Scan barcode
venice_the_vampire's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
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: Medical content, Chronic illness, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Minor: Blood and Gaslighting
kittiesss's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Drug abuse, and Chronic illness
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
tomesxox's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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, and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual content
julia_jojo17's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Ableism and Addiction
biobeetle's review against another edition
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Gaslighting, Chronic illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Minor: Child death
ecb03's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Chronic illness
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Ableism, and Mental illness
ada_elisabeth's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
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 and Death
fandomsandfiction's review
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
4.25
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: Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Drug abuse
applesodaperson's review against another edition
challenging
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I honestly did not enjoy this book. I also didn’t like Bunny by Mona Awad, but I thought I would still give this one a try. But I enjoyed it even less. The premise was intriguing, but I found every single character to be unpleasant. I think there is a way to do an unlikeable narrator well, but I just don’t like the way Awad does it. It makes it even harder to read when the perspective of the main character makes all of the other characters unlikeable too. Especially in this one, Miranda assumes that every other person is thinking the worst possible thing about her, which makes all the other characters seem as unrealistic and unpleasant as Miranda is. I also thought that the magic aspect was confusing, much like it was in Bunny. It also just felt like a chore to read, to the point that I almost DNF’d it. If you are going to read this book, I would recommend reading at least a summary of All’s Well That Ends Well by Shakespeare, and also Macbeth. I didn’t do this but I wish I would have, because there are so many references to these plays.
Read from the Provo library.
Read from the Provo library.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, and Chronic illness
Minor: Murder
xbernadette's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Mental illness, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Drug use, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Medical trauma, Chronic illness, Cursing, and Drug abuse