god i love love LOVED the beginning of the book and the depictions of chronic pain so much, they way they were written were so interesting and real and relatable. i also really love that i was at times angrily on miranda’s side, while at other times i felt horrifically guilty for almost beginning to doubt her pain and deem her an unreliable narrator, like everyone else in her life clearly has. the book was a bit confusing, and the end didn’t quite satisfy me, but i still absolutely adored the book.

A bizarre rating for a bizarre book! This is my second encounter with Mona Awad's work and it was just as surreal and unpredictable as the first. 

"All's Well" is the story of former stage actress Miranda whose life in the spotlight is cut short after a nasty fall leaves her with chronic pain and an addiction to painkillers. The woman who once graced the stage, bringing popular plays to life, is now relegated to working a college drama course where she directs talentless students in the art of performance. And she hates it. That is until three strange men (peep the three witches from Macbeth) enter her life and offer her a fantastical opportunity to turn it all around.

This is a story that explores the struggles of chronic suffering, medical trauma, and female pain. Mona Awad takes 'mid-life crisis' to a whole new realm of conception with her eerie portrayal of a woman living in deep pain, deep envy, and deep fear. Reading this book made me think that if Oscar Wilde, Franz Kafka, and Hayao Miyazaki put together their most bizarre but brilliant ideas, this would be the result. And of course, we cannot forget Shakespeare. He is the key influencer and motif of this story. Drawing on Shakespeare's "All's Well That Ends Well" and "Macbeth", Mona Awad presents a story that encompasses his many 'tragic heroes' but set in a modern world. However, despite all the links I could make between this book and other writers, "All's Well" is quintessentially Mona Awad.

Awad writes books that reflect and critique the human psyche. I believe her protagonists are fundamentally unlikeable BECAUSE they show the innermost facets - desires, beliefs, inhibitions, unbridled emotions, etc. - of human character. These protagonists think and act and express in a way that makes you want to turn away in disagreement or revulsion, but at the same time, a part of you may empathize and/or relate. Like Mona Awad's other works, "All's Well" plays on the perception of reality. The story is told through Miranda's twisted, distressed, and unreliable point of view. This creates a narrative made up of superstitious imaginings, rudimentary thoughts, questionable happenings, and dubious deductions stemming from Miranda's own insecurities. Emotions are conveyed with depth and viscera. Commentary is made on gender and patriarchy. Flaws in the art, medical, AND education systems are brought to light. The use of intertextuality is brilliant. I mean, using one of Shakespeare's problem plays to create a problem story of your own? That's pretty badass Ms Awad! 

I had great fun wrapping my mind around the peculiar world of "All's Well" and picking apart my own brain as I pick apart the storyline. I am already desperate to pick up another book by this author! 

this was a wacky and surreal book that would have maybe benefitted from being shorter? i liked the narrative tone but since there was a lot of internal monologue involved, it dragged on sometimes.

it was interesting to read this after rouge, and spot the occasional similarities between the protagonists and the themes! 

I honestly did not enjoy this book. I also didn’t like Bunny by Mona Awad, but I thought I would still give this one a try. But I enjoyed it even less. The premise was intriguing, but I found every single character to be unpleasant. I think there is a way to do an unlikeable narrator well, but I just don’t like the way Awad does it. It makes it even harder to read when the perspective of the main character makes all of the other characters unlikeable too. Especially in this one, Miranda assumes that every other person is thinking the worst possible thing about her, which makes all the other characters seem as unrealistic and unpleasant as Miranda is. I also thought that the magic aspect was confusing, much like it was in Bunny. It also just felt like a chore to read, to the point that I almost DNF’d it. If you are going to read this book, I would recommend reading at least a summary of All’s Well That Ends Well by Shakespeare, and also Macbeth. I didn’t do this but I wish I would have, because there are so many references to these plays. 
Read from the Provo library.