Book review time!

In 👑 All’s Well 👑 Mona Awad has created another totally unhinged, absolutely fantastic masterpiece. I’ve been a huge fan of her writing since Bunny, and this book was right up my alley - Shakespeare and teaching? Sign me up!

All’s Well is about former actor and current college theater Professor Miranda Fitch, attempting to put on a production of All’s Well That Ends Well. But she’s had debilitating back and hip pain since a fall off the stage, and her crew of student actors are staging a mutiny. I think this book is better if you don’t know much more, so I’ll leave it at that, but I’ll just say that synopsis barely scratches the surface of what this book is about.

I am obsessed and fascinated by Awad’s story creativity, which I remember from Bunny, this time compounded by literary allusions and references. There was a lot of Shakespeare, a little Dorian Gray, and maybe a few connections to The Wasteland at the end - or that might have been my over-eager former English major brain reading into it! Though the plot itself is wacky enough to make readers want to devour this text, the thing that made it for me was the little stream-of-consciousness asides. Every once in a while we got a section of Miranda’s rapidly spinning out thoughts, and wow, those were incredible.

This book was everything I hoped for and more from Mona Awad, an author I really enjoy, and in a Shakespeare book, a topic I’m equally into. It’s not easy to make a book so full of great literature feel so fresh, but this book did. Check it out when it comes out on August 3rd!

Formerly a stage actress, Miranda Fitch is now an assistant professor in the theatre department at a small liberal arts college in Massachusetts. Miranda has been struggling with chronic pain since a fall from the stage ended her acting career, and is constantly confronted with scrutiny and disbelief from medical professionals, colleagues, and family. Hoping to relive her glory days where she played the role of Helen in All’s Well That Ends Well, Miranda plans a production for the college’s annual Shakespeare production. She’s facing mutiny from her students, who are lobbying for Macbeth instead.

Heavily influenced by All’s Well That Ends Well and Macbeth, All’s Well is a wild ride. Shakespeare features heavily in this novel. Though the book lays out some of the basic plot elements of All’s Well That Ends Well, I felt that my knowledge of Shakespeare was inadequate to carry me, as a reader, through the book.

All’s Well started out strong, and I found myself laughing aloud multiple times in the first few pages. As time went on, I lost interest. Miranda lacks agency and growth throughout the course of the book. There were places where I thought the storyline was taking dark turns or that we were following Miranda into psychosis, but ultimately ended up finding myself frustrated that many plot points turned out to be circuitous.

The strongest part of All’s Well was Awad’s exploration of chronic pain. The early parts of the book portrayed the ways in which people experiencing chronic pain are often dismissed across systems and relationships, and it was interesting to see Miranda fall into the same patterns when another character begins to experience similar symptoms.

This one wasn’t quite for me, but I’d recommend it for readers with a stronger Shakespeare knowledge base than I have.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for an advanced copy of All's Well for review.

Thank you Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

What a journey! I loved Bunny and have been telling everyone to read it for ages so I was very excited for this. It's got the weird, bizarre, and eerie feel that I find very unique to Awad. While I'd recommend this to anyone who liked Bunny, I think it fell short for me with the ending -- too many questions, not enough intrigue.

All's Well is about Miranda, a professor in the failing theater department suffering from intense chronic pain after a stage accident. No one in her life really believes her pain and in fact, almost everyone makes it worse. She wants to put on All's Well That Ends Well this semester, but her students want Macbeth. Strange, unbelievable things happen and all of a sudden Miranda is feeling better and her students are willing to go along with All's Well. But, reader, all is most certainly NOT WELL.

I really enjoyed the narration style -- Miranda is such a great unreliable narrator, especially when things start to go off the rails. She's cruel, she's impatient. she's losing her grasp on reality. But I also saw a lot of truth in her experiences with chronic pain, with doctors, with people around her not taking her seriously. It's a dark take, sure, but a realistic one. Pairing that voice with the absolutely bonkers events of the book makes this read, like Bunny, haunting and compelling. I also really enjoyed the cast of characters here in Grace, Hugo, Miranda's ghostly ex-husband Paul, her slew of doctors, and of course the students. The relationships in Miranda's life are so fraught and sometimes excruciating to read, but they add to the constant skepticism of her own narration.

Without saying too much, the ending left a little to be desired to me. It wasn't as sharp as I expected it to be, and I still had a lot of plot questions about Ellie and Paul and obviously the three mysterious men from the bar. But overall, this is a 4 star read for me. It's got such a unique tone and I think still makes Awad an automatic read for me.

**I received an ARC from the publisher on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so good. It was trippy but in a good well. The plot was well thought out and the characters are very developed. A really good read.

See my full review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3861112765
A somewhat surreal story mixing elements of the supernatural with Shakespeare and the theatre.

I thought this was a great read and my high school students would love this one!! Will definitely be buying for our library and recommending to others to check this book out!! I think the doomed play and all the other factors made for a wonderful story indeed!!!

-`ˏ 4 stars ˎ´˗

“Where was all this tenderness when I needed it most when I was lying on the floor dreaming of touch like this, of a voice that would say something, anything, kind? Nowhere.”

Storyline: -`ˏ 8/10 ˎ´˗
The stage is where she belongs, but not directing students as they silently mock her for her inability to properly carry out her duties as a university drama professor. Miranda was once admired by everyone, now those very eyes see her only with pity and doubt. Due to a tragic incident on stage, Miranda now suffers from chronic back pain. This resulted in the end of her acting career as well as her marriage. She tries various methods to alleviate her pain but they were all unsuccessful, giving the impression to many that her pain was only a figure of her imagination. Feeling completely overwhelmed in all aspects, her only wish is to put on Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well. Problems arise when students disagree with her play choice, at this point, Miranda has had enough, she will get what she wants and those who are trying to stop her would face misfortune. Nevertheless, the show must go on.

Characters: -`ˏ 7/10 ˎ´˗
Miranda is an unreliable narrator. She constantly misuses her medication with alcohol that makes her mind blurry. We spend the majority of our time listening to her inner thoughts, which makes it difficult to believe what she says. Not only us but the other characters she interacts with feel the same way, her mind tends to drift away and she forgets previous conversations.

Atmosphere: -`ˏ 8/10 ˎ´˗
Creepy but enthralling. The implication of magic makes the book take a dramatically dark and dreary undertone.
There were times when I felt extremely uncomfortable about Miranda's internal dialogue, some of the comments she made about her students and coworkers were unpleasant and weird. It continues to escalate the further you read. Trigger warnings: drug abuse, suicidal ideation, physical violence, and explicit language

Language: -`ˏ 7/10 ˎ´˗
Some sections were very repetitive, making the story longer than necessary.

Enjoyment: -`ˏ 8/10 ˎ´˗
It became quite intense when we focused on Miranda's pain, it was almost as if we could hear her screams when she interacted with the physicians. It's heartbreaking to see the extent to which people didn't believe her discomfort. When things took on a mystical twist, it was amazing how people responded to her differently, but it was also quite terrifying. Overall, it was a very interesting read, I think my only drawback is that I probably miss some of Shakespeare's references that would have had a greater impact on the experience.

This was wild. I really, really enjoyed it. It is so unique as far as thrillers go, and I definitely am running to go buy Mona Awad's Bunny after reading this. She perfectly captured amazing themes of female desperation in the face of a male dominated world and it was just SO smart.

This book is so. hard. for me to rate. Honestly, it feels beyond all traditional star rating establishments, because it truly seemed like a dream I could have had put down on paper. this was one of my most anticipated 2021 releases and while 3 stars might seem like a low rating, I really did enjoy it. It took a long time for me to be pulled into the story, but the last 25% really flew by in a feverish whirlwind that feels just about indescribable. If you've read Bunny, you know that Mona Awad is the master of all things weird and horrific and strange and incredible. And this book didn't disappoint in that aspect! Half the time i had no idea what was happening, but it almost felt like i had taken the place of Miranda, and that it was easy to accept the awful things crumbling around her as a part of the truth.

In the same vein, I wish that the dark aspects hinted at throughout the book (repeated goat symbolism, witchcraft, sacrifice, etc etc etc) had gone even futher. As everything was ramping up at the end I had a hope that the whole scene might flip and end up in some kind of sleep no more daze, and while the direction it went was still haunting and strange it seemed kind of lackluster in comparison to the build that was happening. I'm still not sure how to rate this, so I'm sitting at around a 3.5, and recommending it to anyone who's ready for a fever dream. I loved it but I also wanted just a little more.

Stunning, cunning and maniac. All of Mona Awads greatest talents in one novel. I enjoyed every turn I took with Miranda. I loved watching her be angry at the world, resent her job and body, and go thru her chronic pain journey. Then one drunken night in her local bar she meets three mysterious men who know everything about her and I get to enjoy another version of Miranda. Fun, talented and happy. Miranda character arc is one for the ages!! I felt as though the three men were all in Miranda’s imagination and she made everything up in her mind until the last couple of chapters whenever grace and Ellie saw the men as well. Who knows and who cares. I enjoyed every turn Mona took and I’m going to miss Miranda. I hope she is well.

What a shame! I absolutely love Mona Awad's previous novels, but "All's Well" left me feeling frustrated and underwhelmed. The main plus of this novel is Awad's writing style. She really understands how to write impactful characters and dark and demented storylines. This book started really strong but around the 55% mark, I was feeling annoyed with the switch in premise and tone. The overall vibe started to become over-the-top and satire-ridden and not in a good way. I think I was just basically confused what was going on since I am not a huge of Shakespeare's plays. I haven't read Shakespeare since high school (late '90s) so I'm not familiar with all his material at the drop of a hat. The protagonist, Miranda is a college theatre professor at a liberal arts college. She also suffers from chronic pain after taking a tumble off the stage when she used to be a theatre actress in her younger days. At times, I thought the writing even though it's strong became repetitive and draggy. I felt like things were explained to death. Also, this book is way too looooooooong! The author should've cut at least 200 pages worth. Also, the ending was not satisfying. I was like, that's it?! I think Mona Awad hadn't written this, my rating would be lower. Overall, it's an interesting story but the pay-off is not worth this long and bumpy ride. It's a mixed bag for me.

Thank you, Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the digital ARC.

not sure what the FUCK i just read but i loved every minute of this trippy journey and Miranda Fitch is a character i’ll think about for a long time. favorite book of the year so far

My reactions are all over the palace for this book. It started off slow, but I started to really enjoy it a few chapters in. The writing of being consumed by chronic pain, being ignored by doctors, having people around you not believing you and hopes constantly crushed for new medicines or therapies was spot on. I was interested to see where the story was going to go after meeting the “three men”. By the last third though I wasn't sure what was happening and what the point was. Admittedly, I'm not a Shakespeare stan so I'm sure I missed a lot of the allusions to Macbeth (which I haven't read in over twenty years) and All's Well (which I don’t think I’ve read). The story does help you remember the plays through the dialogue.

We see Miranda start off as a Helen, the constantly ignored victim with no control, and turn into a Lady Macbeth, someone who is untrusting and trying to regain their status. While this worked thematically it was one of my issues as a reader, Miranda's lack of agency throughout. You could say that at the beginning it makes sense with her chronic pain, but so many times she would think one thing and say the opposite (like not wanting a procedure but getting it done any way). But once her transformation begins, she still has no control of ‘the trick’. She has control of the play, but even then I feel like she doesn't really know what's going on.

I also worry that parts read a little dismissive about her pain (is she faking it?). The three men almost seem to think so. If pain can just be moved magically does that mean you can just change your mind on it? I don't believe Awad is dismissing chronic pain but I’m leery someone could read it like this.

I love Awad’s writing, she writes surreal scenarios so well. A lot did read like a fever dream. The ending was anticlimactic. While this book is smart and, I didn't connect to it like I did to Bunny. I was never a theater kid.

While I am still new to Mona Awad, I bought Bunny earlier this year and am determined to read it soon, I was incredibly excited to hear about Awad's latest book, All's Well. As a Theatre Major and Fine Arts teacher, a referential story of a Theatre director putting on a Shakespeare show written by a weird and sinister author sounded like everything I needed.

All's Well stars college teacher Miranda Fitch, a former actress until a fall left her with chronic pain, as she directs this year's Shakespeare production, All's Well That Ends Well. Miranda is dissatisfied with many areas of her life, from her pain, the people in her life, and her revolting students set on performing Macbeth instead. On the brink of ending her own life, Miranda is approached by three mysterious men who offer to change her fate.

The story really centralizes on a lot of similarities from All's Well That Ends Well and Macbeth, as well as theatre culture in general. With references to many of the characters from both plays, parallels between some of the plot points, and some of the textual writing styles, it is clear that Awad did her research and crafted All's Well as a love letter to Shakespeare and his works.

However, much of this book is really carried by the strong characterization of Miranda, as she slowly grapples with the consequences of her encounter with the mysterious men. Her struggles with chronic pain and the conversations around it are brutal and incredibly difficult to read about. The way she's also portrayed in her descent into madness, whether it be from her perception or the world around her, is extremely well handled. I would argue that Awad was capable of creating a modern-day Shakespeare woman, with all of the trauma and themes that are commonly involved, better than any other contemporary author of our generation.

Miranda's transition from her own perception of being Helen, the relenting victim within her own uncontrollable circumstances, to becoming the Lady Macbeth, desperate to regain her status and untrusting of the people around her, is mostly seamless in its execution. I would also argue that there are elements of Ophelia’s blind innocence and how the world views her thrown into Miranda's characterization as well.

My biggest struggle with All's Well was the pacing. A majority of this book is spent existing in the head of Miranda without much dialogue. There is a large build up to understand Miranda's psyche, which works better when new stakes are incorporated but begins to feel tired after running into the same problems. After the main conflicts are set into motion, we begin to lose connection with the concrete reality of the story, and we can begin questioning what is happening. This is never truly corrected leading to many moments feeling rushed and the resolutions becoming anti-climactic.

I did enjoy All's Well and I found meaning and relatability to the Shakespeare and theatre of it all. Miranda Fitch may also be one of the most well-formed characters of this year in my opinion. I look forward to this book’s publication to read about the opinions and scholarly essay's that are bound to be created from this. While the story lacked in parts for me, this wouldn't deter me from recommending this to others and discussing the characters with others. I look forward to my read of Bunny later in the year!

I really enjoyed this book. It was the perfect mix of surreal and offsetting.

Full review linked on my goodreads page. Link provided below.

This book leaves me with so many more questions than answers. And I guess that was the point?

I was so absolutely enthralled with the idea of this novel. I am a big Shakespeare fan, and I was excited to see the modern take on putting on a Shakespeare play. However, that was not the novel that I got. It’s about “All’s Well that Ends Well”, without it ever actually being about that.

The major points I got away from this book was that I loved the characters, I loved their development, I was so invested in everything that happened to them. I am just confused by what happened to them. Is this book just the result of an unreliable narrator? The author wrote beautifully and clearly put a lot of work into this.

One major concern I have about the book is the disability representation. I am not someone that deals with chronic pain, but I know people that do. The author actively fights against the narrative that the pain is all in your head. But the book ends with the pain coming and going at the whim of a magic college student. The reality of someone with chronic pain was realistic until her pain just magically went away.

I gave this book three stars because I was actually interested in the plot, but I am unsatisfied with the ending. I am left in a simple state of confusion

“Pain can move, Ms. Fitch, it can switch. From house to house, body to body.”

Miranda Fitch is a former stage actress, currently living a life of chronic pain after an accident that ended her acting career (and marriage). When we meet her, she is a shell of her former self. She spends her days in pain, popping pills and directing plays for a college drama program. Their latest play is “All’s Well That Ends Well”, the very same play Miranda was performing when she tumbled off the stage and into her new painful reality. The problem is, no one else wants to do this play. That is until Miranda meets three mysterious men, three benefactors that not only help fund her play, but give her what she needs to get back to her old self.

This book started off slow, the early chapters showing us who Miranda is. We meet her coworkers, her students, her physical therapist. We see and feel Miranda’s pain and how well she is coping with it (not well). After Miranda meets the three gentlemen and gains her “power”, the book really picks up. Miranda is able to give her pain to others, people who may or may not deserve it. Though she becomes healthy again, she almost seems possessed with wellness. She’s a whirlwind and a spiral of manic energy, as out of control of her body as she was when she was riddled with pain.

I loved all of the characters in this. I loved the vivid descriptions of pain. I loved watching Miranda and rooting for her and then being afraid for her. I found this book to be thrilling and just a little bit magical, and would definitely recommend it.

*I received this as an ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review!*

“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.”

This is my second Mona Awad book, and I’m pleased to say that I’m absolutely hooked! Awad combines surreal elements to set a haunting dream-like stage (pun intended) that is both humorous and completely subversive. There are Chuck Palahniuk elements in both All’s Well and Bunny but still reads as something original. This is the novel I was most excited to receive an eARC for, and it lived up to all of my weird girl expectations (and then some). Do yourself a favor and preorder this book immediately!

Release date is August 3rd.

Thanks so much to NetGalley & Simon and Schuster for this eARC in return for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of All's Well by Mona Awad.

Wow, this book was literally a rabbit hole of pain and lunacy and I was INTO it. What a total fever dream of a read, it took me a few days to let the emotional bruises of this story heal.

Miranda is a tragic character, crippled by chronic pain after a fall off of a stage, she somehow has to keep working in the theater department. She limps, she drinks, she can't sit or lay down without being slammed with unimaginable pain. Doctors have failed her, husband and friends keep her at a distance because of how much her pain has changed her. But amidst all that, her job is to launch a college performance of All's Well, even though all of the actors strong oppose her choice in play.

But at the bar one day she meets three strangers that seem to know Miranda, they understand her pain, they sympathize with her. After a few encounters with them, she notices a dwindling in her pain. She has a bit more energy, and she's feeling rejuvenated to work and interact. But while she gets better, her nemeses are now getting sick. And soon her healing turns to mania, and now she is pushing people away for completely different reasons...

Like I said, total fever dream, but I really felt it. This was such an intense and unique read that launches you deeply into the world of chronic pain and how it effects you, as well as the people around you. The writing was so clear, and I loved all of the characters, even in their terrible-ness.

I love Mona Awad and I was so excited that Netgalley gave me an advance copy of this book... but now I am a bit annoyed that I read it so early and I can't find any thinkpieces on it!! As with any of Awad's writing, All's Well has a LOT to unpack and I'm not sure I unpacked it all.

The book is centered around/told from the point of view of Miranda, a stage actress of middling success who is forced to retire due to falling off the stage during a performance and suffering grave injuries. She visits doctor after doctor to address her chronic pain, none of which are able to provide any relief -- and many of which seem to think it's just psychological. Her husband grows weary of dealing with the hopelessness of her situation and ices her out until she is forced to leave him.

Meanwhile, she has transitioned to the role of director of an uninspired theater department at a small college -- a role she got by embellishing her resume. Her pain makes it difficult for her to do her job, and the students don't like her, especially because she is making them put on a rendition of All's Well that Ends Well when they all want to do Macbeth. She begins spiraling when the students appeal to the dean to override Miranda's influence on the play and allow them to perform Macbeth.

Things take a very mystical turn when, while self-medicating at a local dive, she gets too drunk with three businessmen at the bar and has an extremely disorienting experience (this part reminded me a lot of Twin Peaks, in a good way, lol). The men are weirdly prophetic; they know her name and her situation and act very sympathetically. They seem like a better version of the three witches in Macbeth. She doesn't remember how the night ends, but things really start looking up for her from there.

This book seems to be an answer to All's Well that Ends Well (I had to SparkNotes it to refresh my memory). Both Miranda and the main character of All's Well are "invisible women" to the men in their lives (Helen's husband, Miranda's doctors and literally every other person of influence). No one takes Miranda seriously until she heals and her beauty is restored, after which they fall on her every word. And to that end, she isn't able to heal until she meets the three men at the bar - these men seem to really know her and see her, even though she's never met them. It's a really powerful and unique take on how women need to be so many things before they can have a level playing field, and about how the approval of men translates to feminine power.

I am not really sure I understood everything that happened in this book but I really enjoyed it.