Completely unputdownable. I now worship at the shrine of Anita De Monte. Forever obsessed.

It’s been a minute since I’ve read a book that I haven’t wanted to put down and never wanted to end. I kept checking the time stamp bc no no surely this can’t be almost over! I’m not ready!

I was hooked, deeply invested in the lives of 80s Cuban artist Anita De Monte and 90s art history student Raquel. Both Latina women brilliant in their field but pulled into the orbit of privileged white male artists. Both seduced by the access and interest but soon pushing, resisting, contorting themselves to fit inside the gold encrusted bars of a gilded cage. When Anita falls from her NY apartment window, pushed by her art-titan husband Jack Martin, there is no justice. No, the ranks close and he is protected as so many men are, barely registering a blip in his career—while Anita is forced to watch in the afterlife as her artistic legacy languishes at his hands, and her memory fades.

Meanwhile, in the late 90s, Raquel is working on a thesis on the same Jack Martin to impress her fanboy professor. When she learns about Anita and her work she begins to draw conclusions not just in Jack’s work, unable to escape his wife’s spectre, but also in the person she is becoming, the subject she really wants to study and invest in, and the vision of her future. How she plans to make her mark.

Anita De Monte is living breathing, leaping off the page. I wish I could give an Oscar to this character, to Jessica Pimentel who voiced her in the audiobook, because damn. The passion! The commitment! I will hear her voice in my head for years to come. She was so funny, over the top, her rage was all our rage. I’d have followed her anywhere—spirit, ghost, bat, and back again. I haven’t loved a character this way in years.

Xochitl Gonzalez reimagines the life and afterlife of real artist Ana Mendieta here and her tragic death likely at the hands of Carl Andre. I only wish this had been made clear in the book itself, as I only found out from other reviewers.

This book was everything. Absolutely fantastic. Favourite of 2024, this is the one to beat. Immediately buying the physical copy to keep forever.

Thirteen apart, two Latina artists have very similar experiences trying to stand out in environments dominated by Caucasian men. In 1985, Anita is married to Jack, an up and coming artist who belittles her work and her Cuban culture. When Anita dies tragically, Jack is initially accused of her murder but the charges are dropped when Anita is deemed mentally unstable. In 1998, Raquel is a graduate art student working on her thesis while trying to fit in with her wealthy, privileged classmates. Like Anita, Raquel also becomes romantically involved with a talented white male artist who abuses her. When Raquel makes Jack the focus of her thesis, she stumbles upon Anita’s forgotten story and art so changes her focus to highlight Anita’s art as well as embrace her own Latin culture.
I really liked this story and the focus on Latina artists. The main characters were well developed and both Raquel and Anita were likable for different reasons. There was definitely some humor mixed in with some magical realism that made the story entertaining but the primary message around the oppression of women minorities was the best part of the book. The focus was on the art world but could be applied to many other fields. I listened to the audio version of the book and the narration brought the rating down for me. I understand the rage that Anita felt and realize that culturally, her expressions would be different from my own. But I experienced the narration as “over the top” and found the interpretation of both Anita’s and Jack’s anger to be distracting at times. And the voices of the wealthy white people and the “mean girls” was just too exaggerated. I think that sometimes, narrators can make or break a book and in this case, an otherwise 5-star novel was a little broken for me. I know that other reviewers liked the audio book narration but I found myself just wanting to get through the book and be done. I would highly recommend this book but also that it be read and not listened to.

While it was on the slower side, the way this story unfolded paralleling the experiences of Anita and Raquel was masterful and impossible to put down. The audiobook was excellent

This is a biting commentary on what it's like to be a person of color in traditionally white spaces like the art world. And what does it mean to be in love and also have autonomy over yourself and your choices? If that sounds interesting, you will love Anita de Monte Laughs Last. This is a wonderfully written book, and the narrators are spot on. You should read this.

Anita De Monte Laughs Last is an absolute delight to listen to. The cast of narrators brought spirit and life to the characters. This book alternates between Anita, a Cuban artist in the 80s and Raquel, a Latina art student in the late 90s and deals with struggles to find identity, individualism, and recognition as a minority woman in a very white, male, and elitist art world. This was a thoughtful and engaging story and I would highly recommend this to others. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio.

And there she comes, Anita de Monte, with all her personality, emotions, and charisma. I loved her so much, despite her being a quite loud narrator in an audiobook. Her energy and passion were inspiring, and her insight into femininity was ahead of her time. She was an artist, underestimated and murdered by someone who couldn't comprehend her greatness. Now, as a spirit, she tells us what had happened to her.

On the opposite side of the story is Raquel, who, 13 years after Anita's death, comes to learn about her while preparing her thesis. She doesn't have the energy and voice of Anita, but her passion towards art is undeniable. Yet, here they come – men in the art world who would deny her any agency, who will, under false pretenses of care, make her small.

From my point of view, I could write my own dissertation about the relationship of Raquel with a boy whose name I don't even remember. She is the shy, uncertain protagonist who, in a coming-of-age story, needs to find herself and try to learn the connection to her intuition. This book strongly resonates with any woman who ever doubted herself, believing others' opinions are more valid than her own. Despite Anita and Raquel being Latinas, I found myself easily connecting with their experiences and empathizing with them. Therefore, I credit Xochitl Gonzalez for a lesson in the widespread range of my own emotions – from happiness to giddiness. I loved how the family dynamic worked here, the strong sense of pride in heritage and family background. I loved how both Anita's and Raquel's faith intertwine, as if history were repeating itself, or at least was on its way. The question accompanied me throughout the book: will it end the same way?

I loved the intention behind the storytelling. There were many foreshadowing moments and metaphors that brought each chapter deeper meaning. The strong sense of purpose behind this story was the most exhilarating thing about it, and I loved it! This is the strongest book of the year for me, and I can't wait for more from this author!

Anita de Montes is a fiery portrayal of navigating art and any gatekept sphere. The novel follows multiple perspectives in mirror across 20 years of time: Anita De Montes, an erased from public memory Cuban artist of the 70s, her partner and far too hyped artist, and an art history college student in the late 90s navigating how much space she's allowed to take up.

This book juggles themes of power and access seamlessly, drawing parallels across generations in subtle and not so subtle ways. The mirroring of feeling and ambition between Raquel and Anita is rewarding to read, especially when it comes to the conclusion. The influence of supernatural/magical elements allow the reader and character's a rich sense of vindication and good prevailing over evil and it was a joy to listen to.

I could not stop listening to this audiobook. The narration felt like true performance and I could feel every piece of anger, mistrust, and skepticism in the actor's narration. I can't recommend absorbing this story through audio enough. It was a pleasure to read!

Before I talk about the book content please let me take a minute to express how wonderful the audiobook was done. The narrators Stacy Gonzalez, Jonathan Gregg, and Jessica Pimentel all did an excellent job. However, Anita's narrator was so incredibly passionate and brought so much life to the story. Anita was a very vibrant and expressive character and the narration drove that point home.

The story itself was a dual timeline story that worked well for me. Soemtimes dual timeline has one story that is a let-down but this one didn't. The magical realism "haunting" element also is something that is really hit or miss (more miss) for me and it was a winner with this story. All-in-all the author put together a book with a lot of things that could go wrong but she nailed the elements and wrote another winner.

So many deeper meanings to this story and the stories of the fictional characters. Then I found out that Anita was based on a real life person and it makes it even more amazing. I like to believe the real woman was able to get the last laugh as well.

TW: Language, drinking, toxic family relationships, abusive relationships, smoking, cheating, alcoholism, drug abuse, racism, sexism, slurs, use of c-word, classism

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
1985. Anita de Monte, a rising star in the art world, is found dead in New York City; her tragic death is the talk of the town. Until it isn’t. By 1998 Anita’s name has been all but forgotten—certainly by the time Raquel, a third-year art history student is preparing her final thesis. On College Hill, surrounded by privileged students whose futures are already paved out for them, Raquel feels like an outsider. Students of color, like her, are the minority there, and the pressure to work twice as hard for the same opportunities is no secret.

But when Raquel becomes romantically involved with a well-connected older art student, she finds herself unexpectedly rising up the social ranks. As she attempts to straddle both worlds, she stumbles upon Anita’s story, raising questions about the dynamics of her own relationship, which eerily mirrors that of the forgotten artist.
Release Date: March 5th, 2024
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 352
Rating: ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Story sounded interesting

What I Didn't Like:
1. Characters
2. Story
3. Boring
4. Constant bickering with everyone
5. Pretentious art conversations

Final Thoughts:
Omgosh I did not enjoy this book. I actually found reading this book a chore to finish.

I didn't enjoy the story nor the characters. Everyone was annoying and toxic. It was difficult to find anything I enjoyed from the book.

I made it 100 pages into the book before giving up. Every page felt so long and drawn out.

I appreciate that the author explained and pointed out the privileges that white people were given without having to do much, though I think it is more about rich white people than poor white people (white people overall though are above minorities though). It's also pointed out that Raquel is also getting some special treatment from her being a minority, but that is more about the school trying to fill a quota than the school actually caring about changing things. There are a lot of conversations to be had in and about this book, so I think that is amazing. Sadly for me I was just bored with the stuff in between these conversations. I didn't care about the art. I didn’t care about the toxic relationships that went on with the characters.

I was interested in this book because of the mystery surrounding the death of Anita, which I found to take a backseat to her toxic relationship with her husband, Tommy. Tommy is a horrible person that would cheat on her and abuse her. 100 pages into the book and I no longer cared about the death of Anita and just needed to get out of this book.

Thanks to Netgalley, Flatiron, and Macmillan Audio for this advanced copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

I HIGHLY recommend this audiobook! The full cast of narrators is super entertaining to listen to, especially Anita's character. The story is engaging, toggling between events in the art world in the 1980's that lead to a murder, and events in an art school in the late 1990's that bring Anita de Monte back to the discussion.

This novel explores the life of Anita de Monte, an emerging artist whose untimely death in 1985 New York City becomes a forgotten tragedy, and Raquel, an Ivy League art history student who, decades later, uncovers Anita's work while grappling with her own place in a world that feels alien to her. Both women are dynamic, complicated, and deeply rooted in their cultures despite what the art world demands of them.

The writing is so smart and emotionally intelligent. Not to mention that I love an obviously well-researched book. Gonzalez crafts a narrative rich with themes of ambition, identity, and the relentless pursuit of recognition in spaces marred by systemic bias.

The three points of view—Anita, Raquel, and Jack (trigger warning: DV)—are done so well by the narrators—Jessica Pimentel, Stacy Gonzalez, and Jonathan Gregg, respectively. Their clear skill and connection with the characters (not you Johnathan, pls, I'm begging that you share nothing with Jack) solidified it as 5 ⭐️.

A mixture of genres following dual timelines of our two main characters, Anita de Monte (past) and Raquel (current). I thought both of their storylines showed strong females and ultimately I enjoyed this book once they coincided, but it took long to get there. I felt that the plot lines were too slow overall and I think I may have enjoyed this better in book format?

I also didn't care for the over abundance of language while listening to this audiobook. Language doesn't normally get to me, but it was quite excessive in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the gifted ALC.

Inspired by the murder of Cuban-American artist Ana Mendieta, told through two perspectives, Xóchitl González’s ‘Anite De Monte Laughs Last’ is a brilliant and unforgettable examination of race, class and gender in the art world.

1985, artist Anita De Monte is murdered by her husband, an established minimalist in the art space. Over a decade later, his work is still being studied and her name is nowhere to be heard. Raquel, a third-year art student who struggles to fit in with her privileged peers only feels the divide further when she enters a new relationship with the well-connected, Nick.

While it was on the slower side, the way this story unfolded paralleling the experiences of Anita and Raquel was masterful and impossible to put down. The audiobook was excellent, the production and voice narration were impeccable and I'll be looking to what other books these narrators have worked on! This one cemented Gonzalez as an auto-buy author for me and I will likely be recommending this one frequently.

For fans of Yellowface by R.F. Kuang and Erasure by Percival Everett (American Fiction).

Following two parallel stories set a decade apart, Anita de Monte Laughs Last dives deep into the themes of art, ego, racism, classism, feminism, and love. And Xochitl Gonzalez does this with such brilliant wit that the book had me literally laughing out loud one second, and then dropping my mouth in astonishment in the next.

What I loved:
- The audiobook narration. If you can listen to this one, I highly recommend it. The book rotates between three different narrators, all of whom bring so much life and passion to the characters' voices.
- The characters: Anita de Monte is the queen of revenge, and I loved every second of it. Beyond the title character, though, Gonzalez has created a full cast of characters whom you love to love and/or love to hate.
- The way the author depicts the art world: I'll admit--I know nothing about the art world, art history, or art genres, but it didn't matter at all. Gonzalez swept me up into this world, and even though I was coming in with no prior knowledge, I felt like I understood it all. The elitism, the b.s., the racism--all of it was so well illustrated that I could see these scenes playing out in my mind as if I were standing there in those very galleries.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my advanced listener copy!

I seem to be in the minority on this one. I really wanted to enjoy this book, but I never connected with the narrators. I found the delivery to be whiny and kind of annoying. I may try picking this one back up as a physical book in the future to see if I respond differently. This was a dual timeline set in the late 1970’s/early 1980’s following Anita de Monte, a Cuban artist that is married to a while artist and set in the 1990’s following a student, Raquel, who discovers the work and life of Anita de Monte. A lot of people really enjoyed reading this one. It felt odd that there was no acknowledgement to the artist, Ana Mendienta, that this was clearly about based on the detailed facts throughout the story.

After loving Olga Dies Dreaming, I was excited to read Gonzalez's next novel, and this didn't disappoint. The book switches perspectives between two strong, complex Latina women, Anita - a Cuban-American artist living in 1980s NYC, and Raquel - an Ivy League student of Puerto Rican descent, from NYC, and experiencing real culture shock and outsider status at her school, where her lower economic status and skin color make her feel other. Gonzalez is excellent at depicting scenes of microaggressions and none of the characters felt like stereotypes to me - even Nick, the wealthy, outwardly successful white boyfriend - while so many of his actions and statements made me cringe, it's only as a reader that I get the privilege of saying "Run away, Raquel!!" Because we all have friends who have dated people who were wrong for them, and it's hard when you're in the relationship to see the warning signs. I appreciated how the relationship was depicted, even if it made me angry on Raquel's behalf.

Highly recommend for anyone looking for a smart novel about identity, coming of age, and female empowerment. The audiobook was also perfectly performed - I LOVED the performances.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Dear Anita de Monte Laughs Last,
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed you! I was expecting to enjoy your characters, but you had a lot of other things that I loved about you! The supernatural element and the three different narrators were definitely the highlight of your story for me. Not only having three different people narrating the characters, but each section really captured the distinct voices of each of them, giving them depth. While it is difficult to think of a book that happened while I was alive as historical fiction, you did a fabulous job of capturing the essence of the mid-80's and late 90's so perfectly. Anita and Raquel were beautifully balanced counterparts and I enjoyed seeing how one woman's decisions influenced the others. Mesmerizing and poignant.

When an artist dies, who gets to tell their story? 

This question is not new. Really, who gets to tell the "correct" version of any story or history for that matter? It feels that history is always skewed to show the version of the ones who "won" - the majority, or those who lived on. 
Have you heard of Ana Mendieta? I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't. I had never heard of her until I read this novel. Mendieta was a Cuban American artist in the 80's who died after falling down from the 34th floor of her NYC apartment. Or was she pushed? The prime suspect was her husband --minimalist sculptor Carl Andre. He was acquitted of her murder after a trial and went on with his art career with impunity while Mendieta's art was largely forgotten. 

ANITA is in part, an homage to Mendieta, recasting Mendieta as Anita, and her husband as white, art-darling Jack Martin. Gonzalez knits together two stories, decades apart, and draws parallels between the experiences of two Latinx women: the story of Anita in the 80's NYC art scene and the story of Puerto Rican student Raquel Torres who moves away from Brooklyn to attend a New England college in the 90's. Torres is influenced by her white professor to write her thesis on Jack Martin. Raquel stumbles upon the story of Anita de Monte and uncovers a life and art, marginalized by a larger community. 

Anita and Raquel's lives are intertwined in many ways, with both women battling for validity in the predominantly-white spaces of art and academia. I love how the author conveyed Raquel's insecurities. In many ways, I felt like Raquel. We both went to mostly-white colleges at around that same time. And when you feel like a fish out of water, you start to question yourself, your identity, and what you want in life, trying to balance it all. Damn, that scene with those bitches (IYKYK). 

Folks, you are in for a treat. This novel was so freaking powerful and intricately plotted with a touch of the fantastical. I love how Anita, literally haunts the story no matter whose POV we're in. Anita cannot be contained! Kudos to the author for her skillful writing and making sure the characters of Anita and Raquel shine through with their own unique voices. And speaking of voices, Jessica Pimental, who narrates Anita's chapters, was such an amazing actress channeling all that rage. Highly recommend the audiobook! 

All the superlatives to Xochitl Gonzalez, who will forever be an auto-buy author for me. Wow. I loved Olga, but I think I love this more. Thank you @netgalley and @macmillanaudio for the ALC.

I found the theme and story of this novel so engaging and interesting. I was hooked and felt gripped by the multiple POV of Anita and Rocquel. Specific to the audiobook, I felt the reader did a fantastic job and brought me into the story. I did feel a bit drawn away from the story when Anita turns into a bat. Additionally, knowing that the story was based on the true life of Ana Mendiet and hearing that the family was not especially happy about some of the ways she's being portrayed was difficult to process. I felt a bit conflicted because the themes of art and cultural significance felt so important and I'm glad stories like this are being told.

I just felt that - especially knowing the backstory and also that the author was writing a semi-autobiographical story about her own experiences, it just felt a bit ... flat? I'm not sure what the word I'm looking for is, but it felt like I couldn't stay as engaged with the material though I found it an overall good read.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an audio copy of “Anita de Monte Laughs Last” in exchange for my review.

This is my first title from Xochitl Gonzalez and I’m very impressed! This is easily a 4 star book on its own, but the narration pushed it over the top! The voices carried so much emotion and added to the cultural authenticity. The characters, storyline, and development were top notch!

I have no notes. This book is superb! If you’re on the fence, do yourself a favor and just get it.