Bloomsbury Home
- Home
- FICTION
- General & Literary Fiction
- Anita de Monte Laughs Last
For information on how we process your data, read our Privacy Policy
Thank you. We will email you when this book is available to order
You must sign in to add this item to your wishlist. Please sign in or create an account
Description
A TIME MUST-READ FOR 2024
THE REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK FOR MARCH 2024
'I have goosebumps just talking about this story' REESE WITHERSPOON
'Smart, funny – and furious' MARIE CLAIRE
'Genre-busting ... A clear-eyed deconstruction of skewed value systems' FINANCIAL TIMES
--------------------------------------------
Who gets to leave a legacy?
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 progeny of film producers, C-Suite executives, and international art-dealers, most of whom float through life knowing that their futures are secured, Raquel feels herself an outsider. Students of colour, like Raquel, 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.
Moving back and forth through time and told from the perspectives of both women, Anita de Monte Laughs Last is a propulsive, witty examination of power, love and art, daring to ask who gets to be remembered and who is left behind in the rarefied world of the elite.
A NEW YORK TIMES, ELLE AND GOOD HOUSEKEEPING HIGHLIGHT FOR 2024
'Writing with urgency and rage, Gonzalez speaks up for those who have been othered and deemed unworthy, robbed of their legacy'
Washington Post
'Rollicking, melodic, tender and true. And oh so very wise'
Robert Jones, Jr., author of The Prophets
Product details
Published | 05 Mar 2024 |
---|---|
Format | Ebook (PDF) |
Edition | 1st |
Extent | 352 |
ISBN | 9781526676269 |
Imprint | Bloomsbury Publishing |
Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
About the contributors
Reviews
-
Set across dual timelines in which both so much and so little has changed, this is a smart, funny – and furious – shout out to agency, ownership and the female creative spirit in the face of art world hierarchies, hypocrisies and –isms
Marie Claire
-
Halfway through the novel she upends things, turning a narrative about race relations into a ghost story ... It is this kind of genre-busting that distinguishes her writing ... Gonzalez crosshatches her characters with flaws and redeeming aspects ... Gonzalez is similarly nuanced in her clear-eyed deconstructions of skewed value systems
Financial Times
-
Anita de Monte Laughs Last is a cry for justice. Writing with urgency and rage, Gonzalez speaks up for those who have been othered and deemed unworthy, robbed of their legacy
Washington Post
-
There is an innate rage and melody in the prose, which is beautifully written
Glamour
-
A passionate and piercing examination of power in elite art circles
Sydney Morning Herald
-
Gonzalez's sophomore outing deserves a mouse on her doorstep in gratitude ... This is a brutal but ultimately heartwarming and certainly thought-provoking novel of Latinx magic, family, and feminine power
Booklist (starred review)