Anita de Monte Laughs Last: A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick

"Anita de Monte Laughs Last" is a novel that explores the forgotten life of Anita de Monte, a rising star in the art world who died in 1985. Raquel, a third-year art history student, becomes romantically involved with an older art student and stumbles upon Anita's story, raising questions about power, love, and art. The novel is a New York Times, Elle, and Good Housekeeping Highlight for 2024.

Format: Hardback
Length: 352 pages
Publication date: 05 March 2024
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

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 color, 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, tende."

Weight: 562g
Dimension: 163 x 242 x 34 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781526676238