Reviews

Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez

lil1inblue's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

whiteeemily's review against another edition

3.5

I really liked the feminist slant and even the spirituality to some degree!

lara_mac's review

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Super unique and enjoyable - loved the characters, multiple timelines & storylines and how they came together.

rsuray's review

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

wathykite's review

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

thelooneylibrarian's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

toreadistovoyage's review against another edition

So, my initial gut reaction is a high rating (somewhere in 4-5 range). The story was interesting, covering lots of topics that are important and relevant and thought-provoking. The characters were richly developed. I was rooting for Raquel. There was just enough magical realism.

However...I read some reviews of this story, and it turns out that this was based on a true story - that of Cuban American artist Ana Mendieta. And...it seems the family was not contacted about the book at any point during the process and is not okay with the portrayal of Mendieta. 

I think the wildest part about this is that this book sort of does what happened to Mendieta in real life - chooses to ignore her existence. A forward, an afterward, a mention of her in the book would have gone a long way.

h_preadsagin's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

superdewa's review

Clearly based on the life and death of artist Ana Mendieta, without even mentioning her in the acknowledgements. My problem with the author’s first book was that it was historical fiction that gave no background on or way to learn more about the events mentioned. This is even worse in that it’s based on the life of an actual person with no allusion to that in the book. Why not? I enjoyed both these books but am disinclined to read more by her because of these omissions,

A recent NYT article on the issue with fictional accounts of Ana Mendieta’s life: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/02/style/ana-mendieta-family-estate.html?ugrp=u&unlocked_article_code=1.gE0.o4Le.idpO9mqzarQj&smid=url-share

megberb's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0