Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez
Kindle & Audible: US or CA
Morning Readers & Happy Thursday!
Ok, wow! First post, so let me get something out of the way… and maybe you can relate? This blog, The Weekend Readers, is a period of transition for me.
I’ve tried to reinvent myself numerous times over my life; Farmer, Homesteader, Gardener, So & So’s girlfriend, Social Media Influencer. Some I was actually kind of ok at, others… esh, maybe we won’t revisit those. In each of these phases I so desperately wanted to be taken seriously, but in hindsight, I don’t think I ever actually took myself seriously. It was all willfully haphazard, never consistent and so could never be a direct reflection of my potential. Instead, I often imagined reaching that potential within what I ‘read’ along the way, articles, blogs, podcasts, Youtube, and yes… books.
I was always chasing approval, maybe not the greatest look for someone trying to raise her own daughter.
It was pure coincidence that I decided to pursue a quiet passion of reading, to finally start taking myself seriously and happened to pick up this book, ‘Anita De Monte Laughs Last’ by Xochitl Gonzalez.
This Quote:
“But can you make a living?” “Who buys your art?” “Can you travel to promote your work?” The inability to measure the value of our work without commerce, money, prestige.”
The narration is so on point, so relevant, that up until a (certain) plot twist I actually found myself double-guessing whether or not it was based on a true story. Despite it being fiction these characters, their stories and perspectives, and the author’s ability to hide these nuggets of truth throughout really hit home. Add to the fact that the story is based in Newport, a city that caught my heart a couple of years ago and one I am struggling to try and revisit this summer. My heart was not ready for these moments…
“And she realized that, yes, while we was often anxious of falling short in her life, she was not a person who was scared. Not to stand on her own. To leave home, to chase ambitions, to ensure solitude in pursuit of a different future. One without a net“
“He wouldn’t have the courage to choose correctly. Not if it held a cost for him. Of course that cost was higher because it would involve him betting on himself, cultivating his art, improving himself and his work and not just leaning- out of fear- into whatever connections his mothre had or bought for him?“
This book was more about self actualization than I was prepared for and it knocked me over sideways. While it took a little while to set the stage and create that depth, and there are moments (🦇) I wasn’t sure if I was quiite on the same page, do prepare yourself to read the last half of it in one sitting.
This is hands-down a book that will stick with me for years, and one that I am so grateful to have read when I did. If you’re looking for a good read this weekend, I absolutely recommend this one!
Happy Reading!
-Anna R.
*As always if you purchase through any of the links in this post, or throughout this blog, a small commission comes back to help support the page & what I do here!
Kindle & Audible: US or CA
The Weekend Readers 
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