All's Well

All's Well

  • Downloads:3392
  • Type:Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date:2021-08-18 09:51:05
  • Update Date:2025-09-06
  • Status:finish
  • Author:Mona Awad
  • ISBN:1982169664
  • Environment:PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Summary

From the critically acclaimed author of Bunny, a darkly funny novel about a theater professor suffering chronic pain, who in the process of staging a troubled production of Shakespeare’s most maligned play, suddenly and miraculously recovers。

Miranda Fitch’s life is a waking nightmare。 The accident that ended her burgeoning acting career left her with excruciating, chronic back pain, a failed marriage, and a deepening dependence on painkillers。 And now she’s on the verge of losing her job as a college theater director。 Determined to put on Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well, the play that promised, and cost, her everything, she faces a mutinous cast hellbent on staging Macbeth instead。 Miranda sees her chance at redemption slip through her fingers。

That’s when she meets three strange benefactors who have an eerie knowledge of Miranda’s past and a tantalizing promise for her future: one where the show goes on, her rebellious students get what’s coming to them, and the invisible, doubted pain that’s kept her from the spotlight is made known。

With prose Margaret Atwood has described as “no punches pulled, no hilarities dodged。。。genius,” Mona Awad has concocted her most potent, subversive novel yet。 All’s Well is the story of a woman at her breaking point and a formidable, piercingly funny indictment of our collective refusal to witness and believe female pain。

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Reviews

dreya꧂

Mona Awad? Yeah she’s great。

Hollie313

2。5 stars

Alison Goforth

I don’t really know what I just read but I liked it

Julie Besaw

I think I liked it? Honestly, I'm not sure。 And currently, I don't even have the words to tell you what it is or why you should read it。 I think I liked it? Honestly, I'm not sure。 And currently, I don't even have the words to tell you what it is or why you should read it。 。。。more

Sid

3。5Inspired by my local library's reading challenge; an author I'd like to meet。 Awad's Bunny was such an all time favourite, so weird, an inventive, and creepy, and subversive – I guess there are many authors I'd like to meet, or maybe none at all, but that's why I picked Awad。Currently away on holidays, so bear with me as I rate books without properly reviewing them。A quick review for this one:On one hand, if you liked Bunny, you'll likely like this one。 On the other, if you liked Bunny, you' 3。5Inspired by my local library's reading challenge; an author I'd like to meet。 Awad's Bunny was such an all time favourite, so weird, an inventive, and creepy, and subversive – I guess there are many authors I'd like to meet, or maybe none at all, but that's why I picked Awad。Currently away on holidays, so bear with me as I rate books without properly reviewing them。A quick review for this one:On one hand, if you liked Bunny, you'll likely like this one。 On the other, if you liked Bunny, you'll compare it to Bunny, and find it not as good。 The plots essentially rely on the same devices。 It's good and mysterious and interesting, it relies heavily on literary world tropes (here, theatre rather than creative writing)。 It's clever, but no longer quite as novel。 。。。more

Tina

Hmmm, not sure what to make of this。 I read other reviews and people did seem on the fence about the main character。 I was equally flummoxed。 Did I hate her? I guess。。。 better than being bored by her and the story which I was throughout most of it。

Sue

Bizarre。 Brilliant。 Bizarre。 I honestly don’t know how to describe this book adequately。 I lost count of how many times I paused and thought, “What just happened?” Even so, I thoroughly enjoyed reading All’s Well。 Strong 4 stars。

Ceilidh

Well, that was a wild f-ing ride of terror and Shakespearean proportions。 I would give it 4。5 stars if I could。 I didn't do a full 5 because the author's previous book 'Bunny' is an all time favourite which I rank a bit higher, but goodness。。。 This book gave me David Lynch style nightmares。 A wicked delight。 Well, that was a wild f-ing ride of terror and Shakespearean proportions。 I would give it 4。5 stars if I could。 I didn't do a full 5 because the author's previous book 'Bunny' is an all time favourite which I rank a bit higher, but goodness。。。 This book gave me David Lynch style nightmares。 A wicked delight。 。。。more

Heather

Awad's writing just isn't for me。 It's a little too out there where half the time I'm either bored or have no clue what's going on。 I also really disliked the main character, so it was a struggle to finish this。 Awad's writing just isn't for me。 It's a little too out there where half the time I'm either bored or have no clue what's going on。 I also really disliked the main character, so it was a struggle to finish this。 。。。more

Hilal

3。5* WTF did I just read!? This author’s got serious issues。 Lol

Alejandra

* Thanks to Penguin Random House Canada and Netgalley for an advance copy for review purposes *Miranda Fitch used to be a stage actress and her career seemed to be heading in the right direction until a fall and a botched surgery left her in chronic pain。 Her marriage and friendships did not survive the fallout。 Now she barely manages to get through the day with copious amounts of painkillers while doing the bare minimum as a professor in a small college。 This year, she intends to stage "All is * Thanks to Penguin Random House Canada and Netgalley for an advance copy for review purposes *Miranda Fitch used to be a stage actress and her career seemed to be heading in the right direction until a fall and a botched surgery left her in chronic pain。 Her marriage and friendships did not survive the fallout。 Now she barely manages to get through the day with copious amounts of painkillers while doing the bare minimum as a professor in a small college。 This year, she intends to stage "All is Well that Ends Well", one of Shakespeare's lesser known plays and a reminder of her days of glory, and it does not seem that there are any chances of it happening until some mysterious characters step in and fantastic things start happening。The first few chapters were extremely difficult to read, but it is an important read。 Mona Awad gets us into the head of a woman with chronic pain, and lets us experience her depression, her grief over all that she has lost, and the trauma from interactions with the medical system。 It is very realistic and hopefully is eye opening to many readers。 I really felt for Miranda and understood her pain and her frustration at the lack of support around her and the lack of belief in her pain。 that section is also not a particularly uplifting read。 Fortunately, after that, the author weaves in humour, magical realism and some thriller elements to give us something that I can't even describe。 I'm still trying to make sense of the ending, as it is hard to tell at that point what is real and what not, and figure out how do I feel about it。 。。。more

Catherine

I。。。have no idea what all happened but at least this was an entertaining equivalent of a very long, dark, surreal tunnel?

Michelle

Former rising-star actress Miranda has succumbed to chronic pain, losing her old job and husband in the process。 Now she's a miserable pill-popping theater professor stuck having to do a production of Macbeth when her students rebel against her dream of staging All's Well That Ends Well。 When she meets three weird men at a bar and things start turning around for her。 She's becomes the anti-Helen, seemingly hurting people while becoming like an Instagram wellness influencer from Hell。 What do the Former rising-star actress Miranda has succumbed to chronic pain, losing her old job and husband in the process。 Now she's a miserable pill-popping theater professor stuck having to do a production of Macbeth when her students rebel against her dream of staging All's Well That Ends Well。 When she meets three weird men at a bar and things start turning around for her。 She's becomes the anti-Helen, seemingly hurting people while becoming like an Instagram wellness influencer from Hell。 What do these men want? Just a good show, they say。。。The reader spends this entire novel inside Miranda's head。 It's a claustrophobic perspective, because Miranda is a pretty annoying, delusional person, both in pain and out of it。 And when I say delusional I'm not talking about her pain。 A major theme of the book is about not believing in each other's pain, how we look away instead of seeing, how we fail to have compassion and empathy。 Miranda can't get anyone to believe her, but when she gets well she first lies to others about still having pain, then ignores the pain of everyone else。 The reader is never sure how much of Miranda's physical pain is from her fall and how much is psychological (of course, the brain is the body, so isn't all pain both all in the head and all in the body?)。 If you've ever had a doctor ignore your pain, especially if you're a woman, you'll identify with this aspect of the book--I certainly did。 But it doesn't make Miranda's painstaking inner dialogue any easier or more enjoyable to read。 I found myself skimming portions。 I wanted Miranda to go further one way or the other, either embrace the bad witchy-ness of her situation fully or be repelled by it, but it's like she barely recognizes it in her wellness mania。 I suppose that wishy-washiness is why the three weird men don't like the "show," but that didn't make the novel any better for it--I also didn't love the show。 I wasn't sure about the little twist with goth theater student Ellie--I guess there'd be SOMETHING going on there, but that plot point didn't do much before the little bit at the ambiguous end。 Nor did much happen with the ex-husband--I expected Miranda to run into him at least, especially since she's obsessed to the point of mixing him up with the new hot man in her life。 There are a lot of influences here, All's Well, Macbeth, The Tempest, Faust, all thrown into a slightly-fantastic stew。 Maybe it needed less stuff, or more magic。 Either way, it didn't quite work for me。 。。。more

L

I am sure I would have enjoyed this book even more if only I had been truly familiar with the plays of Shakespeare。 Even without that, however, it was easy enough to follow。 It's just that I'm sure I lost some of what Awad had intended readers to get。 I am sure I would have enjoyed this book even more if only I had been truly familiar with the plays of Shakespeare。 Even without that, however, it was easy enough to follow。 It's just that I'm sure I lost some of what Awad had intended readers to get。 。。。more

Bonkrae

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review。All's Well captured my attention from the first page。 Miranda's voice was unique, dark and drew me in with her honest perceptions and criticism of the able body people around her who don't understand her chronic pain。 She is angry and unhinged as she makes her way through life trying to get by with physical pain and strong feelings of loss for her previous life - a life wit Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review。All's Well captured my attention from the first page。 Miranda's voice was unique, dark and drew me in with her honest perceptions and criticism of the able body people around her who don't understand her chronic pain。 She is angry and unhinged as she makes her way through life trying to get by with physical pain and strong feelings of loss for her previous life - a life with a loving husband and a healthy young body。 The dream sequences were strange and dark with magical elements。 The story seemed to seeped into my pores and leave me with a heavy feeling of dread。 I was never able to tell which way the story would unfold but I always had the feeling that something sinister was lurking around the corner。 I highly recommend All's Well - especially if you love Shakespeare, are a drama nerd and enjoy dark and mysterious tales with unreliable narrators。 。。。more

Christine

I am not sure what I just read。 Mona Awad is definitely a creative storyteller。 It amazes me how she comes up with these ideas。 I may have to read the ending again。 I think this book is better than Bunny。

Sarah

Dark and twisted, drily humorous, magical, maddening, often profound, but blurred and muddled just as often。 I had a love/hate relationship with this book。 It was intense。 There were paragraphs I would delete if I could。 There were paragraphs I would commit to memory。 Overall, quite a ride。

Ciera

DNF

Fiona

she did it again, folks。 what an absolute masterpiece that I'll be thinking about for a long, long time to come she did it again, folks。 what an absolute masterpiece that I'll be thinking about for a long, long time to come 。。。more

Valentina

Listen, Mona Awad understands the kind of horror I'm into and this one was no different。 I had so much fun being confused and going on this ride。 I have so many questions that I'll never have answers to but that's kinda how this is supposed to go!Bunny is still my favorite but this had everything I wanted from this story so its an easy 5 stars。 Listen, Mona Awad understands the kind of horror I'm into and this one was no different。 I had so much fun being confused and going on this ride。 I have so many questions that I'll never have answers to but that's kinda how this is supposed to go!Bunny is still my favorite but this had everything I wanted from this story so its an easy 5 stars。 。。。more

Kate (KP) Parks

I don’t understand but great book still。 5 stars of great confusion。

Joni (Jonez)

4。0

Erin

I’m so torn with this one。 I’ve read two other Mona Awad books which were solid 5 stars for me and I was highly anticipating this one。 But the subject matter (theater/Shakespeare) is just something that does not interest me so I found myself drifting off and getting bored every now and then。 Mona’s writing IS SO GOOD though, very much my style, she does internal monologues and dark humor like no other。 But…I honestly had no clue what was going on for much of this book。 I keep reading reviews whe I’m so torn with this one。 I’ve read two other Mona Awad books which were solid 5 stars for me and I was highly anticipating this one。 But the subject matter (theater/Shakespeare) is just something that does not interest me so I found myself drifting off and getting bored every now and then。 Mona’s writing IS SO GOOD though, very much my style, she does internal monologues and dark humor like no other。 But…I honestly had no clue what was going on for much of this book。 I keep reading reviews where people are complaining because the main character complains too much。 I feel like if I was living with chronic pain, I’d complain a ton too, so…If you’ve never read an Awad book, go pick up Bunny instead! 。。。more

Sam

This book started off strong, but I felt like it got really slow。。 I think this would have been fantastic if it was shorter。 But overall, it was great (and sad) to read about a female suffering from chronic pain。 Females rarely get believed when it comes to that, and as someone with chronic illness, I really related to it!An interesting read, but I do wish it was shorter!

Daniel Rose

4。5 stars。 I love theatre so when I saw this at the book star I picked it up just from the cover。 Then when I read the synopsis I knew I had to have it。 I loved this book and the story was great! Miranda kinda got on my nerves at times, but I really enjoyed。 I think if you like theatre you will definitely enjoy this book!

Maureen

I might have an easier time rating this book had I understand the story。 I found the book confusing, dark , disturbing and I kept thinking it would make sense to me by the time I finished it, but it did not。

Tim

Really captures how everyone who works at a small college is a flake, from the dean to the staff。

Rebecca Maher

Insane, nauseating, and wonderful, am I right?

Kim ~ It’s All About the Thrill

Guaranteed the most bizarre book I will read this year… 🤯 I loved it! 🤷‍♀️Review to come🖤

E。B。

Whoa。 I thought slow first 100 pages and then I could not put it down- off putting at times and still mulling over ending。 I needed something different and this certainly was that。 I’m glad I read it。 (Miranda, pain, Shakespeare play)