Scan barcode
A review by bookdragon217
Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez
dark
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
"The truth is, I just really get it. You fall for someone, and you get so into them your whole world shrinks, and suddenly you barely have a life besides them."
Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez was one of my favorite reads of 2024 and a great way to usher in 2025. Gonzalez gives new meaning to the term "bat sh!t crazy."If you read this one, you know exactly what I mean. This book felt like the guttural scream that so many women have been holding in. It also felt like the personification of primal female rage when it comes boiling over when a breaking point has finally been reached.
The story is told mainly from the POV's of Anita and Raquel, two WOC who both have to reckon with the misogyny the reigns supreme in the art world. Both are navigating a longing to be loved and their own dreams of being successful in the art world. Anita's life ends in tragedy, and Raquel regains her voice by championing Anita's work posthumously.
Gonzalez's emotional and humorous writing style provided great balance and helped to carry me through the heavy themes she explored. Gonzalez tackled misogyny in the art world, domestic violence, femicide, racism in universities, classism, privilege, identity, and feminine rage and power. We also get to go inside the mind of Jack Martin, Anita's self-absorbed, mediocre, obsessive husband who is so revered in the art world, but behind closed doors, he is a monster. Gonzalez really makes you think about the ways that society forces women to have to shrink themselves for male egos and to be able to survive male dominated spaces. Anita grapples with the way she was made invisible the moment she left Cuba for the U.S. and Raquel, in her quest for acceptance, disregards all the red flags in her relationship and isolates herself.
There were moments where I totally raged out and then a few pages later, I was laughing hysterically. Gonzalez's way to craft snarkiness is top tier. Her clapback game is superb. I highly recommend this one if you're in the mood for a strong feminine redemption/revenge story that will have you cackling and plotting the downfall of the patriarchy, then read Anita with your favorite reading buddy.
Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez was one of my favorite reads of 2024 and a great way to usher in 2025. Gonzalez gives new meaning to the term "bat sh!t crazy."If you read this one, you know exactly what I mean. This book felt like the guttural scream that so many women have been holding in. It also felt like the personification of primal female rage when it comes boiling over when a breaking point has finally been reached.
The story is told mainly from the POV's of Anita and Raquel, two WOC who both have to reckon with the misogyny the reigns supreme in the art world. Both are navigating a longing to be loved and their own dreams of being successful in the art world. Anita's life ends in tragedy, and Raquel regains her voice by championing Anita's work posthumously.
Gonzalez's emotional and humorous writing style provided great balance and helped to carry me through the heavy themes she explored. Gonzalez tackled misogyny in the art world, domestic violence, femicide, racism in universities, classism, privilege, identity, and feminine rage and power. We also get to go inside the mind of Jack Martin, Anita's self-absorbed, mediocre, obsessive husband who is so revered in the art world, but behind closed doors, he is a monster. Gonzalez really makes you think about the ways that society forces women to have to shrink themselves for male egos and to be able to survive male dominated spaces. Anita grapples with the way she was made invisible the moment she left Cuba for the U.S. and Raquel, in her quest for acceptance, disregards all the red flags in her relationship and isolates herself.
There were moments where I totally raged out and then a few pages later, I was laughing hysterically. Gonzalez's way to craft snarkiness is top tier. Her clapback game is superb. I highly recommend this one if you're in the mood for a strong feminine redemption/revenge story that will have you cackling and plotting the downfall of the patriarchy, then read Anita with your favorite reading buddy.