Book Review of Mona Acts Out by Mischa Berlinski

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Type of book: 2010s? Thanksgiving, theater, relationships, power, #MeToo, New York, wandering, quirky characters, drugs 

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Summary:

Characters:

Main characters would definitely be Mona and Milton. Mona is an extremely talented theater actress who is dealing with a lot in her life such as getting the role of Cleopatra, her family and her decisions throughout the years, especially as it relates to her beloved mentor Milton Katz. Mona is one of the characters that is either liked or hated and is very prickly towards other characters, or else doesn't see the nuances. She also does drugs casually and feels incapable of facing up to stressful situations. Milton is Monas mentor and a theater director who is capable of working magic and pulling it out using old fashioned ways that will involve a lot of #MeToo. It feels as if there really wasn't a redemption arc built into his story, while I feel as if there should have been. There are plenty of secondary characters but they didn't play a big role as I hoped.  

Theme:

Life is full of surprises 

Plot:

The story is in third person narrative from Monas point of view, although once in a while other characters such as Milton Katz and Vanessa Levine also present their points of view. The tale begins with Mona attempting to wake up ( unsuccessfully) and realizing she has to deal with her in laws, her niece and her son and her husband who wants to travel to friends she can't stand. Mona, still highly vulnerable from her sisters death, realizes she can't deal with the Thanksgiving preparations as well as her guests thus she and her beagle run away with an excuse of getting parsley and for the rest of the day she explores her complicated relationship with Milton Katz, her mentor, as well as her co workers and that of her life. The story takes place in the span of two days and I should warn that there is drug use and often Mona isn't as prodded as much as I desired.  

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Opinion:

When I was a teenager, one of my dreams was to be an actress, which hasn't happened, but I loved and enjoyed reading about how my life would have been had I decided to pursue that path. I also feel as if th is was a very New York book that exposes the readers to quirky charm of New York through a variety of characters. Quite often the idea of coming of age novels require the very young transitioning to older roles. Seeing much older characters transitioning is rare, especially ones that do it organically as Mona does it, but that is what has happened as the story went on. While the plot is simple on the surface, there are a lot of complications and thoughts that go behind the scenes ( Perhaps a metaphor for the theater plays?) And it's worth it exploring. 

This was given for review 

4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)