Reviews

All’s Well by Mona Awad : Book review

There are so many thoughts and feelings that arose when reading Mona Awad’s All’s Well - it’s dark, unsettling, blurry, frantic.. reading like a fast-paced stream of consciousness at times. Miranda, a theatre professor at a small college, is plagued by chronic pain after a fall from stage at the height of her acting career. Her pain is oppressive, all encompassing, and she feels nothing but bleak sameness ahead of her. Until she meets three men in a bar, and suddenly, after a series of confusing events, her vigour, her vitality is restored. The cost of such restoration soon comes into view.

The story felt reminiscent of Bunny, in its horror-ish, fever dream sort of vibes. The ?magical realism elements, or the constant uncertainty of what is real, what is imagined adds to the nightmare-esque quality woven throughout.

The topics and themes were so thoughtfully examined, such as the exploration of the experience of living with chronic pain, especially unseen injuries, the power dynamic between patient and practitioner, the way a woman’s power can be linked/limited to/by their beauty and youth.

Thick with unease and tension, it has stuck with me; I haven’t stopped thinking about it. It’s impressively written, the writing style unique. It’s not a book I would recommend widespread but to those who enjoy the weird, wonderful & dark reads sometimes - you’ll love it, as I did!

storiesandstardust's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

grunbean's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Difficult to put down once you start. Mona Awad has a way of enticing you to turn the page, no matter where you’re at in the story.

I liked this book and found the story interesting. I’m not sure it’s the ending I wanted, though. I feel like the main character did not have a full redemption and, therefore, I didn’t feel satisfied with her ending.

I think in some ways it would’ve been more interesting if she had murdered Grace, and I would’ve liked to see what that would’ve led to. A messier ending, but an ending I feel she would have deserved after her actions.

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The magical realism is well written, and I would be interested to learn more about the witchcraft taking place. It was spooky, and beautifully written.

loquaciouslauryn's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

lsmith96's review against another edition

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funny mysterious sad slow-paced

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

3.5

zweinst's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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