolute masterpiece. I loved it even as I hated it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Cursing, Medical trauma
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Cursing
Moderate: Body horror, Drug use, Medical content, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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:
Yes
Mona Awad is now a "must read" author for me. I have read both this and Bunny, and have been blown away at just how creative, weird, and amazing her stories are. The characters feel so real, and have so much depth to them that I feel like I know them personally.
The main character, Miranda, suffers from chronic pain with no concrete answers as to what's causing it. As someone who has been suffering with chronic pain since I was a teenager, I found I could relate to Miranda in so many ways. I understood her on such a personal level that I almost cried. I will say that if you can't relate to or understand her, then you may end up finding her to be annoying or whiny. Her pain is a huge part of the story, so be prepared to hear about it constantly.
Through this story we essentially live inside Miranda's head. This means that it is written as someone's train of thought would be, so there are very short sentences quite often. There are also a lot of flashbacks about her past as people and places remind her of happier times in her life. This kind of blurs the lines between reality and the past.
If you've read Bunny, then you are familiar with Mona Awad's ability to write an ending where there are multiple interpretations to what actually happened. I personally love this, and you can expect the same in All's Well. For a good chunk of it, it seems like there's just one path, but the last third really opens up other doors to possibilities, and I am here for it !
if you enjoy stories with an unreliable narrator, that are strange and bizzare, and deal with someone fighting the system to be heard, then I would 100% recommend this book. It's truly a phantasmagoria of pain, loss, and the right to live.
The main character, Miranda, suffers from chronic pain with no concrete answers as to what's causing it. As someone who has been suffering with chronic pain since I was a teenager, I found I could relate to Miranda in so many ways. I understood her on such a personal level that I almost cried. I will say that if you can't relate to or understand her, then you may end up finding her to be annoying or whiny. Her pain is a huge part of the story, so be prepared to hear about it constantly.
Through this story we essentially live inside Miranda's head. This means that it is written as someone's train of thought would be, so there are very short sentences quite often. There are also a lot of flashbacks about her past as people and places remind her of happier times in her life. This kind of blurs the lines between reality and the past.
If you've read Bunny, then you are familiar with Mona Awad's ability to write an ending where there are multiple interpretations to what actually happened. I personally love this, and you can expect the same in All's Well. For a good chunk of it, it seems like there's just one path, but the last third really opens up other doors to possibilities, and I am here for it !
if you enjoy stories with an unreliable narrator, that are strange and bizzare, and deal with someone fighting the system to be heard, then I would 100% recommend this book. It's truly a phantasmagoria of pain, loss, and the right to live.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Alcohol
Moderate: Toxic friendship
Minor: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood