Reviews with content warning for Abortion - Play It As It Lays

After a good couple of years of reading new wave "femcel" lit, I finally got around to reading Didion. Play It as It Lays is singular among its peers in capturing a surprising resistance to the existential dread and societal disillusionment it portrays.

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morenowagain's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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hs259's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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mitchelljohnson's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Joan Didion is mostly know for her non-fiction, and I think I understand why.

The book is good. But that’s it. The content is a bit hard to stomach at points, the plot is nonexistent, but the writing is great. I liked the premise and how it was executed, but I don’t think Didion was great with fiction, or maybe it was this book in particular.

I found myself forgetting characters, because none of them are really memorable. I found myself not understanding what was happening because of how much the book jumped around. I was a bit confused.

I might try her non-fiction, because her writing is very skillful and she really knows how to get a message across in as little words as possible. Her journalism background really shines in that aspect, but it makes it harsh to read as fiction. I would re-read sections constantly because I didn’t fully grasp one line, putting me off track.

I was disappointed, but I believe that there are points in your life where a book is more meaningful to you, so this just might not have been the right time for me.

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chelseyanderson's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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ndavis's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

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kkozzz's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

I've been so excited to read Didion for years but never got around to it and started with this one. I'm so sad to say that this was one of the least captivating books I've ever read, and postmodernism is usually my sweet spot. There was nothing I liked about any of the characters, I could empathize with no one, and I couldn't wait for it to be over. I kept falling asleep while reading this. So genuinely disappointed because of all the good I've heard.

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